Ethical Principles
Applied to Sport
Management
Chapter 6
Introduction: Ethics
• Ethics: The systematic study of the values guiding
our decision making
– Ethics reflect how we believe people should
behave and how we want the world to operate.
• Ethical Reasoning:
– The process of making a correct and fair decision
– Depends on our values or the values of the
organizations for which we work
Ethical Dilemma vs Decision Making
• Ethical Dilemma:
– Practical conflict involving equally compelling
values or social obligations
– Solved when we articulate which commonly held
values we admire most
• Ethical Decision Making:
– Requires consideration of how actions will affect
other groups and individuals
Morality vs Morals
• Morality:
– Concerned with values that guide behavior
– The list of those actions people ought to do or
refrain from doing
• Morals:
– Fundamental baseline values that dictate
appropriate behavior within a society
Ethical Considerations
• Decisions that affect diverse groups of people with
conflicting interests (e.g., athletes, fans, media,
community, businesses)
• Sport managers face ethical dilemmas on daily
basis.
• Sport managers’ decisions about ethical dilemmas
tend to fall under greater public scrutiny than
managers in other industries.
• Ethical analysis involves a systematic process of
reasoning:
– Weighing pros/cons of two or more seemingly
valid choices that reflect equally cherished values
Ethical Decision Making Process
(Hums and MacLean, 2013)
1. Identify the correct problem to be solved.
2. Gather all the pertinent information.
3. Explore codes of conduct relevant to your
profession or to this particular dilemma.
4. Examine your own personal values and beliefs.
5. Consult with your peers or other individuals in
the industry who may have experience in similar
situations.
Ethical Decision Making Process (cont.)
(Hums and MacLean, 2013)
6. List your options.
7. Look for a “win-win” situation if at all possible.
8. Ask yourself this question: “How would my
family feel if my decision and how I arrived at
my decision appeared on the Internet
tomorrow?”
9. Sleep on it. Do not rush to a decision.
10.Make your best decision, knowing it may not be
perfect.
11.Evaluate your decision.
Ethical Considerations: Codes of Conduct
• Code of Conduct:
– Most visible statement of ethical philosophy and beliefs
of an organization
– Need exists for establishing solid ethical climates in
corporations
– Code of conduct outlines and explains the principles
under which an organization or profession operates.
– Codes of conduct should be clear and straightforward and
encourage employees to understand the goals they are
trying to accomplish.
Ethical Considerations:
Codes of Conduct (cont.)
• How do you create an effective code of conduct?
– Codes need to avoid being too vague (DeSensi & Rosenberg, 1996)
– Codes should be based on a few overriding principles
that can be used to deal with a variety of ethical
dilemmas faced by members of the organization (Fraliegh, 1993)
– Codes should clearly state to whom they apply. If codes
are to be influential, leadership and membership within
the organization must accept and be willing to adhere to
the prescribed standards.
– Codes should contain consequences for violations (DeSensi &
Rosenberg, 1996)
Ethical Considerations: Morality
• Some ethical dilemmas are about choosing between
right and wrong or two opposing choices.
• Social practices depend on people upholding certain
baseline values.
• Morals are seen as coming from higher order or
common sense.
• Many moral values in society are codified in laws,
but moral behavior cannot always be legislated and
people cannot be forced to act morally.
Ethical Considerations:
Morality in the Workplace
• Absolutism: Moral precepts are universal; applicable
to all circumstances
• Relativism: What is moral depends on the situation
• Commercial moral rules: Rules of the marketplace
guide activities such as sales and marketing
• Noncommercial moral rules: Occupations demand
loyalty to an oath of office or professional standards
to guard against selling out
Ethical Considerations:
Morality and Multiple Roles
• Specific jobs in sports do not reside completely in
either the commercial or the noncommercial sphere.
• Process of making a moral choice, of deciding what
is right and wrong, involves understanding the
parameters of acceptable behavior in the context of
one’s multiple roles in society.
Ethical Considerations:
Morality and Corruption
• Immoral behavior violates our basic assumptions
and corrupts our social institutions.
• An immoral decision can lead to systemic corruption
that can destroy a sport enterprise.
• Corruption usually occurs when people hop from
one set of moral precepts to another.
• One feature of corruption is that it is systemic.
• Examples: PED use in cycling and MLB
Ethical Considerations:
Moral Reasoning and Work
• Contemporary society is characterized by
innovation, which continually presents new ethical
dilemmas.
• Periodically need to assess whether our current
practices are in keeping with values that underlie a
just society
• Moral and ethical principles evolve over time.
Key Skills:
Ensuring Morality in the Workplace
• Rules designed to protect integrity of sports operate
uncomfortably alongside business structure
underwriting sports.
• Organizations can help individuals make moral
choices by establishing standards, encouraging selfexaminations, providing support structures, and
enforcing codes.
Key Skills: Self-Examination
• An effective tool to remind people of ethical actions
and express institutional concern for ethical issues
• Ask employees to think about hypothetical ethical
dilemmas.
• Accreditation programs (NCAA)
Key Skills: Forum for Moral Discourse
• Communication is critical to
decreasing corruption and
resolving ethical dilemmas.
• Employees should be
encouraged to get together to
discuss where and how they
face specific problems.
• The process takes pressure off
individuals and clarifies issues
at stake.
• Decisions should be reviewed
only after they have been made.
Key Skills: Consequences
• Employees need to know there are
consequences for immoral behavior.
• If people understand that corruption comes
with certain risks, they are less likely to
engage in immoral acts.
• Discipline must meet two criteria. It must be:
1. Meaningful
2. Enforceable
Summary
• Sport managers need to be aware of the importance
of morality and ethics in the sport workplace.
• Their daily decisions affect many people, ranging
from athletes to team owners to fans.
• Incorporating codes of ethics, self-examinations,
forums for moral disclosure, and statements of
consequences for ethical violations helps ensure that
sport managers and employees make the “right”
decisions.