Ethical Considerations in Sport Management

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Ethical Considerations in Sport Management
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Todays Lecture

• Critical Thinking A Review
• Values
• Ethical Theories/Maxims
• Ethics and the Law
• Ethics and Decision Making
• Ethics in Todays Sports World
• Ethics and Sport Managers
• Assignment Question

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Critical Thinking A Review

• 1. Systematic evaluation of arguments
• 2. Rational Approach
• 3. Movement toward improved decisions/opinions/jud
  gements
• Critical thinkers care more about getting it
  right
• than being right

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Critical Thinking So What?

• Critical thinking is based on values. You
• must simultaneously have conscious
• reflection of personal values and
• recognition of conflicting values.
• What is a Value?

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Values

• A value is a deeply held idea of what is
• desirable, something worth having or
• believing. Values motivate us.
• So, what is Ethical Behaviour?
• This is the action that we take that is based
• upon our values.

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Ethical Theories
Teleology

• evaluating the morality of actions or inaction on
  
• the basis of results or consequences (results-
• oriented approach)
• Rules, values, policies and beliefs that are
• assumed to be correct by the majority of people
• demonstrates respect for individual human beings

Deontology
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Gather the Facts for a Decision

• Is the action acceptable?
• Utility Does it optimize benefits?
• Rights Does it respect the rights of those
  involved?
• Justice Is the action fair?

No to one or two
No to all
Yes to All
Are there any overriding factors?
No
Yes
Action is Unethical
Action is Ethical
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Ethical Maxims to Guide Decision Making

• The Golden Rule Do unto others as you would
  want done to yourself
• The Utilitarian Principle Greatest good for the
  greatest number of people
• Kants Categorical Imperative Action taken
  under circumstances could be a universal law or
  rule of behaviour

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Ethical Maxims (continued)

• The Professional Ethic Take actions that would
  be viewed as proper by a disinterested panel of
  professional colleagues
• The Television Test Would I feel comfortable
  explaining on TV why I took this action?

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The Law

• The law represents a body of rules of
• action or conduct prescribed by controlling
• authority and having binding legal force.
• The law is an accumulation of rules and
• regulations that govern our behaviour.

Many people think that what is legal is ethical.
But this is not always the case..
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Henderson (1982)

• Quadrant II Quadrant I
• Quadrant IV Quadrant III

Ethical
Illegal
Legal
Unethical
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Ethics versus Morals

• According to Parks and Quarterman
• Ethics are theoretically based whereas
• morals are of a more practical nature.
• For example, Do not steal is a moral, but
• what if your family is starving and the only way
  to
• eat is to steal a loaf of brad. This is an
  ethical
• issue.

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Decision Making

• When making decisions, sport managers
• must consider
• What is best for the company
• What is good business
• Ethics
• Values
• The Law

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A 7 step process to Ethical Decision Making

1. Acknowledge that dilemma is ethically laden
2. Generate Alternatives
3. Evaluate Alternatives
4. Select Ideal Alternative
5. Intention (what is the intent?)
6. Actual Decision
7. Evaluate the Actual Decision

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Ethical Situations in Sport

• Fighting in hockey
• Drugs in sports - Using substances that are
  illegal, but not banned in the specific sport (eg
  steroids in baseball, marijuana in snowboarding,
  drug testing in tennis)
• MLB umpires call in (near) perfect game
• Allowing competitors to wear religious garb while
  competing (eg turbans, hijabs veils)

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Ethical Situations for Sport Managers

• Managers in sport organizations are given tickets
  to pass along to suppliers as a manner to say
  thank you. Even after all suppliers have been
  given tickets, there are still a number left
  over. Is it unethical to give the extra tickets
  to family/friends?
• Does your answer change if you knew that if you
  gave the tickets back, the seats would go
  unfilled i.e. the tickets would not be sold?

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Ethical Situations for Sport Managers (continued)

• At budget evaluation time, managers must check
  their expenses to ensure that they have not gone
  over budget. Sometimes although the budget
  balances, managers may go over in some areas and
  under in others. In order to ensure everything
  balances, some managers will list expenses under
  a different category (as opposed to the category
  they belong in). Is this ethical behaviour?

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Assignment Question

• To be provided in class