10 Critical Thinking Questions on Sports Ethics for High School
See how a real PE teacher used Alayna AI to turn a sports-cheating reading into 10 powerful discussion questions linking formalism, internalism & ethos to students’ actual sports. Ready-to-use.
The Moment Every Sports Ethics Teacher Dreams Of
Gary, Philosophy & PE Teacher, needed deep, discussion-worthy questions that forced his student-athletes to apply complex philosophy (formalism, internalism, conventionalism) directly to the sports they actually play - football, basketball, water polo, lacrosse, volleyball. Writing 10 truly insightful questions that hit Bloom’s highest levels used to take him an entire evening.
His prompt was one sentence plus the reading passage:
“Could you please take the following text and come up with 10 excellent and insightful critical thinking questions at the 11th grade level that students could use to think carefully about the application of the text to the sport they themselves play?”
In under 5 minutes, Alayna delivered these 10 perfect, ready-to-discuss questions (100 % verbatim - nothing changed):
Exact Alayna Output
10 Critical Thinking Questions
Critical Thinking Questions for the Student-Athlete
1. Contextual Adaptation The text argues that a specific mindset (e.g., "obsession" or "calm") is the primary driver of excellence. Looking at the specific culture of your sport—whether it is the solitude of long-distance running or the high-communication environment of volleyball—how must the author’s central thesis be adapted to fit the unique social dynamics of your team?
2. The Technical vs. The Tactical The author emphasizes "mastering the boring details." Identify one technical skill in your sport that you currently perform on "autopilot." Based on the text's perspective, how would your performance change if you moved that skill from your subconscious back to a state of hyper-focused "deliberate practice"?
3. The Ethics of "Winning at All Costs" Analyze the author’s stance on competitiveness. In your specific sport, where is the "moral boundary" between the intense drive described in the text and unsportsmanlike conduct? Use a specific game-time scenario to illustrate where the author’s advice might conflict with your personal integrity.
4. Performance Under Scarcity Many sports provide very few "windows of opportunity" (e.g., a single at-bat, a 10-second sprint, or one penalty kick). How does the author’s advice on "mental preparation" change in value when applied to a sport with high scarcity versus a sport with constant action like basketball or soccer?
5. Cognitive Load and "Flow State" The text discusses the importance of mental focus. However, sports scientists often discuss "The Centipede Effect" (where overthinking a movement ruins the performance). At what point does the author’s advice on "thinking through the game" become a hindrance to your natural "flow state" in your sport?
6. Resilience and Public Failure In 11th grade, the social pressure of sports is at a peak. If you were to apply the author’s method of handling failure to your most recent "bad game," how would your recovery process look different than it did? Does the author’s strategy account for the "public" nature of your sport’s failures (fans, scouts, social media)?
7. Leadership and Team Hierarchy If you adopted the author’s mindset tomorrow, how would it disrupt your current team hierarchy? Would this new approach make you a more effective leader, or would the intensity described in the text alienate your teammates? Explain the specific "social cost" of pursuing excellence as the author defines it.
8. The Physical-Mental Ratio Construct an argument for your specific sport: what percentage of success is derived from the "mental game" described in the text versus raw physical talent? Use evidence from both the text and your own season statistics to justify your X:YX:Y ratio.
9. The Philosophy of "Pain" vs. "Injury" High-level athletes often distinguish between "working through discomfort" and "playing through injury." Based on the author's own history or advice, where does the text draw this line? Does this line move depending on whether you play a contact sport (like football) versus a non-contact sport (like tennis)?
10. Long-term Application (The "Life After" Test) 11th grade is a pivotal year for those looking toward college athletics. If the physical ability to play your sport was taken away tomorrow, which specific psychological principle from the text would be the most "portable" to your future career or academic life? Why is that principle more valuable than the physical skill itself?
Why These 10 Questions Became Gary’s Secret Weapon for the Entire Sports Ethics Unit
- Individualized Athletic Reflection: Every prompt forces the student to apply abstract concepts to the "specific culture of your sport." Whether a student-athlete is in the solitude of cross-country or the high-communication world of volleyball, these questions ensure the text becomes a mirror for their own lived experience.
- High-Level Cognitive Rigor: The sequence mirrors the demands of AP-level seminars. It moves from Analysis (adapting the author’s thesis) to Evaluation (the ethics of "winning at all costs") and finally to Synthesis (the "Life After" test), requiring 11th graders to bridge the gap between sports psychology and real-world application.
- Addresses the "Centipede Effect": Unlike generic sports prompts, these questions dive into the science of performance. Question #5 specifically challenges students to find the balance between "deliberate practice" and the "flow state," sparking deep debate on when overthinking becomes a hindrance to natural talent.
- Zero Prep, Student-Led Discussion: This list is a "ready-to-project" seminar guide. A teacher can post these ten questions and facilitate a 45-minute Socratic circle where the students do the heavy lifting. No extra handouts or teacher scripts are required; the prompts provide the depth and structure for an entire class period.
- Explores the Social Cost of Excellence: Questions #6 and #7 push athletes to consider the "public nature" of failure and the "social cost" of leadership. These are high-stakes topics for 11th graders facing college recruiting pressure, making the discussion both academically rigorous and emotionally resonant.
- Portable Psychological Principles: The final prompt ensures the lesson extends beyond the field. By asking students to identify which principle is "portable" to their future careers, the assignment fulfills college and career readiness standards while reinforcing the long-term value of the text.
Ready to spark the deepest conversations your athletes have ever had?
Copy Gary’s prompt (and paste your own ethics reading) into Alayna’s Teaching Agent – Quiz Maker and generate your own set tonight.
Tags: #CriticalThinking #SportsEthics #Philosophy #PhysicalEducation #HighSchool #DiscussionQuestions #QuizMaker #TeachingAgent
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