This document discusses several ethical issues that arise in sports communication. It notes that ethics can be either absolute or relative. There are issues around gambling, drug use, player safety, amateurism in college athletics, and power imbalances between coaches and officials. Other issues include a lack of transparency, player conduct off the field, domestic violence, and controversial public statements. Whistleblowers may confront risks when an organization's ethics differ from their own. Maintaining transparency is challenging given demands for privacy in the social media era.

1. Ethical Issues in
Sports
Communication

2. Ethics
— Ethics is what a person perceives to be right/
wrong, good/bad, moral/immoral
— Ethics can be absolute – meaning that an action is
either ethical/unethical without question (e.g. it is
unethical to steal)
— Ethics can be relative – meaning that an action is
either ethical/unethical based on the situation (e.g.
it is unethical to steal unless you need food)

3. Ethics
— There are a number of ethical issues in sports:
— Gambling

4. Ethics
— Drug Use

5. Ethics
— Drug Use

6. Ethics
— NFL & Player Safety

7. Ethics
— Safety and Health Issues

8. Ethics
— College Athletics – Amateurism

9. Ethics
— Some scholars and journalists have argued that
coaches and athletic officials have too much power.
— They argue this can lead to incidents like Penn
State.

10. Ethics
— Transparency with Public

11. Ethics
— Player Conduct Away from Competition

12. Ethics
— Domestic Violence

13. Ethics
— Statements by employees/
members that create
public controversy

14. Ethics
— Interestingly, we’re seeing more issues with fantasy
sports
— Lots of money involved
— Websites to adjudicate fantasy sports issues are
now becoming quite popular

15. Ethics
— With ethics, sometimes our
personal ethics can be
different from the ethics of
the organization, or those
who have authority over us
— In those situations, either
conform to what “higher
ups” want, or can “blow
the whistle”
— This can be very risky for
the “Whistle Blower”

16. Takeaways:
— It’s easy for us to make judgments about what is/is
not ethical, but when you’re the one “in the
situation” can be complicated
— Transparency – Very difficult to keep things
confidential/private. In era of social media, issues
will get out.
— Argument then to be more proactive and
transparent in letting public know how issues are
being handled.