4 Ethical Issues, Physical Activity, and Sport PDF

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4.1 Gender-Based Inequities in Sport ● Gender-based Inequities: The unequal treatment of individuals based on gender ● Gender inequities can ○ Reflect biased policies, attitudes, or both ○ Generally results in a power imbalance between groups ● In 1967, Katherine Switzer was the first woman to enter the Boston Marathon ○ Boston’s legendary traditionalist race director Jock Semple tried to remove Katherine from the marathon as women were not allowed to compete at the time ○ Switzer’s boyfriend, a hammer thrower, bodychecked Semple away, who finished the race

Continuing Gaps in Gender Equity ● Although women’s access to physical activity and sport in the developed world has improved greatly compared to 50 years ago, significant gender-based inequalities still exist ● For example: ○ Women are not allowed to compete in high profile men’s events when women-only options are available ○ Many sports such as beach volleyball are still viewed as forums for perceived female attractiveness as opposed to forums for their sporting value ○ There is minimal media coverage of events relative to the number of women and girls who participate in them ○ Opportunities for corporate sponsorship for female athletes are far fewer ○ The number of female coaches and referees is a lot less ○ Professional sports leagues for women do exist, but have much lower salaries as their games do not draw many spectators ○ The amount of prize money available to female athletes is often considerably less

Can Women Compete in Sports with Men? ● To answer the question properly, girls and women would need to have experienced equal opportunity to participate in physical activity and sports in the past ● Over the past 50 years, opportunities have opened up for female athletes

Inequitable Compensation and Media Coverage ● Females make much less than males in sport

● Tennis is a major exception ○ All 4 “Grand Slam” events (the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open) compensate players equally regardless of gender ● Some Canadian sport organizations including Triathlon Canada and Volleyball Canada recognize female and male competitors equally by legislating equal prize money ● One of the main reasons why men’s professional sports leagues are able to pay their athletes such high salaries is due to much higher attendance

Women in Coaching Roles ● Female coaches are not rare today ● However, a woman coaching a men’s professional sports team is extremely rare

Woman Referees ● Common to see female referees at all levels of sport overseeing female team sports ● Rare to see female referees officiate a professional men’s game

Promoting Gender Equity in Sport Today’ ● Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS): A national non-profit organization dedicated to creating an equitable sport and physical activity system in which girls and women are actively engaged as participants and leaders ● As defined by the CAAWS, “gender equity” is the process of allocating resources, programs, and decision-making fairly to both males and females

4.2 The Ethics of Sponsorship and Advertising ● Sport sponsorship: The use of sporting events, sporting teams, and individual athletes to promote various commercial products ● Sport ethics: Sport ethics are the official and unofficial rules of appropriate conduct in relation to sport

Alcohol Manufacturers Sponsorship of Sporting Events ● Tobacco brands are no longer permitted to sponsor sport in many countries and campaigners are pleasing to see alcohol sponsorship prohibited as well ● In Canada, major international sporting events are sponsored by breweries and alcohol manufacturers which raises ethical questions as Canadian law forbids alcohol ads that

appeal to minors and that link drinking with social acceptance, personal success, or athletic achievement

Targeting Young People ● Alcoholic drink companies argue that sports are “adult programming” and their ads are only pitched to adults, but sports are also popular with young people ● Alcohol beverage companies insist that sponsorship drives brand choice, not consumption levels, but pairing a healthy activity (sport) with an unhealthy product (alcohol) makes that product seem acceptable

Demeaning Women ● A prevalent ethical issue is the sexist and offensive advertising that is featured during televised sport events

4.3 Violence and Aggression in Sport ● Violence: The intentional use of physical force to hurt or injure a person or damage property ● Aggression: Attacking or threatening a person without being provoked

Violence and Aggression within the Competition ● Some degree of “violent conduct” is tolerated and even encouraged in contact sports ● “Hit hard but hit legal”; make contact with an opponent as long as that contact stays ithin the rules of the sport ● Some forms of violence is condoned, for example ○ A baseball pitcher may throw a 150kmh pitch at the head of a batter to “encourage” the batter not to stand too close to home plate ● Within-the-rules violence is now being questioned in many contact sports ○ Several cases of high-profile hockey and football players sustaining concussion have raised awareness of the long-term impact of these injuries ○ This caused focused attention on the need to change rules and equipment to protect against them ● Governing sport bodies hand out fines and suspension to athletes demonstrating such acts of aggression ● Violence continues in almost every major team sport ● Many fans are now taking a stance and denouncing violence at sporting events

