Betterness, injustice and failed athletic contests

: Pakaslahti A

Publisher: ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

: 2016

: Journal of the Philosophy of Sport

: JOURNAL OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF SPORT

: J PHILOS SPORT

: 43

: 2

: 281

: 293

: 13

: 0094-8705

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00948705.2015.1133247

In this paper, I provide an account of failed athletic contests which consists of two ideals, the Athletic Superiority Ideal and the Just Results Ideal. Related to this, I argue that a sports contest can fail in terms of the Athletic Superiority Ideal without failing in terms of the Just Results Ideal and vice versa. In the process of doing the former, I argue that besides adjudicating errors, cheating, gamesmanship and (bad) luck, there are two other types of reasons because of which a sports contest can fail in terms of the Athletic Superiority Ideal. Finally, I argue that my account of failed athletic contests is more plausible than Mika Hamalainen's three-standard model of athletic superiority.