Essay Sample on Sporting Behavior

Should coaches be fired for running up the score? What do cases suggest about good sporting behavior?

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Coaches have significant responsibility in ensuring that their teams achieve the highest score. However, their roles should be to only encourage good sporting behavior as opposed to 'corrupt' or undue favors in the pitch. The coach heads his or her team, and the players mainly look up to him or her for direction. Therefore, it follows that they have a significant influence on the growth and development of the players. Similarly, personal development is achievable when the player demonstrates good behavior in the pitch (Hanold, 2017). In other words, when the coaches encourage running up of score, it means that they are not interested in the development of the players. Instead, their concern is winning the tournament through all means including illegal means.

Good sporting behavior is essential to the sustenance of the sporting activities. However, without rules, the sporting activities would not exist. Therefore, the conduct of the coaches and the players must fit within the confines of the set rules. The behavior of the players, coaches, and the stakeholders involved in sports should demonstrate ethical behavior. Equally, it is expected that the players and coaches demonstrate participation that leads to pleasure gained through fair play instead of taking undue advantage to other competitors. One's opponents should lose or win graciously. Thus, it follows that courtesy should be served to all the players without advancing any undue advantage to any group. The high ideals in sporting when ignored destroy the sweetness and the whole object of the game. According to William (2017), the acceptable standards of sporting have been ignored, sidelined, and observed in words as opposed to action by many coaches. This means that the players being cultivated tend to demonstrate and expect the undue advantages that are advanced or taught by their coaches.

The coaches should be fired for any act that goes against the tenets of sporting behavior. The admiration of any sports borders on how well and strict the sportspersons engage in the fair game and win or lose graciously (Russell, 2008). Therefore, trying to fix a win for a particular team in a specific match destroys sports. If coaches were left to walk away with their dubious intentions, they would continue destroying the fair play and gracious winning or losing (William, 2017). The players would love to receive a win or a loss that was not stage-managed. They would like to see their efforts in the field yield results. Creating a win or a loss for a team is a move that destroys the morale of the players besides going against the ethics of sporting behavior.

Does sport play a positive role in promoting diversity and equal opportunity?

Sport plays a positive role in promoting diversity and equal opportunity in society and the world. Sport, as displayed in the media, attract people across the globe (McDonald, n.d.). Precisely, sports brings people of diverse views together towards a common purpose. This move is instrumental in the promotion of diversity. The differences that people exhibit are by default natural and beyond the comprehension of anyone. However, sport creates a chance for society to appreciate these differences while acknowledging the abilities of each person.

According to Boyle and Haynes (2009), sports create an opportunity for people of diverse backgrounds to come together and appreciate the uniqueness of their qualities. Sports also build businesses that appeal more to populations and groups that might not get the chance to culturally, physically, or psychologically barred from working within the organization. The representation that comes with sports demonstrates the extent to which sports encourage diversity. At the national tournament, the players for the national games often come from diverse background, but sports make them share a pitch or a game. The individual differences are usually set aside as the players engage in sports. As such, sports make the society to promote or acknowledge the unity in diversity (Boyle & Haynes, 2009).

Additionally, sports promote diversity by giving the minority the chance to shine in a society dominated by major social groups. For instance, the minority blacks have equal opportunity to participate in sports, and they tend to demonstrate their talents and capabilities during the sporting activities. The opportunity that the minority gets to showcase their talents reflects the extent to which sports promote diversity. Thus, the assumption is that the opportunity that different groups in the society receive to participate in sports fosters diversity in the community (Tamin, 2010). The minority participation in sports serves to show the society that the differences in color, social status, or race are not determinants of a person's ability. The presence of people of varied races in sports further confirms that the society can be together when the boundaries emanating from race, ethnic inclination, and other biases used in differentiating groups in the society are set aside. The element of equality is often evident in the manner in which sports boost equality and diversity in the society (Keegan, n.d.).

What moral lessons have you learned from participating in sport?

The moral lessons that I have learned from participating in sport are integrity. Winning and losing gracious demands integrity from the players, coaches, and fans. Integrity anchors the sporting activity and grants opportunity for the players to demonstrate their ability and skills. Therefore, the players must demonstrate integrity in their sporting events (Dodds & Reese, 2015). One should not allow or create an acquisition to receive the attention of the referee. Such acts are unethical besides compromises gracious winning or losing. The players are all yearning to win, but the victory should be gracious. Playing the right way is a demonstration of integrity. I have learned that playing with integrity makes the player earn the admirations of fans and get a chance to grow.

