ABSTRACT

The problem of evil is very old in philosophy (if God is omnipotent and benevolent, why does he allow evil in the world?), but it has not been sufficiently discussed in the context of sports. This article discusses how athletes and fans in sports relate to it. In sports, there are moral evils, such as cheating, trash talking and unjust retaliation. Theists have traditionally appealed to free will as a way to respond to the challenge of moral evil, but this appeal is not without problems. In sports, there are also natural evils, such as injuries and the unfair distribution of natural talents. Theists also have traditional ways of responding to that, but again, it is not clear that these answers are fully satisfactory.

摘要

邪恶的问题在哲学中由来已久（如果上帝是全能和仁慈的，为什么他允许世界上有邪恶？），但在体育的背景下还没有得到充分的讨论。本文讨论了体育运动中的运动员和球迷如何与之相关。在体育运动中，存在作弊、垃圾话和不公正报复等道德罪恶。有神论者传统上呼吁将自由意志作为应对道德邪恶挑战的一种方式，但这种呼吁并非没有问题。在体育运动中，也存在着伤病、天赋分配不公等自然弊端。有神论者也有传统的回应方式，但同样，这些答案是否完全令人满意还不清楚。