ETHICS IN SPORTSBy: Sam Adamczyk

Introduction Sportsmanship is defined as ethical, appropriate, polite and fair behavior while participating in a game or athletic event. When a basketball player plays by the rules, is fair to his opponent and is gracious when he loses. All players, coaches and owners should respect one another and the rules of the game. Athletes should be good sportsmen at all times though this would be a very high standard for most professional sports.

Owners and Coaches- Bill BelichickBill Belichick might seem like a bad dude but he is a genius of a coach. He has been compared by ESPN Magazine to Albert Einstein and even nicknamed Boy Genius or the Einstein of Football. Over his 16+ seasons as head coach of the New England Patriots he has lead the team to 13 Division Titles, 23 post-season wins, 6 AFC Championships and 4 Super Bowls. He might be thought of as a cheater but he worked really hard and has shown ethical behavior by standing behind is players and supporting them throughout their time with the Patriots no matter how short or long it is.

Owners and Coaches- Ganard OrinonziGanard Orinonzi displayed unethical behavior during and after the 2014 Minnesota State Championship game that was won by his team the St. Cloud Apollo boys team. He influenced his players to have unethical behavior like switching jerseys after getting ejected to try to trick the ref, swearing on the field, and taunting the opposing team. This coach convinced his players that they need to win so badly that they should take any step or action they felt was necessary in order to win.

Health and Safety- Carolina PanthersA team who has shown good ethical health care is the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers quarterback Cam Newton had received many blows to the head during one of their resent games. The Panthers protected Cam by taking him out of the game, inspecting him for a concussion, and allowing him to continue playing once they were sure he was okay. This shows ethical behavior because if they had left him in the game he could have gotten seriously injured and sustained a concussion.

Health and Safety- Brady HokeBrady Hoke the Michigan State Head Coach is an example of someone who treats his players unethical. One of his players Shane Morris got hit in the head very hard during one of their games. Hoke claims that it was Shane’s responsibility to see if he had a concussion and not his jo. But as a coach his job is to make sure his players stay as safe as possible. In this situation Hoke put his players future life and health on the line because he just wanted to win the game. Shane came out of the game but Hoke later put him back in because he still wanted to win and continued to risk his own players health.

Athletes and Community- Magic JohnsonMagic Johnson has a great and positive influence on his community. He has helped and impacted millions of people in many different ways. Magic had helped by providing scholarships, technology grants, HIV/AIDS testing/information, distributing toys and clothes to under privileged children for 25 years. He has helped build the community around him to become stronger and more stable. Magic has also influence many people to become active participates and to help their local communities.

Athletes and Community- Francisco RodriguezFrancisco Rodriguez is an example of an athlete who has a poor impact on his community because of his domestic abuse case. He struck his girlfriend's father during an argument by the Mets clubhouse. He was only suspended for two games by the Mets but then was later put on the DL list because of a season-ending thumb injury fthat was sustained from his fight with his girlfriend's father. He pleaded guilty to his actions and will return to the Mets the next season. Rodriguez does not have a good impact on his community because he is showing everyone that athletes can get away with almost anything including domestic assault.

Fan Behavior- Healthy Flip SideBeing a sports fan can help create higher self-esteem, higher language skills and be good for social and mental health. But being an avid sports fan can become dangerous with a mob mentality and large sporting events can encourage behaviors people usually wouldn't display. People act differently when in the mob mentality because the emotions and stress levels are so high. But to stop fans from crossing the ethical line peer pressure can be used in a positive way. If one person or a group convinces someone else or another group that they shouldn’t do something those people will feel peer pressured into making the correct decision of not going on a rampage, flipping cars, throwing beer bottles or getting into a fight.

Fan Behavior- Dutch Fans RampageThe Dutch fans behavior was unacceptable and very unethical. Fans are supposed to enjoy the game and watch the players play not go out destroying priceless statues because their team lost. When they rampaged it showed the world what can happen when fans cross the ethical line. These Dutch fans cost the city of Rome nearly $3.6 dollars in the restoration of the Fountain of the Barcaccia and in the sales of luxury stores surrounding the Spanish Steps. The Feyenoord fans terrorized tourists and nearly destroyed a 400 year old masterpiece because their team lost a soccer game.

ConclusionMany fans, athletes, coaches, and owners do not cross an ethical line when they are involved in sports and many people never hear of these good stories. People only hear of the bad stories in the news like those of unethical fans, player endangering coaches, and domestically abusive players. There are two sides to every situation like how many fans are perfectly ethical, many coaches keep their players safe and healthy, many athletes are not involved in criminal acts and plenty of athletes help their local communities. People should become more aware of all of the good stories and not always see sports in a negative light.

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