Ethical Issues, Physical Activity, and Sport

Ethical Issues, Physical Activity, and Sport

Gurneet Dhami , Simriti Jassal

4.1 Gender-Based Inequities in Sports

1967, Kathrine Switzer was the first female to compete in the most famous race though there were setbacks, she ran and had broken a highly symbolic gender barrier in completing in the Boston marathon.

4.2 The Ethics of Sponsorship and Advertising

Inequitable Compensation and Media Coverage

In Forbes Magazine's 2014 the list of the world's 100 highest-paid athlete, only three women's names appeared; Maria Sharapova (34), Serena Williams 55), Li Na(41)

Tennis is one major sport that men and women are compensated on a more equal footing regardless of gender. This became when female players themselves and because there is an increased media coverage of women tennis events

In Canada, triathlon Canada and volleyball are some of the sports that recognize females and males equally, shown in achievements and equal prize money.

Sport Sponsorship :

Men's sports are more viewed ( Basketball, hockey) which allow high salaries, fan will pay for tickets, refreshments gear to watch there team play, whereas many female sports aren't viewed and equal pay isn't present. It is difficult to increase prize money and event funding without media coverage.

Women in Coaching Roles

The use of sporting teams,

In 1970, is was rare to find a female coach but now there female coaches at events such as soccer world cup, summer and winter Olympics

It is rare now to find a female coaching a male team.

Only coach in a major sport; Carolone Morace, First women coaching a MALE Viterbase team in the Italian C1 division,

Women Referees

Common to see female referees overseeing girls events but not males.

Violet Palmer, in 1999 became first women to officiate a 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 activity engaged as participants and leaders.

Canadian Center for Ethic in sport and Human Rights are doing important work to push equality.

CAAWS provide girls with full range of activities and programs of there needs and choices. They also offer different programs for boys which are altered

Great improvement from 50 years ago but it still exists for females athletes.

Continuing Gaps in Gender Equality

Gender-Based Inequalities :

and individual athletes to promote various commercial products

The unequal treatment of individuals

Many athletes and sport companies offer products, but its important to think if these products are safe, these are issues involve,

based on gender; gender inequalities can reflect biased policies, attitudes, or both and generally result in a power imbalance between groups

Sport ethics :

Sport ethics are the official and unofficial rules of appropriate conduct in relation to sport.

Ex. Sponsorship of major international tournaments by tobacco companies has has a long history; public awareness of harmful smoking increased and many people starting thinking about the ethics of this sponsorship, as Canada has heavily restricted tobacco (2000, ALSO sport drink, they are caffeinated and have alot of sugar so its named unhealthy.

Examples:

• Women not permitted to compete in high-profile events in mens events, when there are only women with women options.
• Women receive second-class treatment when booking facilities
• Volleyball, is still viewed as female activeness, and minimal media coverage
• Corporate sponsorship for female athletes are way less then are for men
• Female coaches and referees way less then male ones
• Professionals leagues for women do not exist in many countries, and if so it's paid far less then males,
• Amount of prize money available to females athletes is often less than that are offered to male athletes.

Alcohol Manufactures sponsorship of sporting Events

Tobacco brands are no longer permitted to sponsor sport in many countries including Canada, and campaigners are pressing to see alcohol sponsorship prohibited as well.

Can women compete in sports with men?

Will women ever be good as men ?

Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

Canada forbids alcohol ads that appeal to minors and that link drinking with social acceptance, personal success and athlete achievements.

• Caster Semenya won world championship in 800m race for women in Berlin, Germany
• Her victory sparked controversy as her femininity was questioned and had to undergo a gender test

For a proper answer you need to think about female experiences, equal opportunities to play, participation need to be considered as males have often been more prone to receiving all this.

The Challenge of Defining Gender

• Semenya was allowed to keep her gold medal and also won a silver medal in London but some observers felt that she didn't push for gold to avoid controversy
• A British magazine included her in its annual list of "50 People That Matter" for unintentionally instigating "an international and often ill-tempered debate on gender politics, feminism and race"

A study in 2014 by World Heath Organization (WHO) states that alcohol was responsible for 3.3 Million deaths worldwide in 2012.

