Tennis and Philosophy

Tennis smashed onto the worldwide athletic scene soon after its modern rules and equipment were introduced in nineteenth-century England. Exciting, competitive, and uniquely accessible to people of all ages and talent levels, tennis continues to enjoy popularity, both as a recreational activity and a spectator sport.

Life imitates sport in Tennis and Philosophy. Editor David Baggett approaches tennis not only as a game but also as a surprisingly rich resource for philosophical analysis. He assembles a team of champion scholars, including David Foster Wallace, Robert R. Clewis, David Detmer, Mark Huston, Tommy Valentini, Neil Delaney, and Kevin Kinghorn, to consider numerous philosophical issues within the sport. Profiles of tennis greats such as John McEnroe, Roger Federer, the Williams sisters, and Arthur Ashe are paired with pertinent topics, from the ethics of rage to the role of rivalry. Whether entertaining metaphysical arguments or examining the nature of beauty, these essays promise insightful discussion of one of the world's most popular sports.

The Love of Wisdom
Federer as Religious Experience
Why Roger Federer is the Best: Or is it McEnroe?
Why Are All Tennis Films Bad?
Excuses, Excuses: Inside the Mind of a Complainer
Authoritarian Tennis Parents: Are Their Chlidren Really Any Worse Off?
You Cannot Be Serious! The Ethics of Rage in Tennis
Love-Love: A Fresh Start at Finding Value and Virtue in Tennis
A Court Conversation
Stabbing Seles: Internalism, Fair Play, and Fans
The Kournikova Phenomenon
Losing Beautifully
Arthur Ashe: Philosopher in Motion
The Ridiculous Meets the Radical in the Battle of the Sexes
Friendship, Rivalry, and Excellence