Violence and Aggression off the Field ● Violence among athletes off the field is likely due to the high profiles of certain athletes ● Unfortunately, most stories are of domestic violence, incidents in nightclubs and other social settings ● People theorize that athletes are often trained to react to situation of conflict by using violence ● Most athletes do not engage in such behaviour, but the number of reports of off-the-field suggests it is still a problem

Violence and Aggression Among Fans ● Violence among fans is a serious issue, most notably in soccer ○ Some soccer fans attend matches with the sole purpose of fighting with fans of an opposing team ○ National soccer federations and Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) have reacted by fining teams, banning them from competition, or forcing them to play games in empty stadiums

Violence and Aggression against Officials and Coaches ● Officials and coaches are increasingly the victims of violence and aggression from fans and athletes alike ● Many have witnessed behaviour such as yelling, kicking, and threatening violence against an official who has made a call with which some fans and athletes disagree ● In minor and junior league hockey games, some parents can be seen yelling at their children to behave more violently and they can be violent themselves sometimes

4.4 Cheating in Sport ● Cheating: Any unfair advantage in training or competition gained by using methods or equipment prohibited by the rules of the sport ● Examples of cheating: ● Influencing the decisions of math officials a. “Simulating” a foul b. Arguing excessively with a refer c. Offering payments (bribes) to the official ● Using illegal or banned substances a. Athletes try to gain an edge by using illegal or banned substances to help

recovery or build muscle mass b. Despite health risks, chances of being caught and banned from participating, many athletes continue to use these substances ● Using illegal equipment a. Manipulate technology to gain a competitive advantage i.

E.g. “rig” the electric-impact apparatus used to keep track of point scoring

ii.

record rival teams’ practise sessions or pregame strategy talks

iii.

Controversial full-body swimsuits

iv.

Illegally curved hockey sticks

v.

Lacrosse stick with tampered packets

vi.

Baseballs coated with pine tar

● Match fixing a. When professional team owners, players, and referees collaborate in some way to predetermine the results of a game or series of games b. As wagering on sports is legal, “fixers” can stand to make a lot of money from pursuing player or referred to ensure the score goes a certain way

Ethical Conduct vs. “Winning at All Costs” ● Examples of athletes in different spots who make every effort to act ethically, depict the mounting pressure to do otherwise 1. Scoring on an empty soccer net i.

2009 soccer match where Ascoli team let a Reggina player score a goal after they failed to return the ball to his opponents after a Reggina player had been injured

2. Steroid-free bodybuilding a. Many participants have decided to parciast the sport as a drug-free activity b. Organized competition that include only athletes who agree to this format to help promote this drug-free form of the sport c. Examples include the International Natural Bodybuilding Federation (INBF) and INBF Canada 3. A blot for bobsledders a. The British 2-man bobsled team was in second place but had a broken bolt receive a bolt from the Italian team in first place

4.5 Champion the Concept of “Fair Play” ● Where does the field end and society begin?

Not Just About Winning or Losing ● Many people and groups advocate public for fair play in sport for an overall change in how society approaches sport as a source of positive personal and social development, not just as a win-or-lose proposition ● True Sport Movement provides programs and initiative that help school, teams, leagues, clubs, and communities embrace its values ○ Fairness ○ Excellence ○ Inclusion ○ Fun ● 7 True Sport Principles: 1. Go for It 2. Play Fair 3. Respect Others 4. Keep It Fun 5. Stay Healthy 6. Include Everyone 7. Give Back

The Philosophy of Fair Play ● Coaching Association of Canada offers the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), a series of instructional courses for coaches in all types of sports ● The NCCP combines an underlying philosophy of fair play to develop 5 key principles 1. Respecting the rules of the game 2. Respecting officials and accepting their decision 3. Respect the opponent 4. Providing all participants with equal opportunities 5. Maintain dignity under all circumstances

Establishing a Context for Fair Play ● Ways suggested by the NCCP in which coaches can develop successful relationships with their athletes within a fair-play context

○ Keeping it positive ○ Building self-esteem ○ Team-based approach ○ Balance ○ Participation

Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport ● Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES): An independent, national, not-for-profit organization committed to protecting the integrity of sport and advocating for sport that is far, safe, and open to everyone ● This organization was created when the Canadian centre for Drug-Free Sport and Fair Play Canada joined forces in 1995 ● CCES provides services and resources to athletes, coaches, sport organization, the media and the general public ● CCES education athletes, publishes guides to drug-free sport and doping control procedures, and administer Canada's doping control program ○ Certification of Doping Control Officers ○ In 2003, CCES contributed to the Norway-based organization, the Association of National Anti-Doping Organization (ANADO)...