Category: Andrew Fiala Blog

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For the Love of the Game: On Cheating and Ambition in Sports

Fresno Bee, Dec. 7, 2025

Recent controversies in the world of sports direct our attention to the ethics of sports and games. Notre Dame’s decision to end its football season without a bowl game has been criticized as poor sportsmanship. When FIFA, the International Federation of Association Football, gave President Donald Trump a newly minted “peace prize,” the organization was accused of unethical and sycophantic behavior. Sports leagues are plagued with gambling scandals and other controversies that undermine the spirit of the game.

In a world of corruption, resentment and self-interest, it is not surprising that players and coaches rig games for gamblers, that the Fighting Irish would abandon post-season play or that sports leagues butter up the president. Sports, like everything else, can be spoiled by power and ambition, resentment and greed.

Cheating is as old as human history, as is bad sportsmanship and athletic corruption. The Roman emperor Nero provides an infamous example: He was routinely awarded first prize in games and contests simply because he was the emperor. In one notorious chariot race, Nero was thrown from his carriage as he struggled with a ten-horse team. Despite not completing the race, Nero was given first prize by judges who were then richly rewarded by the emperor.

Nero’s “victory” is absurd. A prize awarded without genuine accomplishment is a pale reflection of true excellence. Authentic achievement in any game is defined by the rules. To win in chess, you have to checkmate your opponent. Flipping over the chessboard and grabbing the trophy while everyone is distracted does not count as winning, nor can you win if you take your ball and go home.

One sad old adage says, “If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.” This dismal idea views victory and competition in merely instrumental terms. People who are focused on “external” goodies such as trophies or endorsement deals fail to value the “internal” goods that can only be obtained by playing fairly and well.

The nobility of sports depends upon rule-governed excellence. To be a champion is to excel within the confines of the rules of the game. Those rules are arbitrary contrivances. There is no law of nature that establishes the three-point shot in basketball, the forward pass in football or the offsides rule in soccer. These conventions are created by humans for the purpose of the game. Once the rules exist, excellence is defined within that system of rules.

Sports and games may seem like a childish waste of time. But much of what makes life meaningful involves playing along with elaborate systems of rules. Education, marriage and commerce depend upon rule-governed behavior, as does language and politics. These practices can be cashed out in external benefits. Education can get you a job and marriage can get you a tax break, but these cultural practices are also valuable in and of themselves as sources of meaning and purpose.

Something similar holds for sports and games: Soccer and football earn some players millions, but these games are also delightful and fun. It is the rules and the general spirit of the game that produces the joy of the sport. Rather than focusing on a trophy or a gambling payoff, authentic play should be based on love of the game.

The best and most important human activities are done for their own sake. The creative arts can generate cash, but poets write and singers sing because they love the creative act. Virtuous athletes follow the rules and embrace the spirit of the game because they love the game itself.

Human happiness involves finding a game to love and playing it well — for its own sake. Nero and others like him are tragic failures because they desire the prize without loving the process.

Everyone can be tempted, at times, to behave badly. We may want to sulk on the sidelines in resentment, or to cheat and bribe our way to victory. But bad sportsmanship is its own punishment. Pouting prevents you from playing well, and a cheater’s medal is a tarnished reminder of misbehavior. You cannot experience the joy of sport unless you play for the love of the game.

Read more at: https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/readers-opinion/article313621007.html#storylink=cpy

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Thanksgiving: open-hearted, open-minded gratitude

Fresno Bee, Nov. 27, 2025

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to reflect on what we value. A useful place to start is with George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1789, which established the first American Thanksgiving. “It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits and humbly to implore his protection and favor,” the proclamation begins.

This points toward a variety of ethical and theological musings. Washington’s theology probably had more in common with enlightenment deism than with contemporary Christian fundamentalism. Washington was committed to a general faith in “Providence,” which is the idea that there was a rational and benevolent spirit guiding progress in history.

He suggested that this providential God should be thanked for granting the American people a variety of benefits. In his Thanksgiving proclamation, he called upon Americans to be thankful to “that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is or that will be.”

Among the things Washington was thankful for was the “peaceable and rational” way that the American constitutional union was formed. Washington also thanked the “Lord and Ruler of nations” for “civil and religious liberty,” indicating that we should be thankful for the kinds of liberties we find in the First Amendment. He also offered thanks for science and technology — as Washington put it, “the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge.”