Overcoming Stigma

• Male professional sports have been resistant to openness on being gay and military
• Until April 2013, no male had "come out" as gay but Jason Collins, a veteran basketball player disclosed in a magazine that he was gay

Unreasonable to ask !! to a group who never really got equal opportunity to physical activities as men.

Cont.

• He urged the sporting community to be open-minded about accpeting gay athletes

Targeting young People and Demeaning Women

Further Canadian Support for Gay Rights

• On June 30, 2013, Russia passed a law banning "propaganda on nontraditional sexual relationships" which was ostensibly intended to protect children
• Passage of law sparked international outrage among supporters of gay rights and was viewed at stigmatizing homosexuals
• August 2013, Russia's Interior Ministry stated that the law would apply in Sochi Russia during Olympics
• Group of Canadian Olympians marched in Ottawa's Pride Parade while members of men's hockey team spoke out against the legislation's they gathered for an orientation camp

Companies that promote alcoholic drinks argue that sports are "adult programming" and that their ads are only pitched to adults.

Table Of Contents

Swimmer Ye Shiwin, completed in a men swim event in the London Olympics, she came a second slower then Ryan Louchtes who came in first, she was then accused of taking drugs.

Alcohol related problems always hit headlines

Do Athletes Who Cheat Deserve a Second Chance?

Lance Armstrong downward spiral

Armstrong a world class cyclist, aka "cycling machine" has many major accomplishments and is known by many, in 1996 at the age of 25 he was diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer, he recovered from the cancer went on 7 tours and continued training.

Sexist and offensive advertising that is featured.

Many articles demonize women, especially if many women are watching sports. (51 million watched that super bowl)

Allegations of performance-Enhancing Drugs

In 2005, allegations arose he was using performing-enhancing drugs (Erythropoietin) and it also came up he was forced to use them by his teammates, he denied and went along with his activities,

In 2012, after series of investigations he was doping himself and was banned from participating in races.

Stripped of all medals and honours

• 4.1 Gender-Based Inequities in Sports
• Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation
• 4.2 The Ethics of Sponsorship and Advertising
• 4.3 Violence and Aggression in Sport
• Spinal Cord Injuries and Concussions
• 4.4 Cheating in Sports
• Do Athletes Who Cheat Deserve a Second Chance?
• 4.5 Championing the Concept of "Fair Play"

He was striped from his tour winnings and he stepped down from board of directors at Livestrong Foundation. Throughout it all he denied all allegations

In 2013, in his interview he finally admitting to doping.

4.4 Cheating in Sports

4.3 Violence and Aggression in Sport

• Cheating: any unfair advantage in training or competition gained by using methods or equipment prohibited by rules of a sport

Take place anywhere in sports between teams, coaches and among fans

Violence :

The intentional use of physical force to hurt or injury a person or damage property.

Aggression:

Attacking or threatening a person without being provoked

Influencing Decisions of Match Officials

• can be done by "stimulating" a foul or arguing excessively with referee
• coaches who boast about being able to "work the ref" with constant arguing so that ref's decision will go to his/her team's favour is cheating
• some try to sway an official's decision by offering payments (bribing)

Spinal Cord Injuries and Concussions

Paraplegia and Quadriplegia

• There are 31 spinal nerves flowing from spinal cord (each has anterior and posterior root)
• Through these spinal cord sends messages to and from brain, to and from all parts of body
• When spinal cord receives severe impact, damage to spine can profoundly affect its ability to send impulses to body
• Rehabilitation involves extensive physiotherapy (perhaps surgery) and counseling to help person and family
• When there is serious injury, nerves above keep working whereas below they may or may not still function
• If injury prevents use of legs but not arms its known as paraplegia
• If injury prevents movement of both arms and legs its known as quadriplegia

Detecting Concussions

Cont.

