Virtue Ethics, Sport for Development and Corporate Social Responsibility

This chapter outlines the key sociological and philosophical concepts that are important to the study of sport at the service of humanity alongside introducing the case study organisation, Everton Football Club, and the social context surrounding the period of study, which was that of the first lockdown in the UK following the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Beginning with the Sport for Humanity movement, the ideals of which are related to those of Olympism, the focus then shifts to the development of professional football clubs&s; community engagement work within the modern social-history of the sport. An overview is provided of how in recent years this work has commonly been framed within academic discussions of sport and corporate social responsibility (CSR) before presenting a possible alternative paradigm based on the work of Alasdair MacIntyre, whose Aristotelian-inspired understanding of virtue relates to the embodiment of practice, narrative and tradition in the pursuit of excellence and the common good.