Washington also called upon Americans to ask for forgiveness and pardon. We should humbly offer our “prayers and supplications,” beseeching God to “pardon our national and other transgressions,” as he put it.

Whether we thank the Christian God or the universe itself, there is power and value in being grateful, as well as in asking for forgiveness and admitting our own faults and flaws. Washington’s proclamation reminds us that as we think about Thanksgiving, we discover that gratefulness is related to other virtues, such as compassion, humility and truthfulness, as well as mercy and forgiveness.

The connection between gratitude and these other virtues is not always obvious, but ethicists typically view virtues as linked in a broader philosophy of life. Courage without wisdom can become reckless; honesty without empathy can become cruel; and love without prudence can end up enabling vice.

Similar connections appear in thinking about Thanksgiving. For example, gratitude without pride can be overly deferential, servile and sycophantic. It makes sense to be thankful for good things. But an obsequious kind of gratitude can be found among flatterers and slaves, who thank their masters as a way of sucking up or currying favor.

Of course, pride can also undermine genuine gratitude. To give thanks, you need a humble heart. At least you should be modest enough to acknowledge that others have contributed to your successes and well-being. Egoistic pride is an impediment to gratitude. If you believe you are so great that you deserve everything good, it is difficult to be grateful. In fact, pride is more likely to breed resentment than gratitude.

Gratitude also depends upon an open-mind that is able to recognize the good and see the beautiful. It is fairly easy to be grateful when good things come your way. It is more difficult to cultivate an attitude of gratitude when life is dark or disappointing. But even in the darkness it is important to try to see the light.

It has long been noted that gratitude is closely linked to happiness — and to the ability to see through the darkness and into the light. The great medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas linked gratitude to a cheerful temperament that is more inclined to see good than evil. Aquinas said, in reflecting on the power of gratitude, “It is the mark of a happy disposition to see good rather than evil.”

Whether we think that good things come from God, Providence or from the world itself, it is wise to acknowledge all the goodness we enjoy. In giving thanks, we should cultivate a humble, forgiving, cheerful and open mind.

At Thanksgiving, we ought to think about all that we value, why we value it, and where it comes from.

Read more at: https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/readers-opinion/article313145486.html#storylink=cpy

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Trumpian Eroticism and the Politics of Passion

Fresno Bee, March 9, 2025

How Donald Trump and Elon Musk inspire passions feared by America’s Founding Fathers

American politics has become deeply erotic. Often, this manifests as love — as when Elon Musk recently tweeted, “I love Trump, as much as a straight man can love another man.” In his recent address to Congress, President Donald Trump said: “People love our country again, it is very simple.” He extolled the “faith, love and spirit” of the American people, who “will never let anything happen to our beloved country.”

To say that Trump is an erotic leader does not mean he is “sexy.” Rather, the point is that he provokes. Trump inflames the emotions — whether you love him or hate him. He is the kind of person about whom it is nearly impossible to remain indifferent. He arouses rather than enlightens.

The erotic element shows up in various ways. Fealty and devotion of the Muskian sort are obviously forms of love. Nepotism and cronyism are erotic ways of distributing power to faithful friends and family members. In such arrangements, it does not matter whether things are fair or reasonable, nor does it matter whether people are good. Rather, what matters is love and connection.

Trump is making American politics a game of seduction and power — a spectacle driven by passion. Part of this is public performance. As Trump was berating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the other day, he said, “This is going to be great television.” The play of passion is enthralling and compelling: you can’t look away.

In a comment on the Zelenskyy episode, Canadian novelist Stephen Marche suggested we are witnessing “rule by performers,” and what he calls “histriocracy,” the rule of the “histrionic,” — the melodramatic, theatrical or emotional. Indeed, Trump is a master of spectacles, and he knows how to keep us watching.

The erotic art of arousal can be useful in business and in politics. But it is quite different from a more sober-minded or rational approach to the world.

The distinction between the erotic and the rational is as old as Plato, who worried that unbridled eros (sexual love or desire) would destroy a good city, and that passion would undermine justice. He warned that when eros rules a city (or a soul), it is like being drunk or mad. The rule of the erotic leads to lawlessness, frenzy and tyranny. Plato hoped rationality could control the passions, but he knew that eros was a powerful force.

Sober-minded folks view political discourse as an earnest discussion of justice, virtue and truth. Rational politics is sincere, honest and moderate. In the Platonic government, careful thinkers would deliberate using logical arguments that rest upon a bedrock of first principles and unassailable truths.

Passionate politics is different. It values histrionic performances that elicit emotional responses. Here, the participants seduce and cajole with the goal of achieving popular acclaim — which is, after all, a kind of love. The erotic approach rejects sedate sincerity in favor of impassioned public displays of power and affection. Erotic politics is more interested in glory than in goodness, and it encourages inspiring fantasy rather than dull deliberation.

Political eros is chaotic and unreasonable. Sometimes, it even becomes vulgar and obscene. The risk that passion will become excessive is part of what makes it exciting and fun. That’s why sober-minded rationalists don’t understand its allure and worry that the excitement of eros will lead to dangerous excess.

John Adams once warned about the “overbearing popularity” of “great men.” He said, “Ambition is one of the more ungovernable passions of the human heart. The love of power is insatiable and uncontrollable.”

Adams and the other Founding Fathers created a system of checks and balances to restrain the erotic element. Rationalists like Adams think that laws should rule, rather than love. They view passionate personalities as dangerous, and in need of restraint.

Eroticism sees such sober rationalism as boring and shallow. Typically, devoted lovers remain enamored of their charismatic champion — despite their flaws and lawlessness — and because of his passion. Indeed, those flaws may make this figure more beloved.

In erotic politics, people are wedded to the person of the leader, warts and all. This astounds sober-minded defenders of virtue and the rule of law. But in erotic politics, it makes perfect sense to remain devoted to the beloved, since love is love, no matter what.

Read more at: https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/readers-opinion/article301565739.html#storylink=cpy

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The Power of Naming

Fresno Bee, Feb, 23, 2025

If Trump can rename the Gulf of Mexico, why can’t a trans person adopt a new name and pronoun?

Philosophers have long wondered about the nature of names.  Is there any essential way that words connect to the world?  Or are names merely arbitrary conventions made up for personal or political purposes? 

Donald Trump’s magical sharpie directs our attention to this perennial problem.  Trump’s signature on Executive Order 14172 (“Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness”), apparently suffices to rename things.  He turned Alaska’s Denali back into Mt. McKinley.  And he imposed a previously unheard-of name, “Gulf of America,” on the waters east of Mexico. 

In response, Mexico has threatened to sue.  And Americans are left wondering.  What is the true name of these things?  And who gets to decide? 

Most philosophers think names are merely conventional, and that there are no “true names.”  But mystics suggest that the true name of a thing provides a direct connection between word and object.  As one of Plato’s characters suggests, a thing’s true name is given by the gods.

A version of the “true name” idea can be found in Trump’s executive order about gender identity, which is named, in part, “Restoring Biological Truth To the Federal Government.”  The Order states that there has been an “ongoing and purposeful attack against the ordinary and longstanding use and understanding of biological and scientific terms.”  It states that “gender ideology” has resulted in “invalidating the true and biological category of ‘woman’.” 

But according to “ordinary and longstanding use and understanding,” the Gulf of Mexico is the name of the body of water in question. If the president can rename it by fiat, why can’t a person adopt a preferred pronoun or gender category in the same manner?

Naming is often about power, privilege and control. A biblical myth says that God gave Adam the power to name things along with dominion over the world. He who bestows names also owns and dominates them.

There is a kind of royal or religious prerogative in naming, christening and dubbing. Elaborate ceremonies are required to establish names and titles, and make subsequent changes. We see this in weddings, christenings and other rituals.

When power shifts, things are often renamed. The renaming is part of the point of acquiring power. The conqueror, after all, has the right to name what he has conquered.

Sometimes names are overtly practical. A “computer” computes and an “automobile” propels itself. A “bicycle” has two wheels, while a “tricycle” has three. Utilitarian and prosaic names function like “true names,” directly expressing the meaning of things.

But naming is often arbitrary and even whimsical. Elon Musk changed “Twitter” to “X,” which is also the name of one of his sons. Congressman Earl “Buddy” Carter has (absurdly) proposed renaming Greenland as “Red, White and Blueland.”

Some names have deep significance, as when a child is named after a departed loved one. Others inspire and edify. But other names are silly or insulting (as in the effort to rename Greenland).

Behind the words, of course, is the thing itself. This point was immortalized by Shakespeare, who asked, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” Juliet’s love for Romeo is more substantial than their parents’ feud about names, titles and power. Juliet begs Romeo to refuse and deny his family name so that it will no longer be an obstacle to their relationship. Romeo responds by announcing he will be newly baptized under the name of “love.”