Symptoms

• headache/pressure in head
• nausea/vomiting
• balance problems/dizziness
• double/blurry vision
• sensitivity to light
• feeling sluggish, hazy, foggy, or groggy
• memory problems
• difficulty concentrating, thinking, or talking
• feeling unlike your normal self

• Spinal cord injuries are categorized based on where on the spine they occur
• For example a C4 injury means the damage is at level of fourth cervical spinal cord segment and so forth
• There is further classification based on level of functional loss - absolute loss of function in limb/set of body parts (complete) or partial loss (incomplete)

Concussions and Head Injuries

• Head injuries are common in contact sports as well as non-contact sports
• Concussion results from a hit or blow which shakes the brain within the skull, often involving injury to nerve fibers
• They can be mild or severe but its hard to tell difference
• With concussion injuries, brain cells become abnormal and don't function properly
• A second or direct impact to injured brain (when post-concussion symptoms are still present) can cause a dangerous change in brain's blood supply
• This leads to a rapid brain swelling that can cause coma and death
• Grade 1: Individual may experience some of symptoms w/o losing consciousness
• Grade 2: Individual doesn't lose consciousness but symptoms continue
• Grade 3: Results in individual losing consciousness. Seek medical attention immediately even if person loses consciousness briefly

Signs Observed in Others

• appears dazed/stunned
• confusion about assignment/position
• forgets instructions
• unsure of game, score or opponent
• moves clumsily
• answers questions slowly
• loses consciousness
• shows mood, behaviour or personality changes
• cannot recall events before or after injury

Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries

• Car accidents: 35%
• Falls: 16.5%
• Medical: 10.8%
• Sports 6.7%
• Other motor vehicle accidents: 6.2%
• Diving: 5.3%
• Industrial accidents: 5.3%
• Other: 14.2%

Using Illegal or Banned Substances

• athletes try to gain an edge by using illegal/banned substances to help recovery or build muscle mass
• despite health risks & risk of being caught/banned from participation, many athletes continue to use substances during training & competition in hope of gaining an advantage

coaches urge athletes to "hit hard but legal"- that being said hit correctly, most sports "violent conduct" is tolerated and encourages in contact sports. -- as long as you stay within the rules

EX. baseball pitcher throw a 150km/h pitch at the head of batter to "encourage" the batter not to stand too close to home plate. such as this is not considered apart of the game.

Within-the-rules violence is now being questioned in many contact sports. Several cases of high profile hockey and football players are sustaining concussions, EX. raising awareness of long-term impact of injuries, have caused to change rules and have strong protection. ex. Sidney Crosby debeted to came back due to all this head injuries

If an athlete is really aggressive then governing sport bodies are quick to give fines and suspensions.

Now, it's important to eliminate dangers from sports, many fans are now talking a stance and denouncing violence at sporting events.

Using Illegal Equipment

• some athletes/coaches attempt to manipulate technology to gain competitive advantage
• For example: fencers "rig" electronic-impact apparatus used to keep track of point/scoring or record rival teams practice sessions/pre-game strategy
• More examples: full body swimsuits, illegally curved hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks w/ tampered pockets & baseballs coated w/ pine tar

Violence and Aggression off the Field

Violence among athletes grabs many headlines, athletes also make many headlines like fights at night clubs and other social sittings.

Athletes are often trained to deal with violent behaviors with violent behaviors sometimes these athletes are unable to turn that off when outside form sporting events.

Violence and Aggression among fans

Violence and Aggression is a serious issue among fans around the world, mostly noticeable in soccer.

4.5 Championing the Concept of "Fair Play"

Some fans solely come out to fight, EX. National soccer federations (FIFA, the world soccer organization) have reacted by fining teams, banning them from competition, or forcing them to play games in empy stadiums.

Violence and Aggression against Officials and Coaches

Cont.

Officials and coaches are victims of violence and aggressive from fans and athletes.

They have been victims to Yelling, kicking, threatening and name calling.

In minor and Junior hockey leagues moms and dads are yelling to behave violently against their opponents and then can be violent themselves.

In 2013, a 29-year old in port perry, Ontario was accused of assaulting a 17 year old referee after a game involving 8/9 year olds, though the referee was seriously hurt they "hockey dad" was criminally charged by police with assault and uttering threats.

