[...]... to offer some valuable insights that can be gained when thinking deeply about football and philosophy In pursuit of such insights, this book’s lineup of contemporary philosophers turn their attention to the game of football and the game of life and try to answer several questions that are important to fans, players, and coaches What is wrong with performance-enhancing drugs? Should we have a playoff... Lombardi and the Philosophy of Winning 11 Process values—the texture and quality of the pursuit of excellence—always resonate, even in the highly competitive context of professional sports Process values include maximization of athletic potential, the joy of participating in sport for its own sake, the experience of intense competition, and development of virtues such as discipline, focused preparation, and. .. Lombardi’s deeper philosophy of winning, depicted in seven themes, or seven conceptual blocks of granite, can we appreciate the substance of “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”2 1 The meaning of football: The contest is inherently violent and demands 100 percent determination and resolve Victors are rewarded with full elation and fun The game requires sacrifice, self-denial, dedication, and courage... pros and cons of instant replay, whether or not we should replace the BCS with a playoff, or whether it is good to mix football and religion, you’ll be warmed up and ready to go FIRST QUARTER FOOTBALL S LESSONS FOR THE GAME OF LIFE Raymond Angelo Belliotti VINCE LOMBARDI AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF WINNING Each man must make a personal commitment to excellence and victory, even though we know deep down that... further the significance, literal and symbolic, of fumbling the ball and outline some of the contributing factors to fumbles I locate these factors in the game of football and then discuss their analogues in the game of life While I cannot offer an ex- On Fumbling the Ball 21 haustive list of such factors in either football or life in general, I hope that by discussing a range of such factors I can make a... through ongoing creative development The image of the grand transcender, heroic and romantic, is appealing It attracts us because it speaks to our sense of adventure, our individualism, our need to experience intensely But we are much more than grand transcenders Our sense of community, our needs for peace and respite, and our yearning for narrative structure are also part of human personality Grand transcenders... feats of great athletic skill, and meticulously developed strategies played out before the eyes of millions What does all of this have to do with philosophy? Good question As it turns out, and as the chapters in this book show, plenty One thing that football fans and philosophers have in common is that they love to argue and often do so with great passion If you want to see a good debate, get a group of. .. diehard football fans together and ask them who the greatest quarterback in NFL history is Joe Montana? John Elway? Johnny Unitas? Philosophers also love to argue and often focus their attention on some of life’s big questions: What is the meaning of life? Is there a God? What is true happiness? How should we live? What is beauty? Philosophy literally means “the love of wisdom,” so one of the aims of this... better balance between the competitive and noncompetitive sides of life, giving more time and attention to my family, and to reading, reflecting, helping others.”10 Whatever force this objection has in the context of individual sports is muted in team sports such as football Cooperation, loyalty, and mutual respect and dignity were the cornerstones of Lombardi’s notion of love: “You might have a guy playing... despise and demean opponents and become an unwitting collaborator in his own selfdestruction But such a fall from grace was not part of the Lombardi philosophy of winning In his biography of Lombardi, Michael O’Brien notes: “Vince honored football with his sportsmanship, which was one reason his peers admired him When he lost, he seldom offered excuses or alibis He complimented the opposition and often . College, Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, Transylvania University, University of Kentucky, University. AUSTIN AND Copyright © 2008 by The University Press of Kentucky Scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth, serving Bellarmine University, Berea College, Centre College of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University, The. University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University. All rights reserved. Editorial and Sales Of ces: The University Press of Kentucky 663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508-4008 www.kentuckypress.com 12