What is the role of Ethics in Sports, Have you ever thought of it?
Ethics of Sports means moral principles and values that explain the behavior of sports persons
or an athlete, coaches, officials,
and fans. It includes playing fairly, respecting opponents’ feelings, and following rules and
regulations. Ethical behavior while playing any sport is very important as it helps maintain the
game’s truthfulness and promotes sportsmanship and teamwork.
This exactly means adhering to principles of respect & fair play which means playing on the
field without doping, cheating, or taking undue advantages. I personally feel that it should
involve the dignity and rights of opponents, officials, fans, and the team as a whole, avoiding
disrespect, harm, or discrimination among them. Being a sportsperson myself I came across
many incidents of unfair play from board games to ground games.
The biggest doping scandal in history as we all know was Rio Olympics 2016. If that is not an
example of unethical behavior in sports then what is? Approx. 120 Athletes were suspended as
they used Performance-enhancing drugs on a big platform like the Olympics. Lance Armstrong
in Sydney Games 2000 made use of illegal performance enhancement which he, later on, was
found guilty of, Johann Muehlegg in 2002 was founded positive for the drug called Darbepoetin
which was used to increase the production of red blood cells in the body. There are many more
examples that have shown technological doping like Nike’s Vaporfly and Alphafly Running
Footwear. Many more such cases in the past have shown an example of unethical behavior in the
sporting world.
The biggest doping scandal in history as we all know was Rio Olympics 2016. If that is not an
example of unethical behavior in sports then what is? Approx. 120 Athletes were suspended as
they used Performance-enhancing drugs on a big platform like the Olympics. Lance Armstrong
in Sydney Games 2000 made use of illegal performance enhancement which he, later on, was
found guilty of, Johann Muehlegg in 2002 was founded positive for the drug called Darbepoetin
which was used to increase the production of red blood cells in the body. There are many more
examples that have shown technological doping like Nike’s Vaporfly and Alphafly Running
Footwear. Many more such cases in the past have shown an example of unethical behavior in the
sporting world.
Research from Unethical Behavior in Sports says that many unethical behaviors are still found in
sports depending on Age and Gender. Just as Sexual Harassment in women, Ragging to young
players. It has been found that coaches themselves are sometimes the cause of unethical
behavior. If this is not taken care of then there might be a problem in increasing the sports
industry in the future which will cause a decrease in the value of sports
Hence Ethics plays an important role in sports due to following reasons:
- FAIR PLAY
- RESPECT
- SAFETY
- POSITIVE IMAGE
- SPORTSMANSHIP
Conclusion:
A healthy game will always be beneficial in maintaining a healthy relationship, a healthy mind,
and a healthy environment. We are living in 2023 and still, there are lot many cases of unethical
behavior in the sports industry. Due to an increase in advanced technologies like AI, ML, 3D
printing, etc., chances that Unethical behavior in this industry might grow. Hence, a small step
towards making awareness in schools and education can cause a bigger step in stopping such
kind of unethical behavior in sports.
