Ethics is a dilemma you will face as a sports manager in your professional life. Some of the best Sports Management courses will prepare you for everything, but your actions concerning ethics will vary due to their practical nature. So, how do you prepare for it? And is there a right way to act in ethical dilemmas?
Well, let us first start with the simplest thing. Ethics is centered on well-established norms of right and wrong that dictate what humans should do, generally in terms of rights, duties, societal advantages, fairness, or special qualities. Many individuals confuse ethics with their emotions. Being ethical, however, is not a question of following your feelings.
Following your sentiments may cause one to retract from doing what is right. Indeed, emotions regularly diverge from what is acceptable. Following the law is not the same as being ethical either. The law frequently integrates ethical norms to which the majority of persons subscribe. However, laws just like emotions can vary from what is ethical.
Similarly, ethics can confuse people in the sports field as well. There are certain factors and aspects that a sports manager needs to be aware of to be entirely ethical.
Gamesmanship is founded on the concept that winning is everything. Athletes and coaches often feel like breaking the rules whenever feasible to obtain a competitive edge over an opponent while paying less consideration to the competition's safety and welfare. In contrast, Sportsmanship is a more ethical attitude to athletics.
Healthy competition is viewed as a method of fostering personal dignity, virtue, and character under a sportsmanship paradigm. It helps to build a community of respect and trust among competitors. The purpose of sportsmanship is not only to win but to win with dignity by putting in one's best effort.
Sporting ethics necessitates four fundamental virtues. They include:
Everyone must adhere to the specified rules and norms of their sport. Seeking an unfair competitive edge over their opponents can produce an uneven playing field. It compromises the sport's integrity. Referees must administer the rules fairly to all sides and must not be biased or have a personal stake in the outcome.
Similar to fairness, any athlete who strives to gain an edge over his or her opponent by employing a talent that the game was not meant to test exhibits a lack of personal integrity and breaches the game's integrity. For example, when a soccer player pretends to be injured or fouled, he or she is not behaving sportsmanlike since the game of soccer is not structured to test an athlete's ability to flop. Faking is a method of purposely tricking an official into making a wrong call, which only harms the credibility of the officials and eventually affects the game's integrity.
To be a sportsman, players and coaches must accept responsibility for their performance as well as their conduct on the field. Athletes and coaches will frequently create reasons for why they lost a game. The most common justification is to blame the officials. Instead, concentrate solely on the areas of the game over which you have control, namely your performance. Responsibility necessitates that players and coaches be well-versed in the laws and regulations that govern their sport and behave themselves honorably both on and off the field.
Respect should be shown to teammates, opponents, coaches, and officials by all athletes. It should also be shown by all supporters, especially parents, as well as both teams and officials. It creates a welcoming environment and allows everyone to work with dedication and free of problems
All of it together makes the sport entertaining and fair. Sports managers are usually required to ensure that their assigned players or the event maintain ethical standards. But there are a few challenges they may face as well.
As much as the managers would like to maintain ethics, these are some of the key challenges they face:
1.Misunderstanding of the right ethical practice from either the player or the manager
2.Fear of failure and resulting job security
3.Inability to understand the subtleties between law and ethics
When it comes to sports, younger players especially require careful coaching and assistance. They require adults to teach them more than rules and assist in developing their athletic abilities. They also need to understand healthy attitudes about competition and fair play.
Sports can impart valuable life lessons. Using ethical coaching techniques may also have a significant influence on an athletics program, especially when young athletes are involved. Here’s what managers can do with the help of coaches:
•Assist younger athletes in reaching their full potential by concentrating on their development holistically.
•Enable young athletes to achieve by setting developmentally appropriate goals and planning effectively.
•Teach students to react correctly during practices and contests by recognizing and modeling ethical behaviors in sports.
•Establish safe, respectful settings for young players to learn from their errors and gain confidence.
•Prevent injuries and educate on excellent diet and other practices that can help them stay healthy.
A good institute will teach you properly about ethics during your program duration. Colleges like Symbiosis School of Sports Sciences or SSSS realize the importance of ethics and ensure that future sports managers are prepared for all challenges. With practical experience, students gain the confidence to make that split-second decision on that ethical dilemma.
So, educate yourself well on ethics with the help of a good sports college and program. Some of the best sports management or best sports marketing colleges can be sought to shape your career will in the field of sports.
