While sports are often viewed from a health perspective or with an emphasis on economic aspects, in this article, the author tries to examine the ethical function of sports and show its dimensions. The existence of some common patterns and attitudes towards sports and the dominance of medical or commercial attitudes towards them has prevented attention to the fundamental ethical aspects of sports. While sports, especially aerobic and non-competitive, are tied to moral virtues. With this in mind, the author suggests that non-competitive endurance sports have three moral functions in the long run. First, it leads to self-understanding, self-awareness and self-knowledge, second, it leads to domination of the body, emotions and feelings, and third, it cultivates many moral virtues, including courage, order, tolerance of pain and wisdom.
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