Essay Example on Fairness & Equity in a Competitive Sphere: A Philosophical Conundrum

Introduction

Fairness means being able to treat every person accordingly and equally. Fairness and equity are fundamental values for one to possess, but they have a common denominator, which is competition. In every sphere of life, human beings are engaged in competition, perhaps due to the scarcity of resources, and this influences how they practice fairness and equity. Modern sporting culture presents a philosophical conundrum as to how fairness and equity should be exercised in a highly competitive space. Some of the questions that arise are whether modern sporting culture enhances fairness and equity or not. While competition in sports entails the need to win, it is sapient to observe that it is not just enough to win, but the triumph needs to be put on the lenses of fairness and equity. Sportspersons need to follow the laid down rules to ensure fair competition.

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Philosophical Issue, its Importance and Support

Modern sporting culture influences my ideas of fairness, competition, and equity through the application of rules that are supposed to be followed by all the players and rewarding of the participants. The same rules are seen in the society. Besides, modern sporting culture does reward not only the winner but also the first and second runner’s up. Even other teams get some tokens of appreciation even when they do not win. This ensures that there are fairness and equity amidst the competition. The modern sporting culture encourages everyone to work hard to be able to receive the best prize (Smith, Cahn, & Ford, 2009). Even so, those that cannot make it to the top are also appreciated in one way or another. This reduces the chances of unfairness, such as those that may be observed when winners take everything leaving the losers with nothing at all.

Modern sporting culture, unlike the traditional sporting culture, tends to focus on equity and fairness in the competitions. This is manifested in both the conditions of competition as well as opportunities to compete. Sports have become a greater influencer in society, and that explains why whatever is done in sports is likely to be replicated in the society. Modern society perceives sports as a social utility that is supposed to influence how people live and behave.

Through modern sport, I have realized the need to appreciate even the least effort to ensure that everyone feels recognized even if they did not make it to the first position. Even with this, the greatest award is always reserved for the winner, and this encourages people to work harder in their roles but still playing by the rules.

I have been in the fitness industry for over eight years, and I am good at weight training. While this may seem too neutral to be competitive, it also involves great competition among the participants. Modern sporting culture does not support the winner-it-all mentality since it erodes the virtues that sports should instill (McNamee & Fleming, 2007). A winner-take-it all approach presumes that the other competitors did nothing worthy of recognition. This erodes the gains of equity and fairness. The society too needs to be accommodative to everyone; however little their inputs might be. Even though the winner gets more than the others, it shows that every effort was recognized, and every party feels accommodated and appreciated.

Counter Arguments

There are those that argue that the fairness and equity employed in sports erode the competition spirit. This school of thought perceives that competition is not necessary if, at the end of the day, every party gets rewarded. The major reason for sports is to get a winner who triumphs over all the others. As such, all accolades should go to the winner. Rewarding the other competitors is akin to telling the winner that what they did was not very important.

Fehr, Goette, and Zehnder (2009) argued that fairness and equity are not achievable in a competition. The moment that the winner is rewarded more than the rest, then equity and fairness cannot be said to have been exercised. Thus, to have a sober competition, terms such as fairness and equity cannot exist. In this manner, fairness and equity and competition are mutually exclusive, meaning that they cannot exist in the same context. As such, modern sports culture has trivialized the aspect of fairness and equity, and this has been seen in the society where people fail to work as hard as they should as they know that the national cake will reach them, however little their input.

Conclusion

Modern sporting culture influences my ideas of fairness, competition, and equity through the application of rules that are supposed to be followed by all the players and rewarding of the participants. This position is philosophically sound, as it can be argued from both ways. There are as many supporting points as there are opposing points. However, at the end of the discussion, one is expected to take a stand. Through the modern sporting culture, principles of equity and fairness have been applied in the society favorably.

References

Fehr, E., Goette, L., & Zehnder, C. (2009). A behavioral account of the labor market: The role of fairness concerns. Annual Review of Economics, 1, 355-384. Retrieved July 3, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/42940167

McNamee, M., & Fleming, S. (2007). Ethics audits and corporate governance: The case of public sector sports organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 73(4), 425-437. Retrieved July 3, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/25075434

Smith, G., Cahn, A., & Ford, S. (2009). Sports commerce and peace: The special case of the special olympics. Journal of Business Ethics, 89, 587-602. Retrieved July 3, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/40605390