Coaching for Character

Randolph Feezell and Craig Clifford apply some of the key ideas from both classical moral philosophy and contemporary philosophy of sport to the role of the coach. Sport is serious, as competition is a serious thing insofar as it can be understood as a mutual quest for excellence. However, sport is also play, and so a balance must be sought between the extremes of "It's only a game" and "Winning is all that matters". Perhaps we need a similar balanced approach to our lives that incorporates play and the serious pursuit of human excellence. A particularly interesting thought comes from the book's final chapter, "Beyond Sport": That play feels so natural to us might well come from deeper sources in us than we realize. Play, then, far from being an escape from reality may be an expression of it. The central idea of the book is the moral notion of respect. The authors discuss respect for opponents, for the game, teammates and team, officials, and between player and coach. I particularly like the point that even though respect is less valued in many realms of life, including sport at a variety of levels from little league through the professional level, today's kids can learn it. Coaches, parents, and others need to teach it, model it, and help young athletes practice it. This is a challenging thought as I prepare to coach my youngest daughter's soccer team again, and hope to provide a sound example of respect and sportsmanship.