8.3 Sportsmanship Case Study: owners and coaches, health and safety, players and community, and fan behavior

2. What role does
sportsmanship and
ethical behavior play in
professional sports?

3. Definition of Sportsmanship
Sportsmanship can be defined as a style or attitude
that involves enjoying a sport or activity for its own
sake and involves fairness, respect, and a sense of
fellowship with ones competitors. Sportsmanship is
to be practiced by all parties involved in sports,
including players, coaches, officials, and fans.
• Play fair
• Follow the rules of the game
• Respect the judgment of referees and officials
• Treat your opponents with respect
Sportsmanship should be practiced on and off the
field, before, during, and after a game.

4. Ethics

5. Owners and Coaches
Owners and coach's have a responsibility to control their behavior as much
as they are responsible for the behavior of their players. Coaches and
owners should maintain unbiased opinions and always do what is best for
the players.
After being eliminated from
the playoffs, Atlanta Hawks
coach Mike Budenholzer
went to a press conference
and answered every
question. When he got up to
leave, he realized he had
not acknowledged the
Cavaliers. He proceeded to
sit back down and show
appreciation for the
Cavaliers’ players, coaches,
and entire organization.
Raymond Domenech,
National Soccer coach of
France, condemned the
criticism of his player and
team and did not admit to
an illegal goal in a
qualifying match. His
player admitted to the
transgression but he
refused to be honest
about the illegal point that
won them the game.

6. Health and Safety
All players should be given the same access and availability to medical
personnel and no player should be intentionally put at harm by another
player without penalty. The use of performance-enhancing drugs also play a
huge role in regards to sportsmanship and should be banned due to the
health risks and lack of fairness in play. The health and safety of players
should ALWAYS be put first.

7. Athletes and Community
All professional athletes have a responsibility to their fans, teams,
and community to be a good role model and a positive influence.
Athletes have a powerful role in society and can use this to make
a difference.
Russell Wilson has a
positive impact on
his community in his
commitment to
visiting and donating
to a local children’s
hospital. He uses his
platform to help
those less fortunate
than he is, in addition
to him being a great
player and
teammate.
Olympians
Tommie Smith
and John Carlos
used their
platform as
athletes to protest
African-American
poverty and the
oppression of
blacks in the
United States.

8. Fan Behavior
Being an ethical fan involves being supportive and uplifting towards your
team without being offensive or violent towards the other team and/or its
fans. Fans have just as much of a responsibility as players and coaches to
respect the decisions of officials and be respectful towards all people
involved in the game. Violence is never okay as a fan and should be
punished immediately.

9. Conclusion
The ethics of sports is a huge determinant of what
the future of sports will hold. If all parties involved in
sports, including coaches, owners, players, health
professionals, and fans can practice good
sportsmanship, then the world of sports can
continue to thrive and grow. Athletes should
continue to give back to their communities, owners
should be the needs of their players above the
need to win, and fans should continue to support
the teams they love without tearing down others.
Teams and fans as a whole can work together to
have a greater impact on the world through charity
work, donations, and being good influences. The
healthcare provided for players is only improving
and will continue to do so, keeping the safety of the
players a top priority.

10. NFL Play60
I chose the pictures below because it shows NFL star defensemen J.J. Watt
and Patriots players Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman volunteering for
the NFL Play60 campaign. It is a campaign to encourage kids to be active
for 60 minutes a day in order to help reverse the trend of childhood obesity.
Roger Goodell said, “Our players recognize the value of staying healthy and
its important that young fans also understand the benefits of exercise.”
Players go into communities to promote healthy lifestyle, just like J.J. Watt is
doing in the picture below. This represents the dedication and care of the
NFL and its players to be a good influence to the community.

11. Citations
• Definition of Sportsmanship: http://www.panthers.com/assets/images/imported/CAR/photos/2014/03-March/140327_sportsmanship_inside.jpg
https://tysonreyesblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/sportsmanship-sodahead.jpeg
• Ethics: https://tolivearete.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/oscar-pistorius-kirani-james-exchange-bibs-400-meter-semifinal1.jpg
• Coaches: http://a.fssta.com/content/dam/fsdigital/RSN/South/2014/4/11/PI-NBA-Hawks-Mike-Budenholzer-4112014.vresize.1200.675.high.84.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/03/03/04E888E30000044D-0-image-a-50_1425396813791.jpg
• Health and Safety: http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/48791c104641da630e60b3c15f5c0fd6846176e8/c=82-0-4261-3142&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-
/media/2015/10/03/DetroitFreePress/DetroitFreePress/635794902862832353-AP-Michigan-Maryland-Footbal.jpg
http://www.anabolicsteroids.net/images/steroids12.jpg
http://pemptousia.com/files/2012/03/VIOLENCE-IN-SPORTS.jpg
• Fan Behavior: http://sportsunbiased.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/NFL-fans_1750623i.jpg
https://thepianosachronicle.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/soccer-fans-fighting.jpg
• Conclusion: http://www.denverbroncos.com/assets/images/imported/DEN/photos/article-images/2013/11-November/131111_vonsvision.jpg
http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/5594072-3x2-940x627.jpg
http://www.miltonmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/tennis_team.jpg
• Athletes and Community: http://img.wennermedia.com/760-width/1433334492_ciara-article.jpg
http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.2771794.1472582022!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_750/carlos31n-2-web.jpg
• NFL Play 60: http://m2.nflrush.com/bz/watt.jj.play60.640x360.jpg
http://www.patriots.com/sites/patriots.com/files/styles/borealis_gallery__full_respondmedium/public/2014/05-
May/tempIMG_4457.jpg?itok=BhFyY69I&timestamp=1439474093