Ethics And Deviance In Sport Flashcards
Deviance in
• Based on fair play, respect, honesty, and integrity.
• Tied to traditional values like sportsmanship.
What is deviance in sport
• Deviance = behaviour that goes against societal or sporting norms.
• Can involve rule-breaking, cheating, or illegal acts.
Fair play
means following the rules of the game and playing with honesty and integrity by not resorting to gamesmanship or cheating to win.
Sportsmanship
-qualities of fairness following the rules, being gracious in defeat or victory. when a performer plays to the written and unwritten rules of the game. They show honesty and integrity when performing; respect for umpires and opponents, as well as winning with grace and losing with dignity.
Gamesmanship
Known as “bending the rules”. Gamesmanship is not following the etiquette or unwritten rules of a game in order to win. This usually involves using cunning breaking the written rules of the sport e.g. intimidating the referee.
Cheating
means breaking the written rules of a sport.
Deviance
Behavior that falls outside the norms of what is thought to be acceptable
Pressures leading to deviance for performers
• Pressure to win (from coaches, fans, sponsors).
• Financial incentives.
• Fear of losing contracts or sponsorship.
• Peer influence and cultural norms.
• Desire to gain an edge (e.g., drug use, gamesmanship).
Pressures leading to deviance for spectators
• Alcohol consumption.
• Tribalism and rivalries (e.g., hooliganism).
• Media-fuelled narratives increasing tension.
• Poor security or crowd management.
The impact of commercialization on the sportsmanship ethic and the growth of gamesmanship in the uk
Impact on Sportsmanship:
• Traditional values like fair play are often lost in elite sport.
• Pressure to win, perform, and please sponsors can erode ethical behaviour.
Growth of Gamesmanship:
• Gamesmanship = bending the rules without breaking them (e.g., time-wasting, feigning injury).
• Commercialisation encourages it to gain results and protect investments.
Examples:
• Diving in football.
• Intimidating referees.
• Tactical fouling.
Types of deviance
- Drugs & Doping:
• Historical: Use of stimulants by cyclists in early 20th century.
• Modern: EPO, anabolic steroids, human growth hormone.
• Blood doping/transfusions: Increase red blood cells for endurance (e.g., Lance Armstrong).
• Diuretics: Masking agents or rapid weight loss.
• Painkillers: Continue playing while injured — long-term health risks. - Simulation (Diving):
• Pretending to be fouled to gain advantage (gamesmanship turning deviant). - Corruption & Financial Crime:
• Bribery: Influencing match officials.
• Bungs: Illegal payments to secure transfers.
• Match Fixing: Pre-determined results for betting gains.
• Betting Syndicates: Organised criminal involvement.
When does deviancy increase
- as prize money increases
- people will cheat to win
Causes of deviance
-In the 1960s and 1970s the Eastern European communist ruled countries used sporting success for political purposes and organising bodies used drugs like anabolic steroids extensively to improve their athletes’ chances of success on the world stage.
-The media’s role in deviance is complex because the fame associated with the press writing about a successful performer has led to increasing amounts of deviancy.
- However, with more sophisticated technology being used in sport it is much harder for some performers to cheat.
-For example, in the past few years cricketers are now being more honest because they know they will be exposed as a cheat by the ‘snick-o-meter’ or close up camera work. Dwain Chambers and the other athletes who were eventually caught up in the ‘Balco’ drugs scandal took the designer steroid THG because at the time WADA did not have a test that could detect it.
- Although the drug testing in some sports and some countries is very good in others it is poor and because some performers know the risk of getting caught is low this does not deter them from using illegal methods to gain an advantage.
-Indeed some performers use the ‘everyone else is getting away with it’ excuse to justify their use of drugs to enhance performances. Prejudice can also be a reason for some performer’s deviance and this could be for racist or sexist reasons.
