Though often viewed as special category of games, sports is really an approach to play. The popular conception of the sporting mindset puts certain values ahead of others, and positioning games as a means to an end rather than an experience unto itself. Sometimes, the sporting mindset brings out the best in us; sometimes, the worst.
Sports as community institutions play a complex role in our culture. Sports produce values, behaviors, and cultural conventions that simultaneously include and exclude; that encourage and nurture some while rejecting others; and that celebrate aesthetic performance and violent behavior all at once. The essays here span a wide range of gamesÑCrossfit but alsoÊ Android: Netrunner; Destiny and baseball spectatorship; fantasy football in addition to streaming eSports. Each of the essays explores the way we think about play from a particular point of view either as players or as spectators.