Ethics and Character in
Sports and Entertainment
“Sports do not build
character. They reveal it.”
- John Wooden
Chris Dorman – Harrison High School – Harrison, Arkansas
High School Basketball Team Gets
Miracle Assist From Late Friend
Click Here for the Video: Sports Reveal Character
Middle School Football Players
Execute Life-Changing Play
Click Here for the Video: Sports Reveal Character
Jennifer Bricker - Professional Acrobat
Play the episode on DVD from
HBO Real Sports.
 Jennifer Bricker was abandoned
by her biological parents when
she was born with a handicap.
 Jennifer was adopted by Sharon
and Gerald Bricker from
Oblong, Illinois.
 Jennifer never allowed her
handicap to stop her from
participating in sports.
 At her high school she became
a star player in softball,
volleyball, basketball and
gymnastics.
Jennifer Bricker - Professional Acrobat
Video: Secret Sister
 Jennifer’s story is an
amazing example of
attitude and character overcoming a perceived
handicap. Indeed, Jennifer
considers herself to be
lucky.
 Today she has reunited with
her biological mother and
two sisters.
 She lives in Los Angeles
where she pursues a career
in entertainment and
acrobatics.
Nick Vujicic – Motivational Speaker
 Nick Vujicic Australian
motivational speaker
born with tetraamelia syndrome, a
rare disorder
characterized by the
absence of all four
limbs.
Video: Nick Vujicic
Ethics and Principles
 Ethics are a system of deciding what is
right or wrong in a reasoned and impartial
manner.
 Ethics should be an important part of all
business and personal decisions.
 Ethical behavior is based on solid
principles, which are the rules and high
standards that serve as guidelines in both
business and personal life.
Who among celebrities and
professional athletes have
exhibited poor ethical decision
making and behavior?
Tiger Woods
 Formerly ranked #1 in golf
and the highest paid
athlete in history.
 A scandal related to
multiple infidelities erupted
after Tiger wrecked his
Escalade in the early
morning hours of
November 27, 2009.
 His wife divorced him,
several sponsors cancelled
contracts with him, and his
golf ranking fell to #58.
Berry Bonds
 One of the greatest
baseball players of alltime.
 Holds the all-time home
run record with 762 and
the single-season Major
League record for home
runs with 73.
 Convicted in 2011 of
obstruction of justice for
lying to a grand jury about
his steroid use.
Roger Clemens
 One of the most dominant
pitchers in major league
history, tallying 354 wins, a
3.12 ERA, and 4,672
strikeouts.
 Indicted by a Federal
grand jury in 2010 for
perjury when he testified
(or lied) before congress
about using steroids.
 Acquitted of all perjury
charges in 2012.
Mark McGuire
 Averaged a home run once
every 10.61 at bats, the
lowest ratio in baseball history
(Babe Ruth is second at
11.76).
 Broke the single-season home
run record for rookies, with 49.
 Admitted to using steroids,
never lied under oath and has
never been legally charged.
 It is unlikely that he will ever
be admitted to the Hall of
Fame.
Coach Bobby Patrino
 Head football coach at the
University of Arkansas from
2008 to 2011.
 Lead the team to an 11-2
season in 2011 and a #5
national ranking.
 Coach Patrino was paid an
average annual salary of
$3.53 million.
 He was fired after misleading
University officials about an
"inappropriate relationship"
with one of his female
employees.
Lindsay Lohan
 Successful child
actress in Disney’s The
Parent Trap and Freaky
Friday.
 Charged with 2 DUIs
and theft of a necklace.
 Sentenced to 120 days
in jail and 480 hours of
community service.
 Unable to get quality
movie/TV roles due to
rumored drug addiction.
Lance Armstrong
 In 2012 he was charged
with having used
performance enhancing
drugs.
 He was banned from
competition for life.
 All of his titles were
stripped from him.
 All of his corporate
sponsors dropped him.
Video: Lance Armstrong Stripped of Titles
Character and Attitude
 Attitude is what you think about a situation
and the way you approach it. Attitude can
change depending on the situation and the
circumstances.
