It's not the winning but the taking part that counts

It's not the winning but the taking part that counts [1]. The reality in competition sports is different. Competition and greed dominate the everyday life of many athletes - to win is their profession. Does the fact, that there is money involved in sports, make athletes strive for performance at any cost?

According to Bernhard Gert in public systems, such as sports, the rules “for acceptable or unacceptable behavior are known to everyone involved, and it is not irrational for a participant to be guided and judged according to these rules“ [1]. But sportsmen and -women are idols and society also wants them to be rolemodels, transmitting moral principals [2]. So, are the requirements of the sporting world and society contradictory?

Society expects from athletes that they behave “acceptably” and win competitions at the same time, bringing popularity and prestige to their city, state or country. These expectations may pressure athletes, as “in most sports the principal object is winning” [Best, 1978, Philosophy and Human Movement]. The BBC ethics guide states that simple competition is: ethical and “reasonable that winners [are] rewarded”. Also, the celebration of achievements “is not in itself unethical - but it can drive some competitors to unethical behavior” [1]. So what is unethical behavior? Doping? Lying about athletes ages? Distracting opponents? The definition doesn´t matter to Gert whoclaims that cheating is something impossible to do unintentionally. So every athlete who is cheating, in any manner, is aware of it or even doing it deliberately. Ideals of “sportsmanship” are known by every athlete all over the world, including the idea of “fair play”, which “certainly […] means playing by the rules of the game” [1 – Sidoti]. Ethical behavior , like fair play, means to “show respect for the other persons who are also participating in these activities” [1 – Gert]. In this context, cheating is expecting others to follow the rules, excluding the cheater.

One of the main reasons why athletes cheat is financial, so maybe we should consider Dieter Knoell´s term of “Profisports” (German for 'professional sports') which confirms sports as profit orientated. So are athletes without financial ambitions, who just combine good behavior with natural talent, winners [1]?

More information:

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6939/8/2

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2006/aug/02/sport.gdnsport3