Ethics in sports is conceived to be one of the subdivisions of normative ethics.Normative ethics is divided into ethical theorizing and applied ethics.Applied ethics is literally interpreted as attempt to apply an ethical theory to specific moral questions in particular contexts.But applied ethicists do not prefer the top-down applications of normative theories.they try to be sensitive to particular contexts in which specific moral questions would come into view and try to answer them without appealing to general theories.Ethics in sports is,in this sense,an attempt of applied ethics in so far as it is related to the practices of sports.
Ethics in sports must be distinguished from philosophy of sports in a narrow sense.Philophy of sports investigates the essence of sports.But morality in not always identical to the goodness or excellence internal to the practices of sports.The goodness or excellence internal to the practices of sports is determined by the essence of sports,whereas morality in sports is not exhausted by the essence of sports.Therefore,we must separate ethics in sports from philosophy of sports.Ethics in sports can be something more than philosophy of sports.
In order to illustrate normative ethics in sports,we take up the question about what is called fair play or sportsmanship.We suggest that fair or sportsmanship should be evaluated as supererogatory.
