Author Archives: John Gleaves

A 25th Anniversary But What Lessons Learned?

This year marked a significant anniversary in sport history, but one likely few celebrated. Twenty-five years ago—September 26, 1988—news broke of the first major doping scandal in the Olympic Games. Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, who just two days previously had … Continue reading →

by John Gleaves Posted on November 12, 2013
Posted in Doping, History of Sport, Philosophy of sport | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Wrestling with the IOC: Showing the True Olympic Colors are Green

The International Olympic Committee’s decision to drop wrestling from the 2020 Olympic program has focused much attention on the quadrennial process of revising the Olympic Sports. Unfortunately, much of the media has focused on the wrong issues. Their failure to … Continue reading →

by John Gleaves Posted on February 17, 2013
Posted in Philosophy of sport | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

What’s it all for? Sport, Philosophy, and the Pursuit of Truth

After transitioning from the heady world of professional philosophy of sport (i.e. the International Association for the Philosophy of Sport conference) back into teaching undergraduates and graduate students, I am reminded about how important it is to see things from … Continue reading →

by John Gleaves Posted on September 24, 2012
Posted in KNES 516, Philosophy of sport | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Sport By Any Other Name…

I am in the midst of the International Association for the Philosophy of Sport’s (IAPS) 40th annual conference. Surrounded by international scholars, it is strikingly beautiful how people from all walks of life can share a common love of wisdom … Continue reading →

by John Gleaves Posted on September 14, 2012
Posted in KNES 516, Philosophy of sport | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Playing at Work (Shhh, don’t tell my boss I’d work for free)

As another academic semester gets rolling, I am reminded by how much I love what I do. I found a way to turn my passion for sports into a full time job (take that high school teachers who told me … Continue reading →

by John Gleaves Posted on September 7, 2012
Posted in KNES 516, Philosophy of sport | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Saying It’s So: Lance and Doping, Part II

Yesterday, my website set a record number of visits with people reading “Saying it’s So.” Admittedly, I also spent the day reading the many articles, comments, quotes, arguments, and editorials about Lance. And considering the number tweets, Facebook posts, and … Continue reading →

by John Gleaves Posted on August 25, 2012
Posted in Doping | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Saying It’s So: Lance Armstrong and Doping

Since the news that Lance Armstrong will no longer fight USADA’s doping charges broke last night, many people have been asking about my take on the whole issue. Naturally, I felt it best to get a little distance from the … Continue reading →

by John Gleaves Posted on August 24, 2012
Posted in Doping | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Gaming the System: Doping in Sports

For those of you in the San Francisco area (home of Barry Bonds, who never knowingly used “the clear”) Swissnex has organized a public event on doping in sports titled “Gaming the System: Doping in Sports.” Professor Max Gassman, Professor … Continue reading →

by John Gleaves Posted on August 8, 2012
Posted in Doping | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Amateurism Alive and Well At the Olympic Games

Avery Brundage would be proud knowing that amateurism remains alive and well in the Olympic Games. Oh sure, athletes are paid to compete. Brundage lost that fight. But the moral code of amateurism still allows the IOC to police athletes’ … Continue reading →

by John Gleaves Posted on August 1, 2012
Posted in History of Sport, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Rewriting History Through Sport

The anthropologist Clifford Geertz explained that sport is a story we tell ourselves about ourselves. In that idea, he captured the way that sport serves a social function. From the skills we test to the physical challenges we endure, we … Continue reading →

by John Gleaves Posted on July 31, 2012
Posted in History of Sport | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment