Athlete's Covenant

Using everyday sporting experiences as a foundation, Suzanne S. Hudd lays out a set of informal rules that athletic team members learn to uphold. Prescribed within the “athlete’s covenant,” these guidelines support the transformation of the player’s individual commitment to hard work into a set of collective, role-related obligations that are applicable across time and sport. Hudd’s analysis highlights this “everyday sportsmanship” practiced within the team which flows naturally from the mimicry and synchrony that players routinely use to perfect their talents. Working to turn star players into team players, the covenant encourages athletes to set their sights on goals that surpass what their individual talents alone can provide. Hudd theorizes our waning commitment to these important collectivistic properties of sport has contributed to the belief that sportsmanship is a thing of the past.

The Athlete's Covenant connects classical sociological theory to the world of sport and to the identity of "athlete." Susan S. Hudd's interviews reveal that it is not the sport itself that athletes remember--not the events or contests themselves--but the experiences which surround our participation in sport--our identity as athletes, and as members of a team. Reading this book from the perspective of a sociologist, I was struck by how clearly the author demonstrates the continued relevance of classical sociological theory. By connecting Emile Durkheim's theories of morality and the moral community to sport and the social identity of athlete and teammate, Hudd provides an insightful framework for understanding the experience of team sports participation. Sport is not about winning or losing, or even how you play the game; it's about with whom you play the game, and, more tellingly, who you are when you are part of a team.--Matthew E. Wilkinson, Coastal Carolina University, Suzanne Hudd's beautifully written book illuminates what is often overlooked in academic discussions of sport. While the individualism and win-at-all-cost ethos of modern achievement sports are real, so too are opportunities for character building, moral transformation, a sense of belonging, and the merging of self with others. The Athlete's Covenant clarifies the underlying motivations of team players and offers a novel sociological framework for understanding them.--Joshua Woods, West Virginia University, The culture of team sports abounds with moral clichés--"no pain, no gain"; "there's no 'I' in "Team"; "teamwork makes the dream work"; "it builds character." In an era where many have argued that individualism, egoism, and "gamesmanship" have eclipsed teamwork, self-sacrifice, and sportsmanship at both professional and amateur levels, such well-worn sayings may seem particularly quaint and perhaps little more than wishful thinking. Yet, in listening closely to the voices of athletes themselves and directing her sociologically-trained vision toward all the morally-laden routines, relationships, and practices that occur outside of the field of play, Suzanne S. Hudd demonstrates that engaging in contemporary team sports can still be a morally transformative endeavor. The Athlete's Covenant shows that, at its best, team sport can still provide a model for understanding how to work through and maybe even transcend some of our deepest moral antagonisms: competition vs. cooperation; self vs. other; the individual vs. the collective.--Daniel Winchester, Purdue University

Suzanne S. Hudd is professor of sociology at Quinnipiac University.