Introduction: Probing the Ethics of Fandom in a Post-Pandemic Age
1. On “We”
2. Why Sports Are Like Shakespeare
3. Love ‘em Like a Brother: In Defense of Partisan Fandom
4. Avoiding the Pitfalls of Objectification
5. A Cautious Defense of Football
6. Egalitarian Fandom
7. Cosmopolitan Fandom
Conclusion: A Few Guidelines for Being a Good Fan
Biography
Adam Kadlac is Teaching Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University, USA. His published work has appeared in a number of venues, including American Philosophical Quarterly, Journal of Applied Philosophy, and Philosophical Studies.
"Sports fans have long argued amongst themselves about the ‘right’ way to be a fan, their duties to ‘their’ teams, and the comparative value of everything from their favorite players to women’s versus men’s athletics. The Ethics of Sports Fandom aims to settle some of these classic disputes and raise new ones, with a philosopher’s eye to questioning even the most dearly held beliefs of die-hard sports fans, while it defends fans from their unkinder critics."
—Erin Tarver, Emory University, USA
"Adam Kadlac’s The Ethics of Sports Fandom is an engaging and compellingly argued book. Kadlac argues that fans need to view their teams from an appropriate distance: we did not win at the weekend, the team did. One might think that this pushes the fans away from the team and makes fandom less important, yet Kadlac does an admirable job of arguing why fandom is a valuable part of our lives, rather than mere escapism. Along the way, he addresses a variety of ethical issues, like the ways fans objectify players, the harms players suffer, how fans so rarely are fans of women’s teams, and the divisive nationalism international sports can arouse. In doing this, he shows both how fandom can be valuable, but also the ways in which we need to change in order to avoid some of the ethical problems fandom can bring."
—Jake Wojtowicz, Rochester, NY, USA
