Fair Play as Moral Category for the Games

Competition and Fair play: What is the Role of Education for Preserving

the Values and Ethics of Sport

Science and technology today are constantly changing the conditions of human life at an extraordinarily quick tempo.

The enormous increase in knowledge, which, nota bene, today every 7 year multiply 5x and tremendous power in the hands of humankind through powerful technology, make the quintessence of our civilisation.

However, the development of modern society – the society that we are systematically building and that has already been partially built on the results of the scientific-technological revolution and high technology as a social system; the society that will have to provide a human dimension to this imminent technological revolution – is still contradictory: it is at the same time both creative and destructive.

At the beginning of the third millennium, humankind is facing new challenges.

Inevitable globalisation processes are changing the way of life in social communities and are also putting new paradigms in front of every single individual. Terms such as competition, victory and failure, and choice, are becoming dominant and require new life skills.

In modern life and work, physical or sporting activities have become the conditio sine qua non for the further development of society: they are a highly important daily necessity.

The everyday expansion of information, accumulation of knowledge, and educational systems provide humans with a deeper insight into the reality of their existence and enable them to look afresh for the balance which modern technology and society have taken away from them.

Values and Ethics in Sport

There is no single, authoritative list of sporting values. UNESCO embraces a broad range of values in its Preamble to the 1978 International Charter of Physical Education and Sport in which it declares that

“physical education and sport should seek to promote closer communion between peoples and between individuals, together with disinterested emulation, solidarity and fraternity, mutual respect and understanding, and full respect for the integrity and dignity of human beings”.

The more recent International Convention against Doping in Sport (2005) affirms “that sport should play an important role in the protection of health, in moral, cultural and physical education and in promoting international understanding and peace” and expresses concern that “the use of doping by athletes in sport and the consequences there of for their health, the principle of fair play, the elimination of cheating and the future of sport (...) puts at risk the ethical principles and educational values embodied in the International Charter of Physical Education and Sport of UNESCO and in the Olympic Charter”.

Values such as ethics, fair play and honesty along with sportsmanship have special relevance to sport, perhaps as particular applications in sport of values with far more general scope.

Fair play, therefore, may be seen as the sport-specific application of a commitment to justice and fairness (Pipe and Hebert, 2008).

Fair play means more than simply the absence of cheating.

It means conducting oneself in accordance with what the sport values, even when the rules do not specifically require it (Loland, 2002).

It may take the form of telling an opponent when one notices that the opponent’s equipment has been damaged and may fail resulting in poor

performance or even injury.

Fair play may also be said to be a regulative value within sport.

Only in the context of fair play can a worthwhile competition take place in which the values athletes pursue through sport have the possibility of being realized.

In debates over anti-doping and the use of performance-enhancing drugs and methods in sport, athletes routinely use the metaphor of a “level playing field” to refer to a sport competition not tilted in favor of those using drugs (Murray, 2003).

The pursuit of peace is part of the fundamental principles of Olympism as

defined in the Olympic

Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.

The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.

These fundamental principles give rise to the three Olympic values of

„striving for excellence” “demonstrating respect” and “celebrating friendship”

Preserve Human Dignity – Demonstrating Respect “Preserve human dignity” is based on several fundamental principles: the respect of universal

fundamental ethical principles, the preservation of human dignity and the practice of sport as a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.

ETHICS

Ethics, sometimes known as philosophical ethics, ethical theory, moral theory, and moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct, often addressing disputes of moral diversity.

The term comes from the Greek word ἠθικός ethikos from ἦθος ethos, which means "custom, habit".

Philosophical ethics investigates what is the best way for humans to live and what kinds of actions are right or wrong in particular circumstances

We live in an era of technical and technological advancement that changes signifi cantly the former characteristics of human life asking from us to reinvent new solutions to old problems, in an era where very complex issues of human survival have been reopened, but this time with quite different and fatal consequences.

To put it more precisely: in the race for profit and consumption as status symbols, both citizens and the society, as well as athletes, have forgotten that development comes at a price, and part of that price is the cultural shock due to the rapid technical and technological development and conflict of interests of both developed and undeveloped economies.

The task of ethical education in modern society is the development of an autonomous person (personality) with the capacity to independently produce ethical solutions and create proper and effective moral norms.

This means that, starting from a philosophical and especially ethical standpoint in the explication of sport, we should speak of and consider the value aspects of sport, what are the important axiological guidelines of sport and what is desired and can be truly achieved by sport in the moral sense.

These are the issues related to moral values in sport, their fundamental aspects, i.e. in what way they can be implemented into and contribute to the strategy for the development of an autonomous person.

As pointed out by Robert L. Simon "they do not relate only to what people think of sport, or to what value they are held, but they relate to what people should think of sport".

First, there are different ways of competing:

to beat others

to show to others your superiority

to challenge oneself

to go beyond one’s own limits

Second, the opportunities of competing are many: in everyday life, at play, at work, in school, and in sport.

Third, we need to consider that mass media can influence students with unethical behaviors, such as obsession for victory at all costs.

Fourth, competition in itself does not produce many educational benefits, and the effectiveness of these benefits depends in great part on the person who directs the activity.

Unfair competitionfrom dictionary

SPORT Unfair competition may occur in games if a participant in

some way deviates from the rules of the game, or has privileged access to important information or resources that should in principle be available to all participants in the game, or none of them.

Participation in the game normally assumes that participants have an equal ability to compete in relevant respects, or are able to acquire it during the game.

In sports, for example, a heavyweight boxer is not usually played against a lightweight boxer, and the secret use of drugs to enhance sports performance is usually prohibited in competitions.

Based on these considerations, we deduce that a healthy attitude to competition in sports is teachable.

The issue in sport education is not too much or too little competition, but appropriate competition.