Deviance in sport
Financial
-Increased levels of commercialisation lead to increased benefits to succeeding i.e. increased salary and earning potential, increased sponsorship opportunities, increased endorsement opportunities, increased rights images.
More at stake for athletes as sport has become a big business.
Pressure
-More pressure on coaches to succeed and they put pressure on athletes to do whatever is necessary.
-Pressure from sponsors leading to athletes / teams doing whatever it takes e.g. Ronaldo & Nike and the world cup final.
-Pressure from fans wanting to see the spectacle of a world record etc
-Pressure from team mates e.g. Lance Armstrong
Perception and expectation;
-Perception and perpetuation of the ‘Win at All Costs’ attitude.
-Failure to succeed leads to a loss of the aforementioned opportunities.
-The belief or perception that “everyone is cheating” leads to an easy decision being made to cheat.
-The view that certain behaviours (that fit into the realms of gamesmanship) are not only accepted but even expected e.g. talking to opponents (sledging), appealing for decisions, intimidating referees, simulation (e.g. diving).
-People who behave deviantly might be perceived to get more coverage; no such thing as bad publicity.
-Institutionalized cheating from teams / countries / coaches e.g. Russia’s Olympic doping ban
Opportunity and technology;
-Greater opportunity to cheat through improved methods e.g. in terms of the availability of drugs, ability to beat drug detection, increased mechanical methods of cheating.
-Increase in technology making it easier to cheat (motors in bike frames). However, as more money is entering sport, more people have access to the technology making margins narrower, making it seem as though cheating is the only alternative.
Coverage;
-Media coverage can be seen as increasing the pressure to win.
-Social media allows supporters easy access to athletes and teams, increasing the pressure to succeed.
-Media coverage also gives huge publicity to sports stars caught cheating, making it seem as though it’s more common and prevalent.
How governing bodies work to reduce deviant behavior
Most NGBs work hard to eliminate dysfunctional behaviour, because they realise that unless they act on it, it may be detrimental to the future of their sport. Many NGBs work with WADA and the nation’s own drugs organisation to test for the use of illegal drugs and the following methods have been used to discourage cheating and gamesmanship;
Rule changes – NGBs regularly change rules to prevent deviancy. This could be stricter punishments for on the field behaviour or punishing negative actions. In football the ‘tackle from behind’ is now punished with a straight red card and in cricket an umpire can stop a bowler bowling if he/she is following through on the wicket.
Reward positive behaviours – in football the use of ‘fair play’ leagues helps to encourage positive behaviours and reward teams. For example three extra clubs are allowed to enter the Europa League by EUFA for their good disciplinary records. The top three leagues in Europe are each allowed to enter the team with the best record to enter into this lucrative competition, regardless of their finishing position in their own league.
Improved officiating – in some sports referees have become professionals, making enough money to live from officiating. In football, referees have a specialist training facility where they receive fitness training, dietary advice and where they regularly meet to discuss incidents to improve their knowledge.
Technology – the use of video replays and other technology has enhanced the ability of cricket and rugby officials to get decisions right.
Fines and bans – these are common in most sports. For example Dwain Chambers received a lifetime ban from competing at the Olympics after he was caught and admitted to taking drugs.
Punishments after an event – in some sports officials will view incidents after an event meaning punishments can be given retrospectively. In football clubs are fined if the players surround the referee to questions his/her decisions or if the players are involved in a ‘mass brawl’ on the pitch. In junior and semi-professional sports clubs regularly have points deducted if they play an unregistered player and are found out. Drug takers in athletics and other Olympic sports run the risk of having previous medals removed and records quashed if they are caught, even if they were achieved before they actually started using illegal methods.
NGB campaigns – The ‘kick racism out of football’ and ‘Respect’ campaigns have been used by the FA to try to improve the actions of those involved in football. These are excellent examples of how the governing body has tried to reduce dysfunctional behaviour. The 100% me campaign is promoted by many elite athletes in the UK to try to promote drug free sport.