Match Fixing

• when professional team owners, players, and ref's collaborate to predetermine results of a game they are said to be involved in "match fixing"
• wagering on sport is legal in many jurisdictions and if a person can "fix" a match by persuading players/ref's to ensure score goes a certain way, fixers can stand to make a lot of money

Ethical Conduct vs. "Winning at All Costs"

Scoring on Empty Soccer Net

• During soccer match Ascoli player failed to return ball to opponents after Reggina player had been injured and instead went to score
• after Reggine protested, Ascoli team simply let Reggina player take ball down field, letting him put ball into an open net

Steroid-Free Bodybuilding

• rejection of prevailing trend of steroid use made participants decide to practice sport as drug-free activity
• organizations like International Natural Bodybuilding Federation (INBF) promote this drug-free form of sport

A Bolt for Bobsledders

• British two-man bobsled team was in second place but noticed sled was broken which meant they couldn't move forward
• Italian driver Eugenio Monti heard of situation and was in first place but took bolt out of his sled and gave it to British team allowing them to win gold

https://play.kahoot.it/#/lobby?quizId=719780e8-b36e-489a-978d-e4ef521999a3

Not Just About Winning or Losing

• Sports have rules governing both competition and conduct away from the stadium or playing area
• Fair Play In Sport: Comprises a number of values that are fundamentals not only to sport but to everyday life: respect, friendship, team spirit fair competition, sport without doping, respect for written and unwritten rules, equality, integrity, solidarity, tolerance, care, excellence, and the joy of movement
• All across Canada, the True Sport Movement provide programs/initiatives that help schools, teams, leagues, clubs, and communities embrace shared values/principles based on that idea that "good sport can make a great difference"
• After wide public consultation True Sport selected the values of fairness, excellence, inclusion, and fun as central to its platform
• Affiliated teams, clubs, athletes etc. commit themselves to promoting seven True Sport Principles: Go for it, play fair, respect others, keep it fun, stay healthy, include everyone, and give back
• A youth sport expert Dr. Jean Côté said "One of the most important roles of a coach is to use sport as a microcosm of what happens in the real world to help young people differentiate between acceptable and unacceptable behaviors, implement and respect rules of fair play and learn harmonious behaviors for resolving conflicts"
• Individuals athletes can reinforce values associated with fair play and ethics in sport by acting as role models
• Athletes who make up Athletes Against Bullying Alliance (AABA) use their status/influences to make an impact on many youth who are harmed by bullying in schools & communities across Canada

Establishing a Context for Fair Play

List suggested by NCCP ways to develop healthy relationships with coaches, athletes etc

Keeping it positive:

Motivate young people, encouragement creates positivity. Don't punish or scold. Ex. Coaches should avoid "you're to tense" "it's Slowing you down But say "don't worry about spend". Be nice, maintain focus.

Building self-esteem:

Coaches should work on building good self-esteem by praising in every athletes effort, everyone is different. Ex, "nice hustle" "that's great running"

The team-based approach:

Promote teamwork and co-operation, coaches should encourage a feeling of shared effort among the athletes. Ex. Drills and warm ups in groups, group planning and constructive criticism among the team members and social events.

Balance:

Coaches should help athletes understand sports is one part of personal development, many young athletes feel pressure from family, friends and media at the success of sports. But it's important to know its hard to tell athletes it's not that important but one thing they can do it approach fair-play.

Participation:

Most coaches agree that athletes derive from enjoyment and skills development. Most successful coaches incorporate drills, maximize involvement for large groups to small, and minimize listening instructions.

The Canadian center for Ethics in sport.

Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson disqualification due to steroids and was disqualifies from the 1988 Seoul olympics.

Charles Dublin decided he wanted to deal with his problem on doping by creating an Non-profit anti-doping organization. ( 1990)

Canadian Center for Ethics in sport (CCES) :

The Canadian Center for Ethics in sport is an independent, national not-for-profit organization committed to protecting the integrity of sport and advocating for sport that is fair , safe and open to everyone

CCES also advocates about, fair play , non-violence, and safety

In 2003, they contributed to the association of national anti-doping Organizations, Norway-based group comprised with 20 countries around the world.