Introduction
The sphere of physical culture and sport occupies an important place in the politics of many countries because many people are involved in this area, and a large amount of financial resources are invested. Nevertheless, in the process of organizing the management of physical culture, some controversial and sometimes even insoluble issues can arise. Supervisory boards face various ethical, psychological, and other problems that take place in the modern sports industry. The complexity of management problems that determine the nature of practical changes for the area under consideration at all the levels of the government require new approaches to improve the effectiveness of sports management. Therefore, it is essential to reflect some of the issues and trends that are typical for modern physical culture policies. Discrimination among athletes, match-fixing and bribery, doping scandals, and the abundance of advertising contracts are the examples of cases that have led to the need for analysis. A comprehensive assessment of these issues will help to identify which of them cause the greatest public outcry and deserve urgent measures to take.
Discrimination among Athletes
One of the problems that deserves discussion is the discrimination of athletes on different grounds – racial, gender, and others. This issue is particularly acute in those sports where the ethnic diversity of athletes is represented, which creates certain difficulties for the management of physical culture (Tainsky, Mills, & Winfree, 2015). Moreover, some cases of discrimination appear to cause a significant public outcry, and legal proceedings sometimes take place. One of the examples is the case in the hockey team of the University of Iowa where a senior lawyer won a case of racial and sexual discrimination (“Increased big ten money,” 2017). This issue requires consideration not only at the regional but also at the state level, and the government should pay attention to the cases of discrimination in order to prevent the emergence of ethical contradictions.
Managers Perspectives
From the point of view of the management, it is significant to ensure work in such a direction that athletes could refuse to humiliate opponents and one another on the basis of different prejudices. In case coaches and other representatives of the leadership ignore the cases of racism in sports, it can grow into a global trend, and physical culture will turn into a platform for insults. Modern politicians, however, pay attention to this issue. According to IOC President Thomas Bach, the promotion of non-discrimination is one of the goals in modern sports, and the absence of any violence is a priority (“Bach says Olympics would consider esports,” 2017). Therefore, if successful measures are taken, the management will not have to solve problems caused by racial, gender, and other disagreements.
Athlete Perspectives
For athletes, discrimination is a problem because it not only degrades the human dignity but also distracts from the set goals. According to the study by Paul, Weinbach, and Mattingly (2018), some cases of ethical controversy periodically arise in Major League Baseball (MLB), which adversely affects the attitudes of players and coaches. Therefore, athletes are also interested in the fact that no cases of prejudice against rivals could arise.
Influence on a Personal Career
The described problem can partially affect the personal career of each young specialist who wants to link his or her life with management in this area. If the incidents of discrimination are frequent, it will cause the need to search and punish the perpetrators, which will distract from the main activity and adversely affect the reputation. Therefore, in order to avoid possible difficulties, it is necessary to look for possible ways to prevent cases of insults and protect the interests of athletes.
Match-Fixing and Bribery
One of the primary advantages of sport as a sphere of public life is honesty in achieving results. Nevertheless, in some cases, these concepts are ignored, which is expressed in the form of match-fixing and bribery in order to predetermine the outcome of a particular duel. An obvious example is the scandal at the University of Louisville where the former coach of the local basketball team was dismissed because of the disclosure of the bribery case (“Louisville fires AD Tom Jurich with cause,” 2017). This case confirms that the issue of honesty and justice should still be controlled by the sports management. Otherwise, the area of physical culture area will become a commonplace business where a particular amount of money will decide the outcomes of games. Aquilina and Chetcuti (2014) also cite the example of Malta where match-fixing has become a problem, and many cases of corruption were made public. In order to avoid it, it is extremely important to ensure that the sporting interest holds a key position, and team leaders have their priorities on honest victories.
Managers Perspectives
The role of managers in addressing the issue of bribery in sports is very important because these people are usually involved in criminal cases, organizing illegal deals with opponents. Masters (2015) introduces the concept of sports criminalization and claims that “public policy needs to grapple with what constitutes corruption in what has historically been a private market” (p. 111). If team leaders and other sports structures are not responsible for compliance with honest rules and the law, any competition will certainly lose interest in the audience. Therefore, the prospects for the development of sports as a fair sphere directly depend on managers.
Athlete Perspectives
In terms of prospects for athletes, match-fixing will probably be beneficial to them as a way of additional enrichment. Nevertheless, such dishonest attitude towards the audience can lead to the fact that athletes will lose their fans. Thus, Smith (2017) notes that the changes that are planned in college basketball will uniquely affect the issue of bribery and match-fixing. For athletes themselves, it will be a good motivation to work hard and achieve their goals through efforts but not money.
