Contemporary World Issues
3 total works
The descriptions and examples of unethical behaviors in sport in this book will challenge readers to rethink how they view sport and question whether participating in sport builds character-especially at the youth and amateur levels.
Sport potentially can teach character as well as social and moral values, but only when these positive concepts are consistently taught, modeled, and reinforced by sport leaders with the moral courage to do so. The seeming moral crisis threatening amateur and youth sport-evidenced by athletes, coaches, and parents alike making poor ethical choices-and ongoing scandals regarding performance-enhancing drug use by professional athletes make sports ethics a topic of great concern. This work enables readers to better understand the ethical challenges facing competitive sport by addressing issues such as gamesmanship, doping, cheating, sportsmanship, fair play, and respect for the game.
A compelling read for coaches, sport administrators, players, parents, and sport fans, the book examines specific examples of unethical behaviors-many cases of which occur in amateur and educational sports-to illustrate how these incidents threaten the perception that sport builds character. It identifies and investigates the multiple reasons for cheating in sport, such as the fact that the rewards for succeeding are so high, and the feeling of athletes that they must behave as they do to "level the playing field" because everyone else is cheating, being violent, taking performance-enhancing drugs, or doing whatever it takes to win. Readers will gain insight into how coaches and sport administrators can achieve the goals for youth, interscholastic, intercollegiate, and Olympic sport by stressing moral values and character development as well as see how specific recommendations can help ensure that sport can serve to build character rather than teach bad behavior in the pursuit of victory.
- Describes and analyzes key ethical issues, such as cheating, fair play, violence, discriminatory actions, and the use of performance-enhancing drugs, in a single volume
- Identifies how ethical problems in sport affect sport in the United States and internationally but also significantly impact society overall
- Examines significant events and influential individuals to provide a historical and sociological context for understanding how and why individuals behave unethically in sport
- Provides a wealth of information and resources that describe how poor behaviors of athletes, coaches, and parents in sport can be changed through educational interventions and a reemphasis on values like integrity
An examination of both ethical and unethical behaviors in sports designed to help readers analyze the notion that participating in sports builds character.
Is it possible to teach lasting values through sports? With coverage that explores the origins of sports, ethical theories as applied to sports, and key moral issues affecting sports throughout history to the present day, Modern Sports Ethics: A Reference Handbook surveys the realm of athletics and its potential as an arena for character development.
Taking examples from a variety of areas in nonprofessional athletics, including Little League baseball, the Tour de France, and the Olympic Games, Modern Sports Ethics is an eye-opening yet evenhanded look at both the positive and negative impact sports have on society. The book focuses on a number of specific problems and controversies, including commercialization, performance-enhancing drugs, racism, sexism, physical violence and psychological ploys, and deliberate rule-breaking behavior.
* Biographical sketches of individuals who have made significant contributions in shaping sports ethics, including John Wooden, Arthur Ashe, and James Naismith
* A data and documents chapter that provides context for the examination of specific challenges in sports, such as those faced by young athletes and female athletes