law essay

In the alleged scandal known as “DeflateGate,” 11 of 12 footballs used by the New England Patriots in their AFC championship game victory over the Colts were reportedly deflated below regulations in NFL rules.  In the same game, the Patriot’s head coach also used many little-known substitution rules to confuse the defense by making offensive linemen eligible to receive a pass; while this may have been technically “within the rules,” it appeared to be taking advantage of a loophole in the rules.

If a sports team uses a pattern of “manipulative activities” to gain an advantage, should the integrity of that organization (and the integrity of the game, itself) be called into question? Is it fair, in sports, to take advantage of the rules in order to obtain a “competitive edge?”  Or is it acceptable “gamesmanship?”  Are those activities “wrong” if they would not change the outcome of the game? Is it only “cheating” if you get caught?  If so, what message does this send to young sports fans?

Now take all of your answers and apply them to a business setting.   Are such matters as integrity, fairness, honesty and ethics different for the sports world than the business world?  Should the approach that applies to sports competition apply to business competition? Or vice versa? 

Discuss your view of the situation.

Supplemental reading material:

What Role Does Ethics Play in Sports?

By Kirk O. Hanson and Matt Savage

http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/submitted/sports-ethics.html