Athlete Whereabouts & Professional Sport Unions

At the recent European Professional Sportspeople’s forum, FIFPro, the worldwide representative organisation that promotes the interests of over 50,000 footballers from 43 member unions raised their concerns over the current system of whereabouts.

• The main issue discussed was whether professional sportsmen and women are to be viewed primarily as employees and so subject first and foremost to European and National employment laws,
OR
• Due to the ‘specificity of sport’ they should be subject to governing body rules rather than general extra-judicial procedures implemented by WADA and IF’s.

Whilst vehemently taking an anti-doping stance, FIFPro raised the following concerns regarding the whereabouts system.

• The current system does not sufficiently consider the agency and liberties of athletes as human beings, often neglecting their fundamental rights as sportspeople. Interpreting full-time athletes as employees within sport suggests that testing outside of competition or training exploits a competitor’s privacy and rights as an individual.

• Implementation of the whereabouts system is not universal and is therefore not applied equally to all athletes.

• The outcome of failing to attend three doping tests creates the same punishment as a test that produces positive results. It could be argued that ‘strict liability’ produces too broad a spectrum for implementation of punishment and doesn’t cater for individual or specific cases.

• Current anti-doping laws shape sport, whereas it should realistically be reversed. Training and competition needs should take precedence over restrictions to an athlete’s training programme that may be the result of the whereabouts system.

• It can be argued that the punishment (up to 2 year ban) is too strict, especially when we consider that an athlete may be banned on the basis that they have demonstrated forgetfulness or disorganisation etc as opposed to a failed drugs test.

• For those that are part of a team sport, doping tests and the whereabouts system should be incorporated into training regimes as such demands already provide sufficient information on whereabouts.


Go to http://www.fifpro.org/ to see an example of how some athlete groups are starting to respond to governance issue in their sport

Graduate Study in the Philosophy of Sport

Philosophy of sport is alive and well, with numerous scholarly associations and individuals working in the field.  And yet for those who are interested in pursuing a graduate degree in the field, it can be difficult to ascertain where to go and who the potential graduate advisors/supervisors might be. After all, it's not like there are "Philosophy of Sport" departments, and many philosophers of sport aren't housed in philosophy departments. This can make the search difficult.

I asked this once a  couple of years ago, but am doing so again here for the sake of such potential students and for the sake of the field.  In the comments, tell us about philosophers of sport who work in graduate programs that are accepting students for this type of work. Thanks!

IAPS 2011 Conference Website

 For more information, see the link. Here's a bit from the site:

The 2011 conference promises to be a special one, as it signifies a homecoming for IAPS. The first full conference of the then Philosophical Society for the Study of Sport (PSSS) was hosted at Brockport in November of 1973. In addition, many PSSS and IAPS scholars, including some past presidents, have taught at the College and/or presented papers for its annual Sport Philosophy Lecture. At the head of this list is Dr. Warren P. Fraleigh, one of the Association’s founders, who will be honored during the 2011 conference.
We are also looking forward to honoring Dr. Jim Parry, who will deliver the 2011 Distinguished Scholar Lecture during the conference, and Dr. Cesar R. Torres, who will give his Presidential Address after completing his two-year term as IAPS President. We also anticipate an outstanding program of academic presentations and panels to be offered by IAPS members from around the world, including a keynote address by Dr. J. S. Russell.

International Association for the Philosophy of Sport CFP

2011 IAPS Conference - Second Call for Papers
www.iaps.net

The International Association for the Philosophy of Sport invites the submission of abstracts to be considered for presentation at the 39th annual 2011 IAPS meeting. The conference will be held September 8-11, 2011 in Rochester, New York (USA). 

Abstracts are welcome on any area of philosophy of sport, including metaphysics, epistemology, aesthetics, and ethics, and from any theoretical approach, including analytic philosophy and critical theory. While IAPS recognizes, values, and encourages interdisciplinary approaches and methodologies, acceptance is contingent on the philosophical content of the project. Emerging scholars are encouraged to submit works in progress.

A Program Committee of three IAPS peers will review abstracts. Contributors will be notified about the status of their abstracts by May 16, 2011

Proposals for round table and panel discussions, including a tentative list of participants, are also welcome and should follow the same format as paper abstracts.

R. SCOTT KRETCHMAR STUDENT ESSAY AWARD

IAPS is proud to announce the “R. Scott Kretchmar Student Essay Award.” Interested undergraduate and graduate students should submit a full paper by June 15, 2011 (in addition to an abstract, see below).  A separate announcement is posted at the IAPS website.

GUIDELINES

Abstracts should be 300-500 words long, in English, and must be received by April 1, 2011. Please, follow the following instructions (incomplete proposals will be returned).  Provide:

1. Name, E-mail, current position, and employer
2. Title of Program
3. Key Words (three to five)
4. Primary Content Area/s (choose no more than 2)

1. Ethics                          d.   Epistemology                    g.   Applied
2. Metaphysics                e.   Phenomenology                 h.   History
3. Aesthetics                   f.   Comparative                      i.   Other (explain)

           

5. Indicate special Audio-Visual requirements (computer & projector will be provided)

The preferred mode of submission is by e-mail.

Please send the abstract blind-review ready as an attachment, preferably in Word, to the Conference Chair at: jilunda@linfield.edu

Contributors who lack access to e-mail may send a hard copy instead to the following address:

            Jesús Ilundáin-Agurruza

                                    IAPS Conference Chair

Associate Professor of Philosophy

                                    Linfield College

                                    900 SE Baker St., Unit 580

                                    McMinnville, OR 97128 (USA)

Please distribute to interested parties.

Further inquiry into luge death from Vancouver 2010

As Vancouver celebrates its one year anniversary since hosting the Winter Games, allegations have arose surrounding accountability and blame for the Georgian luger Nodar Kumariatashvili's tragic death. CBC's the Fifth Estate produced an interesting investigation into the case and is worthy of a gander.

www.cbc.ca/fifth/2010-2011/deathattheolympics/