 Character is what makes you act the way
you do. Character has been defined as the
essence of who you are and is what you are
like on the inside.
 Attitude can change very quickly, but
character is more likely to remain the same.
Elements of Good Character
 Respectful – The act of
being kind and courteous
to others. Acting and
speaking with modesty.
 Honesty – Someone who
can be trusted to do the
right thing. No cheating,
no shortcuts, no excuses.
 Loyalty – Being faithful to
others. No talking behind
someone’s back.
Tim Tebow
Elements of Good Character
 Enthusiasm – Acting with
eagerness, interest, and
passion.
 Cooperation – The ability
to work well with others
and as a team.
 Empathy – Putting
yourself in someone else’s
shoes. Seeing a situation
from their point of view.
Joe DiMaggio
Elements of Good Character
 Initiative – Doing
things that should be
done without being
asked to do them.
 Tact – The ability to
act and speak without
offending others.
 Poise – Acting with
dignity and
composure.
Oprah Winfrey
Elements of Good Character
Was this a lack of poise?
Arkansas Razorbacks head
football coach John L. Smith
made things awkward for the
media at the start of his weekly
press conference on Monday by
insisting that they smile, which
was strange given that the team
just came off a 52-0 loss to
Alabama this past weekend.
Video: John L. Smith Demonstrates a Lack of Poise
Elements of Good Character
Was this another lack of poise?
 Tommy Tuberville says he was
just trying to get his assistant
coach off the field.
 Tuberville was upset that Texas
Tech had an extra player on the
field.
 He made a quick motion to the
assistant coach, either yanking
his headset off with his left hand
or hitting it off his head.
Video: Tommy Tuberville and a Lack of Poise
Elements of Good Character
An example of poor character.
Mississippi State
center Dillon Day
suspended for
stomping on LSU
players.
Video: Sports Reveal
Character
Elements of Good Character
An example of poor character.
Two high
school
players target
official, tackle
him from
behind.
Video: Sports Reveal Character
Elements of Good Character
An example of poor character.
Football
player rips
helmet from
opponent and
bashes his
head with it.
Video: Sports Reveal Character
Social Media Can Cost Athletes
Coaches
WILL check
the social
media
behavior of
their recruits.
Read the Article: Bad Behavior on Social Media is Costly
Name athletes, coaches,
or other celebrities who have
demonstrated good character
and positive attitudes.
Coach John Wooden
 John Wooden is respected for
teaching his players good character
and good ethics.
 He also won ten NCAA national
basketball championships in a 12year period, seven in a row, as
head coach at UCLA.
 His teams won a record 88
consecutive games.
 Coach Wooden died in 2010 at the
age of 99.
Video: Saying Goodbye to John Wooden
Coach John Wooden
Click Here for the Handout
John Wooden on Ethics and Leadership
Coach Phil Jackson
 Considered to be one of the




greatest coaches in the history of
the NBA.
As head coach of the Chicago Bulls
he won six NBA titles.
As coach of the Los Angeles Lakers
he won five more NBA titles.
He has the highest winning
percentage of any NBA coach at
.704.
Coach Jackson is known for his
calm, respectful, poised, teamcentered approach to coaching.
Jon Bon Jovi – Rock Star & Philanthropist
 Jon Bon Jovi has worked on behalf of the
Special Olympics, the American Red Cross,
Habitat for Humanity, and Covenant House.
 He founded a community restaurant (The
Soul Kitchen), where visitors pay what they
can afford for their meal, or volunteer to
work in the restaurant.
 Married to his high school sweetheart since
1989 they have 4 children.
Eli Manning – Loyal to Team and Community
 As quarterback of the New
York Giants he lead his
team to 2 Super Bowl
championships. He was
MVP of both games.
 His is known for his
commitment to family and
community causes.
 He delivered supplies to
Hurricane Katrina victims
and has committed to
raising $2.5 million for a
children’s hospital.
Eli graduated from the University
of Mississippi with a degree in
marketing and a 3.44 GPA
Perseverance - Minnesota Basketball
Team Loses a Losing Record
Video: Minnesota Team Loses 84 Consecutive Games
Jeremy Lin – Inspirational Perseverance
 Did not receive a college
scholarship and was not
drafted into the NBA.
