Course Project Task # 3

COURSE PROJECT TASK # 2

THREE ETHICAL CONFLICTS IN SPORT TODAY

TONY WILLIAMS

ARGOSY UNIVERISTY

DR. PAMELA FITZPATRICK

9 MARCH 2018

Three Ethical Conflicts in Sport Today

Today, there are competitive sports which have a significant impact on culture, influencing values of both participants and fans. According to estimates provided by Financial World magazine, the sports industry has grown at an incredible speed. For example, it shows that an average National Football League's team's value stands at about 175 million dollars. Despite the speedy growth rate, a great concern about the ethical conducts exists in sports today. For instance, violation of rules has risen in intercollegiate athletics. It results in an increased pressure among administrators in promoting positive ethical behavior. Therefore, the following paper addresses three topics of ethical conflict in the sport which are of interest. They include dealing with the angry public in sport, gender equity and exploitation of student-athletes.

Reasons for Choosing these Topics

First, dealing with the angry public in sports is interesting because it addresses three major ways the public or fans can feel concerned. For example, they may feel disappointed by certain outcomes achieved; they can feel offended by officials’ plan and organization. Again, they could react violently to something which causes a conflict in values they uphold. As asserted by Moscoso et al., (2018), the three ways that the public feel concerned can create animosity and derail plans in the sports industry.

Secondly, gender equity is a critical factor which determines the health and well-being of an individual. Therefore, I strongly feel gender equity is not observed both in female participants and officials in various sports activities. Unlike males, females are under-represented in participation, in media profiles and leadership positions. For instance, the male dominant in nearly all sports is a thing which needs to be addressed to achieve gender equity even sporting. Lastly, it is demoralizing among student-athletes who face constant exploitations. For example, they go through a long period of training without being paid for their athletic endeavors. According to Moscoso et al., (2018), the practice ends up killing talents since they are not motivated to practice and sharpen their skills.

The relevance of the Topics and Research Plan

Sports clubs are familiar with legal and promotional techniques which they apply to deal with these three concerns of the public. However, in line with Wachsmuth, Jowett & Harwood, (2017), such strategies are not as powerful as desired. Based on concepts learned, sports officials need to acknowledge the public concerns and jointly engage in fact-finding through contingent commitment. As such, addressing the three topics will equip sports officials to take and accept responsibility and focus on positive long-term relations between sports participants and fans. Certainly, these steps are capable of turning adversarial relationships into partnerships and dealing with the angry public effectively.

Therefore, research would be conducted to identify the cause of these ethical conflicts and formulate strategies to solve them. It is based on the belief that sports should offer a valuable setting for social value change and an opportunity to advance gender equality in the society. In particular, it would involve exploring codes of conduct which guide ethical sports practices. Next, regular analysis and review would be carried out to compare with clubs’ values and beliefs to see if they are consistent. Importantly, the research’s main focus would be on females as part of the commitment to ensure gender equity and build a culture of respect and non-violence in the sports industry. This way, it will help determine means to increase participation in sports and promote a high standard of ethical observance Wachsmuth, Jowett & Harwood, (2017). In brief, the research effort would be targeted towards addressing the three ethical conflicts exhibited in coaching which diminish the public image of sports industry today.

References

Moscoso Sánchez, D., Fernandez Gavira, J., & Pérez Flores, A. (2018). The media construction of the sports’ elite from the European perspective: an analysis of the European Symposium of Sports 2010. Sport in Society, 21(3), 516-528.

Wachsmuth, S., Jowett, S., & Harwood, C. G. (2017). Conflict among athletes and their coaches: what are the theory and research so far? International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 10(1), 84-107.