There is much to be learned from appropriate competition, both individually and as a member of a competitive group.

Leaders, educators, and trainers are responsible for the values taught during sports activities.

They may, or may not, help students to build their own characters morally.

Ethical Implications for Leaders

How to focus sports competition to transform it in a means of teaching ethical values.

To achieve this goal, leaders should teach what Clifford and Feezell call principles of sportsmanship, including respect for the rules, respect for the opponents, officials, and coaches, and respect for oneself.

An ethic of good competition can be built on these basic principles.

The key is to create a list of goals and values that the leadership aims to convey through the practice of sports. The civic and spiritual values that can be taught through the practice of sports are many. First, this includes the virtues that shape personality, such as humbleness, self-discipline, honesty and rectitude, cooperation and team work, and fostering compassion (love and mercy) rather than rivalry.

The point is to ensure that sport is not disconnected from real life, but is part of our lifestyle, in which we look for the good of every one.

Ethical Implications for Leaders These examples of values are not exhaustive. These values have to be

internal goals. Underlines the need for educators to not focus on external goals, such as victory and performance and results in the immanent process of struggle and challenge.

For an ethical approach to sports competition, institutions and leaders would benefit from fostering the following ideals:

cooperativeness, helpfulness, and selflessness, a cordial spirit, playing for enjoyment rather than only to win, and observing the rules in spirit and not merely in letter.

Educators and students should openly discuss the crucial importance of a respect for the rules. To teach respect for the rules means to teach something essential for life, because the rules of the game have not only a legal aspect, but also a moral one.

Rules are there to allow athletes to play under equal conditions, and to stimulate their creativity within agreed-upon boundaries. To respect the rules means to recognize the person of the opponent and of the authority, who guarantees impartiality and integrity among individuals and in the group. By following the spirit of the rules, students practice the moral behavior that constitutes an essential step in the building of character and a sense of community.

Discipline and engagement; concentration, targeted effort, and real self-sacrifice; constancy, perseverance, and determination in reaching the goal; respect of rules, loyalty, and fair play, balance, satisfaction with the accomplished duty; motivation for reaching the prize, enthusiasm and happy acceptation of the reward; there are some of the human qualities that we can develop and exhibit not only in sports, but also in personal life.

That practicing competition is not by itself morally wrong. It all depends on the way it is understood and practiced. The following scheme shows the contrast between the positive values transmitted by practicing competition in a good way and the negative values of practicing competition in a bad way

Right Actions in Competition Wrong Actions in Competition

Meeting, connection Squabble, separation

Authenticity Sophistication

Respect Not respect of the other

Spirit of competition Antagonism

Communication Non communication or aggression

Equality Inequality

Diversity Difference, discrimination

Welcome Rejection

Fantasy, Creativity Stereotypy

Community Individualism

Spontaneity Institutionalization

Total development of the person Partial development of the person

Ethics Morality of Situation

Is sports competition an ethical means to convey values?

The ethics of sport assumes not only a respect for the rules, but also respect for those who stand in front of you. The concept of respect and acceptance of others is crucial to an ethical understanding of sports competition. This includes a respect for the rules, for oneself, for the opponent, and for the authority.

When it is not seen only as a quest for victory, or as a way to one’s superiority over others, competition may become a means to convey values, to build up character and a sense of community.

In this sense, competition becomes an instrument to look for “fun, fitness, therapy, friendship, sociability, or the pursuit of excellence.”

If competition is not overly opposed to cooperation it can become a strong motivation to personal improvement of both parts.

Is sports competition an ethical means to convey values?

The task of ethical education in modern society is the development of an autonomous person (personality) with the capacity to independently produce ethical solutions and create proper and effective moral norms.

The hope of the world rests on such persons for the humanity to find the way out of a difficult situation, i.e. it is a modus, perhaps the most important one, for resolving the mounting problems of humankind.

Moral upbringing, as before, continues to exist, but it represents a complete adaptation of a young person to social objectives and values and his/her qualification to execute the norms of the society.

The presence of an opponent is necessary to show one’s own limits and abilities and strive for excellence. To overcome one’s limits and to do his best, every athlete must be confronted with the talents of his neighbor.

In this way, the opponent becomes a stimulus and a mirror from which the athlete learns how to grow. The focus is not on how to dominate the opponent, but on how to improve my own performance compared to his.

Delattre calls this process “a testing for self-discovery,” during which the athlete learns more about himself. The concept that can make the difference in competition is that through confrontation, both sides learn to grow.

Therefore, they are indispensable to one another if they want to continue their growth.

If leaders and athletes become aware of this fact, they may take further steps toward a practice of sports without a personal, egotistical interest in the mind.

This may open the door towards a virtue ethics in sports that may help the individual to build up a better society.

Conclusion

Discipline and engagement; concentration, targeted effort, and real self-sacrifice; constancy, perseverance, and determination in reaching the goal; respect of rules, loyalty, and fair play, balance, satisfaction with the accomplished duty; motivation for reaching the prize, enthusiasm and happy acceptation of the reward; there are some of the human qualities that we can develop and exhibit not only in sports, but also in personal life.

College Football Hall of Fame calls him "without question, American football's most-renowned coach."

Literature

Davide Sciarabba. Sports1 and Competition in Higher Education: A Search for Values and Ethics

Thomas H. Murray. Preserving Sporting Values and Ethics: The relationship between anti-doping and sport values and ethics

IOC, The Olympic Museum, Lausanne, 1st edition, 2011

Authors The Olympic Museum, Educational and Cultural Service

DidWeDo s.à.r.l Donev Dean. Moral values in sport as a necessary part in the

concept of ethical education. JAHR - European Journal of Bioethics, Vol.2 No.; 2011.