 He played in the NBA
development league
before receiving a
chance with the New
York Nicks.
Video: Linsanity: Jeremy
Lin's Rise to Stardom
Lin is one of the few Asian
Americans in NBA history.
Malcolm Mitchell – Overcoming Obstacles
Click Here for the Video: Overcoming Obstacles
The True Measure of an Athlete
Video: Doug Farrell - Focus & Determination
Brandon Burlsworth – Hard Work & Dedication
 Joined the Arkansas
Razorback football team as
a walk-on and eventually
became an All-American.
 Graduated from the
University of Arkansas with
both a bachelors and a
masters degree.
 He was the first Razorback
football player to complete
He was selected in the third
a master's degree before
round of the 1999 NFL Draft
playing in his final game.
by the Indianapolis Colts.
Brandon Burlsworth – Hard Work & Dedication
 Eleven days after being
drafted, he was killed in
a car accident.
 Brandon was as much
admired and respected
for his playing ability as
for his character off the
field.
 A foundation to help
underprivileged children
was established to carry
on his legacy.
Brandon Burlsworth Award
Video: The Brandon Burlsworth Award
Bono – Singer, Musician, Humanitarian
 An Irish singer, musician,
and song writer best known
for being the main vocalist
of the Dublin-based rock
band U2.
 He has worked to aid thirdworld countries and is
committed to eradicating
AIDS, Tuberculosis, and
Malaria from Africa.
 He has been nominated for
the Nobel Peace Prize.
John Cena, WWE Star, Grants a Record
300th Request for Make-A-Wish
 The pro wrestling
superstar granted his
300th Make-A-Wish
request.
 That's far more than any
other sports celebrities.
 Families spend so much on
medical bills they can't
afford presents. That's
where celebrities like John
Cena come through.
John Cena, WWE Star, Grants a Record
300th Request for Make-A-Wish
 While some heroes do a
simple meet-and-greet,
Cena turns the Wish into
an experience.
 He usually invites the
child to Monday Night
Raw, where he takes the
entire family backstage,
gives them all signed
memorabilia and
introduces them to other
WWE stars.
Video: John Cena
Taylor Swift has donated $50,000 dollars to New
York City schools in appreciation of her proceeds
from her single, "Welcome to New York."
Video: Taylor Swift Gives $50,000 to New York City Schools
Carrie Underwood – Singer, Actress
 Country singer, songwriter and
actress who rose to fame as
the winner of the fourth
season of American Idol in
2005.
 She has since become a
multi-platinum selling
recording artist, a winner of
several Grammy Awards and
many others.
 She is known for her good
character and her work on
behalf of animal shelters.
Carrie Underwood Donates $1
Million to Oklahoma Relief
Carrie Underwood grew up in Checotah,
Okla. So when the recent tragedy hit her
state, it became personal.
The singer has announced she is
donating $1 million in proceeds from her
recent Blown Away Tour to the Red Cross for
relief efforts, reports AP.
"I have watched the devastation in my
home state of Oklahoma over the past
several days with great sadness," Underwood
said in a statement. "With the help of my fans
who attended my concerts over the past year,
we can offer the Red Cross a little extra help
in comforting those affected by the recent
tornados."
Bethany Hamilton – Pro Surfer
Click Here for the Video: Bethany Hamilton
Movie Based on Bethany’s Story
Watch the Movie: Soul Surfer
 Released in 2011 and
grossed $10.6 million in its
opening weekend.
 Total theatrical gross was
$44.3 million.
 The film cost $18 million to
produce.
 The cast of the movie:
AnnaSophia Robb as Bethany Hamilton
Helen Hunt as Cheri Hamilton
Dennis Quaid as Tom Hamilton
Carrie Underwood as Sarah Hill
Soul Surfer
 Conclusions from
the movie?
 The events that happen
in your life WILL change
you!
 These changes CAN’T
be avoided.
 But, YOU will determine
if those changes in YOU
will be for better or for
worse.