SPOR TS E THI CS
Other than bringing entertainment to the audience, sports teaches tolerance, rule of law, trust, self-control etc. to the sportsperson themselves, as well as those who are watching it. Players become role models for younger generations and hugely impact the society. Therefore, it becomes important that their conduct remains ethical.
Ethics in sports requires four key virtues: fairness, integrity, responsibility, and respect.
Fairness
• Established rules should be followed by all.
• Uneven playing field violates the integrity of the game.
• There must not be any discrimination based on race, gender or sexual orientation.
• Referees must not show personal interest in the outcome.
Respect
• Athletes and Coaches should show respect for teammates, opponents, and officials.
Integrity
Other prominent values involved in Sports
• Justice and Equity
• Commitment
• Solidarity
• Tolerance
• Trust
• Self-control and Discipline
• Initiative and Participation
• Cooperation
• Group Decision
• Democratic Spirit
• Pursuit for excellence
Athletes must not gain an advantage over his or her opponent by means of a skill that the game itself was not designed to test e.g. faking an injury in football. It undermines personal integrity, may hurt the credibility of referees and ultimately the integrity of the game.
Responsibility
• Players and coaches should be responsible for their performances, actions on fields, and their emotions. They should also conduct themselves in an honourable way off the field as well.
• Responsibility requires that they should be aware of rules and regulations governing the sports.
82 ©Vision IAS
Ethical Issues in Sports
1. Fair Play
Equity and Impartiality are two important features of 'Fair play'. In sports, Fair Play means using only tactics that are in accordance with the spirit of the sport.
Some players use dubious but legal tactics such as distracting an opponent, or misrepresenting their own skill level in order to make opponents over or underestimate them to gain an extra advantage in their sport e.g. in wrestling or boxing. This practice is known as gamesmanship. They are considered by most as Ethical.
However, most sportsmen use some form of cheating in their games which on ethical terms violate the principle of Fair Play e.g. in Football to win a penalty, Diving (pretending to have been fouled) or Faking (exaggerating a mild injury) is done. Players caught faking can be suspended (Rivaldo in 2002 World cup). Similarly, Ball tampering (du Plessis in 2016) or Sledging in Cricket etc. are unethical practices.
2. Level Playing Field
A 'level playing field' is a situation in which competitors are required to follow the same rules and are given an equal opportunity to compete. This means that no matter what the rules are, as long as they are applied equally and impartially, the playing field is still level. Issue of level playing field can be better understood by issue of using performance enhancing drugs. This brings out several ethical dimensions such as:
• Winning: It's the taking part that counts, not the winning. Allowing drugs would focus more on winning, not taking part. Even for those who believe that winning is everything, it should not compromise ethical principles.
• Discrimination: Poorer teams are already disadvantaged by other factors such as equipment, expertise and so on.
• Health Risks: Many performance-enhancing drugs pose severe health risks. Even if athletes are willing and know the health risks, taking drugs amounts to harming oneself, or risking harm unnecessarily, and that is unethical.
• Spirit of Sports: If the 'spirit of sport' includes the idea of hard work, taking drugs may be seen as a way of succeeding with less effort.
• Wrong precedence: Amateur sports players would be encouraged to take drugs if professional athletes openly did it. As amateurs don't have medical support and advice, it could bring harm to them.
• Impact on others: If drugs are allowed, drug advertising and sponsorship will presumably be allowed.
This will influence the youngsters to use drugs.
Therefore, performance enhancing drugs should be banned because not only do they violate spirit of competition, they can potentially damage the health of those taking them, whether they are elite athletes who stand the risk of being detected using them, or the recreational sportsperson who is unlikely ever to be tested. They should be banned also because anyone using them is trying to gain an unfair advantage over those athletes who wish to maintain normal health.
3. Other prominent ethical issues include - Match fixing and betting, exploitation by competitive parents and coaches, coaches having inappropriate relationships with players, salary being paid to sportspersons (whether being part of same team entitles them to equal pay), incentives given to sportspersons (govt. jobs being offered) etc.
Role of Sports Regulatory Bodies:
• To publish clear guidelines on what is considered to be ethical or unethical behaviour.
• To strictly implement the rules.
• Ensure participation and involvement of all, along with providing level playing field.
• To provide help and support to the media to promote good behaviour.
Role of Government
• Support those organizations and individuals who have demonstrated sound ethical principles in their work with sport.
83 ©Vision IAS
• Encourage the education system to include the promotion of sport and fair play as a central part of the physical education curriculum.
Conclusion
Healthy competition is a means of cultivating personal honor, virtue and character. The goal in sportsmanship is not simply to win, but to pursue victory with honor by giving one’s best effort. The founder of Olympic games, Pierre de Coubertin rightly says that, 'The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.'
