Abstrakt
The central question of this paper focuses on what makes biting in sport such a bad thing, especially since it does not seem always to threaten as much harm to opponents as some other practices. We examine the place of biting in sports rules, especially in combat and contact sports, and the role of consent and criminal liability, before considering when and why biting is seen as unacceptable.
We consider arguments from harm (direct and indirect), skin penetration (bodily integrity and transgression), 'dirty fighting' and animalism. Finally, we consider the topical case of Luis Suárez and we assess the justice of FIFA's punishment.