I have also learned that sport requires accountability. When one participates in a given sport, he or she is accountable for every choice and action in the pitch. The players are responsible to their teammates for every decision that they make while in the pitch (Dodds & Reese, 2015). Accountability makes the player do the right thing within the field. Sporting is like an investment. It involves investing time and other resources in doing things that we love. Being accountable helps us to do what is right including following the sports rules without necessarily expecting someone to watch the nature of our moves. A responsible player would not do anything that is against the sporting rules. Instead, he or she would struggle to ensure that his or her choices would not attract negative criticism from either fans or teammates.

Another moral lesson I have learned from sports is the attitude. Sports require people to develop a positive attitude not only towards the game but also towards others. Respect for other players is as crucial as the game itself. A player must demonstrate respect for fans, opponents, fellow players, and coach. The attitude of the player would affect the kind of responses that he or she gives when questioned (Dodds & Reese, 2015). The attitude will also affect the type of attack that he or she would advance against the opponents during the match. Importantly, as people play the intention is to win or lose graciously. As such, the player must endeavor to remain human in all that he or she does in the field. Respect for all the parties helps in ensuring that the activities of the player stay in the set regulations of the sport.

Do players have any ethical obligations to their sport, their fans, and the media?

The players have ethical obligations to their sport, their fans, and the media. The moral obligations of the players include engaging in good sportsmanship from colleagues, opponents, coaches, and supporters. The player is required by sports ethics to demonstrate good behavior and not to participate in any act that goes against the sports code of conduct. The player is expected to abide by the rules of the game besides following the rules of his coach and his sporting organization (William, 2017). The coach provides the direction that the players take. It follows that players have an obligation of respecting the coach, including following his or her directives.

Further, the player has an obligation of listening and learning from the coaches (Tamin, 2010). The player also has a duty of treating the players, fans, and coaches regardless of their sexual inclination with respect. Respect is emphasized in sports because this activity brings people of diverse background together. Without respect for diverse groups, the player might not find it natural to participate in sports (Boyle & Haynes, 2009).

Sporting is an opportunity to learn and have fun. It follows that the player has an obligation of reporting only the truth to the media. The fans of various sporting activities are keen on following the media reports of their respective sports. This means that the information that the player delves to the media must reflect the actual position on the ground. When the player feeds the media with inaccurate information, then he or she extends the lie to the public. The media fraternity has an obligation of sharing information to the audience and sports lovers. The content circulating should demonstrate the elements of sportsmanship.

The players have an ethical obligation of not cheating the other players, coaches, or fans. Cheating has the propensity of destroying the player's career. For instance, the deception might influence the coaches or referee to make a decision that would negatively impact on the sports career of the respective player. A player has an obligation of ensuring that other players are safe. It follows that the behavior of the player within the pitch should not harm other players. The safety of other players is as important as the safety of an individual. The ethical obligation of the player is to ensure that he or she does not engage in activity that is outside of the tenets of the game or would result in ethical concerns. Therefore, a player should always strive to avoid illegal contests.

References

Boyle, R., & Haynes, R. (2009). Consuming Sport: Fans, Fandom and the Audience. Power Play, 184-203. doi:10.3366/edinburgh/9780748635924.003.0010

Dodds, M., & Reese, J. (2015). Sports Leadership: A Concise Reference Guide.

Hanold, M. (2017). World Sports: A Reference Handbook. London: ABC-CLIO.

Keegan, L. (n.d.). Equal Opportunity in Education and Sport. Sporting Equality, 77-82. doi:10.4324/9781315130170-6

McDonald, M. G. (n.d.). Model behavior? Sport, Culture and Advertising, 24-38. doi:10.4324/9780203462003_chapter_1

Russell, G. (2008). Aggression in the Sports World: A Social Psychological Perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Tamin, J. (2010). Beyond the Immediate Players: Do Researchers Have Moral Obligations to Others? Research Ethics, 6(3), 76-80. doi:10.1177/174701611000600302

William, J. M. (2017). Ethics in Sport-3rd Edition. London: Human Kinetics.