Most sports have a ‘codes of conduct’ for players, coaches and spectators. These documents clearly outline the types of behaviours that are encouraged and those that are not tolerated, giving these groups clear rules to stick to.
Playing ‘behind closed doors’ – In some sports if spectators have acted inappropriately the team may have to play games behind ‘closed doors’, which means they aren’t allowed any spectators at the match. This impacts on the team because they have fewer fans to ‘cheer them on’ and it impacts on them financially because they do not make money from the spectators they would normally charge to watch.
What is the lombardian ethic
It changed the attitudes to winning being the most vital part rather than taking part. Do anything to win
Should we allow performance enhancing drugs
Yes
- it will be equal if everybodies doing it
- the rich can afford to buy drugs
-the battle against drugs is very expensive
- detection isn’t effective
- there is a level playing field for all
- difficult to define drug as compared to aid
- sacrifices performer makes to achieve success is very personal
- high performance leads to more spectators
No
- dangerous
- its an endless cycle
- cheating
- doesn’t give everybody a advantage if your taking
- role model effect’- peer pressure
- sport is about using natural talents
- very costly
- only rich will be able to afford so there is a uneven playing field
Responses to Deviance
Governing Bodies:
• FIFA, WADA, IOC, UKAD, etc.
• Set rules, issue bans, educate athletes.
• Introduce sanctions and drug testing.
Government and Law:
• Legislation in some countries (e.g., Italy & match-fixing laws).
• National programs for clean sport.
• Criminal investigations (e.g., Operation Aderlass in cycling).
Use of Technology:
• VAR, Hawk-Eye, TMO — to improve fairness.
• Biological passports — detect long-term doping trends.
• CCTV and facial recognition — combat spectator deviance.
Role of WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency)
Purpose:
• Promote clean sport worldwide.
• Monitor compliance with anti-doping rules.
Key Roles:
• Publish and update the WADA Prohibited List.
• Coordinate out-of-competition testing.
• Support education and research.
• Maintain the Athlete Biological Passport system.
• Enforce sanctions and bans (e.g., Russian state doping scandal).
Festing affair
This lead to the development of WADA
The Festina Affair was a major doping scandal that rocked the world of professional cycling during the 1998 Tour de France.
-The scandal began when support staff for the Festina cycling team, Willy Voet, was stopped at the French-Belgian border.
-His car was found to be carrying large quantities of banned substances, including EPO (erythropoietin), growth hormones, testosterone, and amphetamines.
-This triggered a full investigation into the team and the wider sport.
Key Developments:
-Festina’s team doctor, Eric Ryckaert, admitted the team had a systematic doping program.
-Several top riders, including team leader Richard Virenque, were implicated.
-The Festina team was expelled from the Tour.
-Riders protested the heavy-handed police raids and staged a sit-down strike during one of the stages.
Impact on Sport:
-Revealed how widespread and organised doping had become in elite cycling.
-Shattered public trust in the sport.
-Led to tighter anti-doping controls, more testing, and the beginnings of what would become the Athlete Biological Passport system.
-Paved the way for later scandals like Operation Puerto and Lance Armstrong’s downfall.
Reasons for taking drugs
- pressure to win the medial sponsors, coach, peers and fans
- financial incentives
- aids recovery
- train for longer
- rivals taking supplements
- small margin between winning and losing
Reasons against taking drugs
- legality
- take away from natural talent
- financial constraints’- side effects
- not knowing what’s being taken
- not knowing the long term health effects
- can lead to over dependence
- morals
Drug use is increasing- explanation and evidence
-evidence from the number of athletes failing drug tests such as in cycling and athletics
-evidence from drugs being used across many sports not just the typical but boxing too
-evidence of police investigations not just governing bodies
-more money spent on catching the cheats’
-invention of more sophisticated drugs to beat the tests
-greater publicity and bans given to failed tests
-increased pressure on the need to take drugs in order to meet the demand