Influence on a Personal Career
Linking the life to management in the field of sports, each person, sooner or later, may face the proposal of bribery or other financial fraud. However, such offerings should not be accepted since they can not only damage personal reputation but also completely destroy even a good career. Moreover, it is impossible to earn the trust of people by deception. It is essential to control any cases of bribery and not to allow sports competitions to turn into the subject of purchase. Therefore, such an issue as bribery in sport is unacceptable regardless of the position and role in this sphere.
Doping Scandals
Another problem that is largely discussed today is the use of illegal drugs. The issue of doping is very relevant in modern sports, and it can be seen from the regular news describing this or that case of exclusion of athletes from official competitions. This problem has a lot of negative consequences and is connected not only with the violation of established ethical standards about fair competition but also with other aspects, for example, the legislative sphere. The topic of doping in the sports movement of the 21st century has acquired a large scale. The duty of effective leadership is not just to prevent this phenomenon but to make the whole world reconsider views on such dishonest rivalries (“IOC in choosing Paris,” 2017). Using prohibited drugs in physical culture is unacceptable, and the leaders of sports communities should control this area.
Managers Perspectives
The more successful the work of managers is, the higher is the chance that the problem of doping will become less relevant. The spread of harmful and prohibited drugs, as Danylchuk, Stegink, and Lebel (2016) remark, is often carried out by trainers and supervisors, and in case of violations, leaders are also subject to punishment. There is an opinion that it is possible to equate doping with corruption and prosecute those who, contrary to the law, use illegal preparations (“Doping scandals,” 2016). Therefore, managers should stop using this practice and more closely control their wards.
Athlete Perspectives
Doping is certainly the violation of the established canons of fair competitions. As Savulescu (2016) remarks, banned drugs can not only destroy an athlete’s career but also entail serious health problems, causing hormonal failures and other problems. Furthermore, if athletes strive for victories with doping, physical culture will cease to be of interest and will not be able to deliver the same pleasure to spectators as the honest struggle of trained athletes. Therefore, the most successful and right perspective is to completely abandon illegal drugs.
Influence on a Personal Career
In the process of career growth as a sports manager, it is necessary to carefully monitor the use of doping by athletes in order not to become a party in the scandal and not to lose the post. Even indirect participation in such a case can lead to a criminal case since modern judicial boards strictly fight any manifestations of the use of illegal drugs. Therefore, it is required to prevent such violations in to avoid criminal punishment and the violation of sports ethical norms.
The Abundance of Advertising Contracts
One more relevant issue is connected with modern marketing trends in the sphere of physical culture, in particular, excessive advertising. Its abundance is an integral component of modern sports. However, too much interest of many team representatives in contracts can negatively affect the overall impression of games and cause conflicts. For example, the case of Michael Phelps, the multiple Olympic champion, proves that there may be controversy over cooperation with different brands (“Phelps wears Nike gear,” 2016). According to Ratten (2017), classical marketing is no more typical for modern sports, and the primary role is played by rivalries among the representatives of large companies. As a consequence, the management has to monitor all contracts and monitor compliance with a variety of conventions.
Managers Perspectives
If the leadership and the representatives of various teams will be irresponsible to signing contracts with sponsors, it can entail serious consequences. For instance, Cornwell (2014) claims that in case of failure to comply with any terms of agreements, the representatives of advertising companies may sue substantial sums of money. Also, the reputation of teams and individual players will be spoiled because of the violations of the agreements’ positions since such conflicts are often discussed in mass media. Therefore, the management needs to carefully think over any decisions regarding cooperation with sponsors.
Athlete Perspective
Certainly, sportsmen’s cooperation with advertising brands brings both sides significant income. Nevertheless, it is essential to understand the responsibility of signing such contracts; otherwise, sponsors may refuse to cooperate with those who violate signed agreements. Modern corporate marketing deals in college sports sometimes cause questions from the authorities, and athletes should be prepared to defend the interests of their partners (“Growing college marketing deals raise questions,” 2017). Therefore, special attention should be given to strict compliance with all the points of specific treaties to prevent conflicts.
Influence on a Personal Career
As the representative of sports management, it is significant not to allow the cases of neglecting the terms of any agreements and to ensure that no violations occur. The sphere of marketing has tightly entered the modern physical culture, and instead of prohibiting the teams from signing desired agreements, it will be correct to help them in this matter and stop deception. If this system works reliably, there will be no lawsuits from dissatisfied parties, and no negative impact on sports events will occur.
Conclusion
Thus, the review of the problems encountered in modern sports allows concluding that some areas of physical culture deserve special attention. In particular, certain interventions should be carried out regarding the issue of athletes’ discrimination, and the facts of bribery. The impact of the discussed problems on personal careers can be serious if no measures are taken to address them. The participation of both senior and junior managers is relevant to improve the current situation. The sphere of sport can remain exciting and interesting for spectators, if both managers and athletes comply with ethical norms and will not violate any established rules.
References
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