QUESTION 1:
Ethics is critically important in the business of sports, just as it is in business in general, as well as society at large. Keeping that fundamental truth in mind, answer the following questions about ethics and its relationship to sports.
- Define the concept of ethics
- Mention 3 ways in which ethics is relevant to sports.
- Explain 2 general rules or principles that are often used as the basis for guiding ethical decision-making.
QUESTION 2:
Sports leagues have a strong business interest in ensuring an ethical approach in everything they do.
- Describe the core philosophy (beliefs) that underlie the concept of good sportsmanship.
- Describe the key tenants (beliefs) of gamesmanship. Explain how gamesmanship differs from good sportsmanship and outright cheating. Provide 1 example of gamesmanship.
- What is a sports code of ethics? List 2 main purposes of a sports code of ethics.
- Explain 2 methods other than employing a code of ethics that sports uses to encourage ethical behavior.
QUESTION 3:
PART: Issues in Sports Ethics Essays: Answer any THREE of the following five questions which focus on important areas where there are critical ethical issues in sports.
A. Legal and illegal gambling on sports raises ethical concerns for leagues and other sports supervisory bodies.
- What is the ethical problem with players or coaches betting on contests in the league in which they participate?
- Define the concept in sports of having a level playing field. How does gambling by players or coaches threaten that concept?
- List 2 steps that leagues and sports supervisory bodies can take to discourage, if not eliminate, gambling by their players and coaches.
- Provide one real example of a player or coach who violated his sport's prohibitions against gambling. What actions did the league take in response?
B. The use of banned substances by athletes is a significant problem in sports
- Should leagues and sports supervisory bodies care about what substances their athletes ingest? If the substances weren't banned, and all athletes could take whatever they wanted, wouldn't that eliminate all ethical issues? Explain your answer.
- Performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) have been used by some athletes to gain a competitive advantage. Since competition is at the very core of sports, shouldn't PEDs be permitted? Explain the ethical reasoning supporting your answer.
- List 2 steps that leagues and sports supervisory bodies can take to discourage, if not eliminate, the use of banned substances by athletes.
- Provide one real example of an athlete who used a banned substance. What were the consequences for the athlete and for the sport in general?
C. The history of women's participation in sports highlights a number of ethical concerns.
- What legislation was passed to deal with the unequal treatment of males and females concerning athletic opportunities in educational settings? Provide the commonly used name of this legislative act.
- What impacts did this legislation have on athletic opportunities for women in intercollegiate sports? If you don't have specific facts, provide a general sense of the consequences.
- One technique that was used by colleges to comply with this legislation was a process called addition by subtraction. What does that term mean? What was the objection to addition by subtraction?
- Describe one ethical issue that exists in women's sports at the professional level. What do you recommend be done about it?
D. Violence both on and off the field/court/ice has been a topic of intense scrutiny by the media and one of significant concern to sports management.
- Sports such as boxing and mixed martial arts are violent because of their very nature. Does society have an ethical responsibility to put a stop to such sports? Do such sports encourage more general violence or do they serve as an outlet for society's aggression? Explain your answer.
- The violent nature of football has led to many player concussions which in turn have resulted in serious permanent problems later in life for a number of players. What ethical responsibilities does the NFL have for the health and well-being of its players?
- Off-the-field/court/ice violence by players is an all-too-frequent occurrence. Does a league or sports supervisory body have a right to control player behavior away from the field/court/ice? Why or why not?
- Provide a specific example of a player whose violent behavior was unethical. What were the consequences for that player?
E. While youth sports serve society in a number of important ways, they present unique ethical challenges to those involved.
- From an ethical perspective, state 2 purposes of youth sports.
- State 3 standards of appropriate behavior for parents of youth sports participants.
- State 3 methods that youth leagues can take to discourage inappropriate parental behavior and encourage ethical behavior.
- State 2 ethical responsibilities of youth sports officials.