This angsty teenage romance reveals something deep and true: Authentic things — love, beauty and self-identity — exist beyond names. Disputes about names are contrived by the powerful to control, dominate and limit. But the names shouldn’t matter as much as the thing itself in all of its raw truth and natural glory.

Plato wondered whether we have direct access to the “real existence” of “things without names.” Perhaps we do. For swimmers in the seas east of Mexico, the name of the gulf they’re in is likely irrelevant. When Juliet and Romeo die in each other’s arms, their loving embrace transcends their family names.

But the history of the world is a struggle for the power of naming. That struggle begs us to consider what is true, what is real and who has the authority to name things.

Read more at: https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/readers-opinion/article300673459.html#storylink=cpy

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Seeking Wisdom in the Trump-Storm

It is easy to become anxious as political chaos churns. The present turmoil can cause us to lose sight of basic truths. But enduring values provide shelter from the storm.

The pursuit of wisdom offers tranquility in tumultuous times. Philosophy and religion are essential these days. Solace can be found in a wide variety of what I call (allong with my co-author Doug Soccio), “Archetypes of Wisdom.”

One useful source is Stoicism. Seneca explains: “It is only philosophy that makes the mind invincible, and places us out of the reach of fortune… This it is that reclaims the rage of our lusts, and sweetens the anxiety of our fears.”

The present moment is a time of misfortune, rage, and anxiety. Headlines blare with crises and scandals. Constitutional guardrails are breached, as a servile Congress plays patty-cake with its rubber stamps. Bizarre ideas are broadcast from the White House. Every day brings some new outrage.

The chaos of the present appears to be strategic. Trumpism has been described by The Guardian as a “chaos machine.” The chaotic strategy was explained by Steve Bannon as “flooding the zone with shit.” Bannon more recently said that every day of the new Trump regime should be a “day of thunder.” Keeping people in a defensive and reactive posture prevents organized response.

Anxiety is an impediment to wisdom. Careful, deliberate thought supplies a source of calm in the blizzard of bullshit. For some it may help to have the anchor of faith. But nonreligious people can find serenity in philosophy, even as the tempest rages.

Pope Francis offered a recent bit of serene sagacity. In a letter to American bishops he repudiates a narrow and mean-spirited approach to immigration. Francis insists that the essence of Christianity is universal love: “Jesus Christ, loving everyone with a universal love, educates us in the permanent recognition of the dignity of every human being, without exception.”

The Pope appears to be replying to Vice President J.D. Vance’s defense of Trumpian deportations. Vance had invoked the Catholic concept of ordo amoris (the ordering of love) to defend his “America First” ideology. Vance explained, “You love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country, and then after that, you can focus [on] and prioritize the rest of the world.”

The Pope rebutted Vance, explaining, “Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups… The true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the “Good Samaritan” (cf. Lk 10:25-37), that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.”

Much more could be said about Christian love and the parable of the Good Samaritan (I’ve discussed some of this here and here). But what I want to emphasize is the temperate, transcendental tone of the Pope’s remarks—and the importance of this philosophical debate about love and dignity.

Philosophy and religion look beyond the squabbles of the present moment. In speaking of the “infinite and transcendent dignity” of the human person, the Pope invokes a set of values that rises above the petty disputes of the day. The Pope’s cosmopolitan ethic transcends national borders and political parties. His focus is on fundamental claims about universal human rights.

Pope Francis also rebukes political power. In his letter, he says, “What is built on the basis of force, and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being, begins badly and will end badly.” He explains that it is a distortion of genuine social life to focus on “the will of the strongest as the criterion of truth.”

These ideas are not unique to Francis or Catholicism. Plato also rejected the idea that power was the criterion of truth and justice. And the call for love of the neighbor and respect for human dignity can be found in other religious traditions, and in the secular notion of human rights. Eleanor Roosevelt tied these ideas together, saying, “We can establish no real trust between nations until we acknowledge the power of love above all other power.”

Let’s conclude with a call to seek insight in religion, philosophy, and the great archetypes of wisdom. The antidote to chaos is wisdom that transcends the moment. When the zone is flooded with shit, we rise above by remembering that true and good things endure. We should love our neighbors and strive to be just. The bullshit of the powerful, and the thunder of the loudmouths can be overwhelming. But when the storm is over, wisdom, truth, and justice will remain.