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Sports Ethics

Archery physicsUnderstanding the physics behind the bow and arrow can dramatically improve the performance

of an archer. This also has given rise to new innovations in sports equipments, materials.

The use of modern technologies in sport may mean that competition at the uppermost level is

only affordable to the leading top athletes due to the potential high costs of specialised sports

equipment.

Now is a time of a dramatic increase in technological knowledge and sport is very much part ofthese improvements. But with new technology comes controversy and differing perspectives on

the implementation of that technology. The main controversial issue surrounding the

implemenation of technology into sport is whether they are still embracing the skills of the sport

and that the best athlete ends up being the winner. Ensuring that the winner is not the person who

has the best technology or can utilise the technology best. This is why regulatory bodies are in

place like ethics committees who will udge whether the technology should be available for use

in the sport.

!t is suggested that an ethical basis for elite sport should be determined by ensuring, first that

basic moral standards applicable to all human activity are met, and second that the most

important purposes of sport are maintained, rather than e"pecting athletes to live up to a moral

ideal that is not e"pected of others.

There are several types of technology that have had a maor influence on the way sport is

perceived by the public. The development of mass media was a maor contributor to sport#s

transition from a pastime for wealthy people with a lot of spare time to the big business that it is

now. $udiences for maor sporting events are now in the billions worldwide, ii making

sponsorship of large events or high%profile athletes an attractive way for companies to advertise.

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The rise over the last century of mass media has therefore acted to significantly raise the price,

power and prestige associated with being a successful athlete.

&owever, the use of advanced materials in sports equipment presents some ethical'questions. (e

can clearly enhance behavior by allowing the use of advanced materials, but where should the

line be drawn, or should there be no restrictions) The solution, according to a young man in one

of my classes at the University of !daho, is that if you have the patent, you *and only you+ can

use this material or design.

This brings us to a second question should we allow competition at the highest level to be only

affordable to the elite because of the high cost of equipment) !n turn, this leads into what is

perhaps the most controversial issueif we allow certain classes of materialsdesigns, but not

others, we can actually favor the class of people who will e"cel.

-hould the &oyt bow,composed of tiny glass beads embedded in a rigid foam matri", be allowed

to compete against the traditional wooden bow) The lack of change in behavior with temperature

and minimal moisture absorption by the new bow has led to winning scores of ,/01 *out of

,221+ compared to about ,11 /1 years ago3but at a price.

!n order to determine how sport ought to be regulated, it is necessary to first determine the

purpose of sport, which aspects are ethical and ought to be promoted, and which are unethical

and should be discouraged or banned. !n order to ensure that sporting rules are able to achieve

what they intend to, it is important to bear in mind why people play sport, why people watch

sport and what they want from it. he suggestion that it is possible for athletes to compete 4on an

equal footing5 is ridiculous6 even if it were possible, it would certainly not be desirable. The

concept of competition is not compatible with equality. The entire purpose of competition is to

gain an advantage over one#s opponent. This occurs because of natural talent and training, but

technological advantages play a legitimate role too.

http://www.uidaho.edu/http://www.quicks.com/hoyt.htmlhttp://www.quicks.com/hoyt.htmlhttp://www.quicks.com/hoyt.htmlhttp://www.uidaho.edu/

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ConclusionTechnology has always *usually ethically+ been used to gain a competitive advantage, from

coaching technology to nutrition and physiotherapy. -uch usages are legitimate, and so

regulating technology in an attempt to create equality between the competitors is futile as well as

misguided.