Soccer and Philosophy Beautiful Thoughts on

This collection of incisive articles gives a leading team of international philosophers a free kick toward exploring the complex and often hidden contours of the world of soccer. What does it really mean to be a fan (and why should we count Aristotle as one)? Why do great players such as Cristiano Ronaldo count as great artists (up there alongside Picasso, one author argues)? From the ethics of refereeing to the metaphysics of bent (like Beckham) space-time, this book shows soccer fans and philosophy buffs alike new ways to appreciate and understand the world's favorite sport.

TED RICHARDS supports Arsenal and teaches philosophy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Warm-Up	p. 1
It's a Simple Game, Really	p. 1
First Half
The Nature of the Game	p. 5
Why is Football So Fascinating?	p. 7
May the Best Team Win!	p. 23
Nietzsche's Arsenal	p. 37
Aristotle's Favorite Sport	p. 47
Plato and the Greatness of the Game	p. 63
Can Robots Play Soccer?	p. 75
The Hand of God and Other Soccer à Miracles?	p. 89
Intermission
The Unwritten Rules	p. 105
What's Luck Got to Do With It?	p. 107
What's Wrong with Negative Soccer?	p. 121
He Had to Bring Him Down!	p. 130
Second Half
The Beautiful Game	p. 139
Why Playing Beautifully is Morally Better	p. 141
How to Appreciate the Fingertip Save	p. 149
Is Ronaldo a Modern Picasso?	p. 161
Kant at the Maracanã	p. 172
Embellishing the Ugly Side of the Beautiful Game	p. 185
First Extra-Time
Fandom	p. 197
Is It Rational to Support Aston Villa?	p. 199
The Evolution of the Football Fan and the Way of Virtue	p. 215
Playing the Derby	p. 231
Villa till I Die!	p. 241
Second Extra-Time
Soccer and Society	p. 251
Tell Me How You Play and I'll Tell You Who You Are	p. 253
Barça's Treble or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Heat	p. 265
A 'Messi' Way of Life	p. 278
Hungary's Revolutionary Golden Team	p. 290
When a Soccer Club Becomes a Mirror	p. 302
Kicks From the Mark
It's Down to Penalties	p. 317
Bad Luck or the Ref's Fault?	p. 319
Kierkegaard at the Penalty Spot	p. 327
"It's a Lottery!": Penalties and the Meaning of Winning	p. 335
The Officials	p. 347
The Loneliness of the Referee	p. 347
God Is Not a Referee	p. 357
The Player Prophet and the Phenomenology of Reading the Ref	p. 369
The Post Game Interview	p. 379
The Boy Done Good? Football Clichés	p. 379
The First Team	p. 389
Index	p. 401
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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Soccer and Philosophy Beautiful Thoughts on the Beautiful Game

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials