MacIntyrean ideas of virtue ethics as a framework for developing life skills and positive masculine behaviours in young males in a contact team sport

The connection between participation in team sports and the development of life skills has long been advocated by sport acolytes who promote the character-building qualities of such activities. It is particularly evident in the idea of athlete-centred coaching. In this conceptual paper, male team contact and collision sports such as rugby union, American football, ice hockey, Australian football (AFL) and rugby league will be used to conceptualise how the adoption of MacIntyrean ideas of virtue ethics can be used within an athlete-centred coaching philosophy to develop life skills and positive masculine behaviours. These sports were chosen as they enjoy widespread popularity in Australia, Britain and North America. Their inclusion in schools’ co-curricular programmes and their role (both positive and negative) in men’s formative years through generations have been well chronicled. However, these pre-eminent positions have recently been challenged by concerns over their perceived perpetuation of negative masculine traits and anti-social behaviours. Adopting Alasdair MacIntyre’s perspectives regarding virtue ethics and using research on contemporary trends and males concerning masculinity, this paper suggests that team-based sporting activities centred on heavy physical contact and risk can be valuable contributors in developing positive virtues and life skills, especially with young males. It is hoped that this will provide educators, scholars and policymakers with a fresh perspective on the potential value of such sports to young men’s moral and social development based on an informed theoretical position.