Other than bringing entertainment to the audience, sports teaches tolerance, rule of law, trust, self-control etc. to the sportsperson themselves, as well as those who are watching it. Players become role models for younger generations and hugely impact the society. Therefore, it becomes important that their conduct remains ethical.
Ethics in sports requires four key virtues: fairness, integrity, responsibility, and respect.
Fairness
• Established rules should be followed by all.
• Uneven playing field violates the integrity of the game.
• There must not be any discrimination based on race, gender or sexual orientation.
• Referees must not show personal interest in the outcome.
Respect
• Athletes and Coaches should show respect for teammates, opponents, and officials.
Integrity
Other prominent values involved in Sports
• Justice and Equity
• Commitment
• Solidarity
• Tolerance
• Trust
• Self-control and Discipline
• Initiative and Participation
• Cooperation
• Group Decision
• Democratic Spirit
• Pursuit for excellence
Athletes must not gain an advantage over his or her opponent by means of a skill that the game itself was not designed to test e.g. faking an injury in football. It undermines personal integrity, may hurt the credibility of referees and ultimately the integrity of the game.
Responsibility
• Players and coaches should be responsible for their performances, actions on fields, and their emotions. They should also conduct themselves in an honourable way off the field as well.
• Responsibility requires that they should be aware of rules and regulations governing the sports.
82 ©Vision IAS
Ethical Issues in Sports
1. Fair Play
Equity and Impartiality are two important features of 'Fair play'. In sports, Fair Play means using only tactics that are in accordance with the spirit of the sport.
Some players use dubious but legal tactics such as distracting an opponent, or misrepresenting their own skill level in order to make opponents over or underestimate them to gain an extra advantage in their sport e.g. in wrestling or boxing. This practice is known as gamesmanship. They are considered by most as Ethical.
However, most sportsmen use some form of cheating in their games which on ethical terms violate the principle of Fair Play e.g. in Football to win a penalty, Diving (pretending to have been fouled) or Faking (exaggerating a mild injury) is done. Players caught faking can be suspended (Rivaldo in 2002 World cup). Similarly, Ball tampering (du Plessis in 2016) or Sledging in Cricket etc. are unethical practices.
2. Level Playing Field
A 'level playing field' is a situation in which competitors are required to follow the same rules and are given an equal opportunity to compete. This means that no matter what the rules are, as long as they are applied equally and impartially, the playing field is still level. Issue of level playing field can be better understood by issue of using performance enhancing drugs. This brings out several ethical dimensions such as:
• Winning: It's the taking part that counts, not the winning. Allowing drugs would focus more on winning, not taking part. Even for those who believe that winning is everything, it should not compromise ethical principles.
• Discrimination: Poorer teams are already disadvantaged by other factors such as equipment, expertise and so on.
• Health Risks: Many performance-enhancing drugs pose severe health risks. Even if athletes are willing and know the health risks, taking drugs amounts to harming oneself, or risking harm unnecessarily, and that is unethical.
• Spirit of Sports: If the 'spirit of sport' includes the idea of hard work, taking drugs may be seen as a way of succeeding with less effort.
• Wrong precedence: Amateur sports players would be encouraged to take drugs if professional athletes openly did it. As amateurs don't have medical support and advice, it could bring harm to them.
• Impact on others: If drugs are allowed, drug advertising and sponsorship will presumably be allowed.
This will influence the youngsters to use drugs.
Therefore, performance enhancing drugs should be banned because not only do they violate spirit of competition, they can potentially damage the health of those taking them, whether they are elite athletes who stand the risk of being detected using them, or the recreational sportsperson who is unlikely ever to be tested. They should be banned also because anyone using them is trying to gain an unfair advantage over those athletes who wish to maintain normal health.
3. Other prominent ethical issues include - Match fixing and betting, exploitation by competitive parents and coaches, coaches having inappropriate relationships with players, salary being paid to sportspersons (whether being part of same team entitles them to equal pay), incentives given to sportspersons (govt. jobs being offered) etc.
Role of Sports Regulatory Bodies:
• To publish clear guidelines on what is considered to be ethical or unethical behaviour.
• To strictly implement the rules.
• Ensure participation and involvement of all, along with providing level playing field.
• To provide help and support to the media to promote good behaviour.
Role of Government
• Support those organizations and individuals who have demonstrated sound ethical principles in their work with sport.
83 ©Vision IAS
• Encourage the education system to include the promotion of sport and fair play as a central part of the physical education curriculum.
Conclusion
Healthy competition is a means of cultivating personal honor, virtue and character. The goal in sportsmanship is not simply to win, but to pursue victory with honor by giving one’s best effort. The founder of Olympic games, Pierre de Coubertin rightly says that, 'The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.'
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