Sports and Leadership

Catalog description

It has often been argued that sports provide an opportunity for the growth and development of one's character, that out of that development comes natural leadership qualities. To this it has been argued that participation in sports is a necessary component of a well-lived life. It was said that the military success of England could be traced to the playing fields of Eton. From the earliest time of the dawn of Western civilization, the Greeks were known for their belief and advocacy in the necessity of a sound body and the accomplishments of their prized athletes. Hence, the creation of the Olympic spirit as tested and proven in the Olympic Games, named after Mount Olympus where it was thought that the gods resided. This leads to the notion that sports and its athletes, by virtue of their participation in competition, render them as our contemporary god-like figures. Sports heroes then are gods, not GOATs. On the other hand, sports have increasingly come under the microscope for criticism for the many ways in which athletes and their actions betray such claims. In particular with the expanding and exploding economic significance of sports, in both its professional and everyday social manifestation, be it either youth leagues, high school or collegiate competitions, or the many forms of sports and leagues found in every nation or culture, the centrality of sports and competition dominates our attention span. This course examines both sides of this situation and delves into the many sides which sports present.