Sports Coaching and Virtue Ethics

This chapter explores how playing sport contributes to broader ideas of pursuing worthwhile goals and living good lives through the cultivation of virtue. While vice is evident in sport, the authors argue it also provides a unique space for developing moral character. Central to this possibility is the coach, whose character, attitudes, and values shape the moral environment not only for their athletes but also within wider sporting culture. Every setting in which coaching occurs – the training field, changing room, or game – offers athletes opportunities to test and develop their evolving moral character. The coach plays a pivotal role in guiding these encounters, ensuring they lead to positive rather than harmful outcomes. By influencing how moral challenges are navigated, the coach becomes a key figure in nurturing ethical growth through sport. The chapter also distinguishes between noteworthy and ordinary virtues. Athletes are often celebrated for rare, dramatic acts of courage or fairness. While these are valuable, the authors argue that the moral fabric of sport depends more fundamentally on ordinary virtues: everyday habits of fairness, respect, and responsibility. These less visible practices, consistently modelled and reinforced by coaches, are essential for sustaining the moral value of sport.