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SPORT
ETHICS
"To educate a person in the
mind but not the morals is to
educate a menace to society."
–Teddy Roosevelt
DEFINITIONS
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Ethics is the study of morals or 
character; a study of the
principles of human duty or the
study of all moral qualities that
distinguish an individual relative
to others.
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Moral pertains to an
individual’s motives, intentions,
and actions as right or wrong,
virtuous or vicious, or good or
bad.
Values are anything having
relative worth.
Moral values are
the relative worth
that is placed on
some virtuous
behavior.
Principles are
universal rules of
conduct that
identify what kinds
of actions,
intentions, and
motives are valued.
MORAL REASONING PROCESS
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Moral Reasoning is the systematic process of
evaluating personal values and developing a
consistent and impartial set of moral principles
by which to live.
 Moral Knowing is the cognitive phase of
learning about moral issues and how to
resolve them.
 Moral Feeling is the basis of what we
believe about ourselves, such as self-esteem,
and society, such as empathy for others
 Moral Acting is how we act based on what
we know and value.
The Reason for Feelings
Why do we have them?
What is their purpose?
Why are they different from one
person to another?
WHAT ARE RATIONALIZATIONS FOR
UNETHICAL BEHAVIORS IN SPORT?
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There is no rule against it.
Everyone else does it.
This action is not unethical because no
one will ever know about it.
Circumstances require acting in this way.
MORAL JUSTIFICATION
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The unethical action was really ethical;
that is, muddy the waters and make the
wrong look right.
The unethical action was a non-issue in the
sense that the action caused no harm to
another individual or was unseen by an
official; that is, no foul, no harm.
A rule was violated but the amount of good
accomplished overshadowed the small
amount of harm that occurred; that is, the
end justifies the means.
ETHICS AND SPORTSMANSHIP
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“Ethics is a matter of being good
(character) and doing right (action).”
“Sportsmanship is a matter of being
good (character) and doing right
(action) in sports.”
“The majority of acts that we consider
bad in sports and call ‘unsportsmanlike’
are bad precisely because they are
unfair, dishonest, disrespectful, or
against the rules.”
WHAT DOES SPORTSMANSHIP LOOK
LIKE?
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Playing fair
Following the letter and spirit of
the rules
Respecting the judgments of
officials
Treating opponents with respect
Shaking hands at the end of the
game
Never running up the score
Never cheating
Never taunting
GAMESMANSHIP
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What is difference between this and
unsportsmanlike conduct?
Where does “the line” exist
Is the line different in different sports or
at different levels in sports
PROBLEMS WITH MORAL
REASONING
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The longer athletes participate in sport, the
lower their moral reasoning.
Males have lower levels of moral reasoning
than do females.
Team sport athletes show lower levels of
moral reasoning than do individual sport
athletes.
The moral reasoning of interscholastic
athletes is less consistent, impartial, and
reflective than is that of non-athletes.
THE MORAL ETHOS OF SPORT
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Is an intentional rule violation congruent with
the moral ethos of sport?
Is a tactical rule violation, or the breaking of
the rules on purpose to gain a benefit even
though there is an associated penalty, ethical?
Is this an ethical way to attempt to secure a
victory?
Is cheating, which is an intentional deception or
circumvention of the rules that were
established to maintain fairness, ethical? Is the
intent of sport to get away with things to gain
an advantage?
Are rule violations ethical if they are not caught
and penalized? If rule violations are attempted
and penalized, then are these rule violations
deemed to be acceptable?
ARE THERE ETHICAL ISSUES IN
YOUTH SPORTS ABOUT THESE?
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Cutting a child trying out for a sports team
Playing the best players (some do not play)
Keeping the best players in the “key”
positions
Competing for championships and trophies
Requiring a child to play a sport
Specializing in one sport
Offering teams for one gender only
ARE THESE ETHICAL ISSUES IN
INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORTS?
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Requiring athletes to pass all subjects
Specializing in one sport
Treating male athletes preferentially
Playing while injured
Using drugs to enhance performance
Teaching athletes (by coaches) how to break
sport rules to gain an advantage
Giving athletes money or other benefits
Taunting and gamesmanship
The World Record Holders in the
800m
Who are these People
Baseball
Mark McGuire
Jose Canseco
Barry Bonds
Other Cases
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Dennis Mitchell
1980s East German Vitamins
 Karin Koing (swimming)
 Heidi and Andreas Krieger (Shot Put)
Balco
Silken Laumann
So why did/do they do it
Spectators
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Spectator violence often rises when the sport is violent,
such as at football or rugby games.
Soccer fans have often gone to extremes (1998 World
Cup Soccer tournament).
Do parents cross the line? What about with their own
children?
Violence Against Officials and
Coaches
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Fans who are too serious about the outcome of a game
are quick to blame the coaching and officiating when
their team is performing poorly.
Example: Baseball coach Tom Gamboa, Kansas City
Royals attacked by two fans in September 2002.
Parents attacking coaches and officials has been more
common.
Example: Hockey parent Thomas Junta, who killed a
fellow parent at a pickup game in 2000.
Violence Against Athletes
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Athletes can be victims of violence at the hands of fans.
Example includes tennis star Monica Seles, who was
attacked on the court by a fan in 1993.
Another example involved Colombian soccer player
Andres Escobar, killed after scoring a goal against his
own team in the 1994 World Cup.
Athletes often suffer from verbal abuse at the hands of
their coach.
Agree
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Slightly Agree
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Slightly Disagree
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Disagree
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Teamwork is important for winning.
18. I must respect my opponent to play my
best.
I would taunt my opponent.
A team must have a good coach to win.19. Basketball is a non-contact sport.
20. I would trash-talk my opponent.
I would spit on my opponent.
21. Soccer is a non-contact sport.
Luck is a part of winning.
22. I compliment an opponent for a good play.
It is important to shake hands with
my opponent after a game.
23. It is “OK” to run up the score against an
inferior opponent.
7. I have never been in a game where
any rules were violated.
24. Basketball players are better “athletes”
than baseball players.
8. Referees’ decisions will affect a
game’s result.
25. I would "bend the rules" to win.
9. Intramurals are a waste of time.
26. It is not whether you win or lose, but how
you play the game.
10. I would deliberately injure my
opponent to help me win.
27. It is not up to players to enforce rules (it’s
the referee’s job).
11. A team must have a “star player” to
be a winning team.
28. Integrity is an important attribute for a
winning team.
12. Respecting my opponent gives me a
better chance of winning.
29. Intercollegiate athletics are bad for a
university.
13. The team that prepares the best
should win the game.
30. I would retaliate if I was given a “cheap
shot” by my opponent.
14. “Winning isn’t everything, it is the
only thing.”
31. Skill in a sport is more important than hard
work.
15. I have never seen or heard someone
taunt or trash-talk an opponent.
32. I play fair.
16. Respect is an important attribute for
33. Being a good sport (showing
a winning team.
sportsmanship) is important to winning.
17. Football is a more violent sport than
34. “Every student an athlete, every student
ice hockey.
challenged.”
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