There is a clear sense in which sport has played, and continues to play an important role in the normalization and legitimization of routine, excessive and problem drinking; sport and alcohol have become inextricably linked. Alcohol companies provide funding in the form of sponsorship, fans consume alcohol when watching, and players celebrate, bond and relax with alcohol. Sport and Alcohol: an ethical perspective aims to critically examine the various ways in which sport and alcohol interact.a In doing so, the book casts an ethical eye over the following topics:Society's relationship with alcoholSponsorship and marketing of alcohol through sport and its effect on childrenSport's alcohol-tolerant ethos, problematic drinking practices and ritualsPunishment and discipline in relation to athletes' drink-related bad behaviorAlcoholism in the context of sport and the need for a greater understanding of the condition, how it develops and what can be doneThe status of athletes as role modelsOffering a much-needed critical assessment of an important issue in contemporary sport and society, Sport and Alcohol is essential reading for those interested in the social, cultural or philosophical study of sport in general and sport and alcohol in particular.

Using philosophical arguments rooted in ethics and virtue theory, this book examines the alcohol-tolerant ethos that pervades contemporary sport, and the initiation of members of the sporting practice community into problematic drinking. It argues that sport should be aware of the potential for alcoholism and provide the right type of support for athletes, that sports people can be seen as role models, and that it's preferable that athletes set good examples rather than bad. Drawing on case studies of individual problem drinkers, it calls for a nuanced understanding of the relationship between bad behaviour and underlying causes, and for a re-evaluation of how such individuals are treated.