Ethics is not always simple. Though many people trivialize discussions of ethics in sports as if knowing and doing the right thing were a simple matter, in fact, it is enormously complicated at times, and it takes extraordinary vigilance and a strong character to perceive and properly deal with all the ethical opportunities and obligations that arise in coaching. Thus, when it comes to ethics, you don't have to be sick to get better.

A good Coach. A good coach is not only a competent coach but a good person who is dedicated to using the sports experience to help others become better people and citizens as well as better athletes. A good coach consciously strives to live up to the highest standards of ethics and sportsmanship.

What is Ethics?

Ethics refers to moral principles of duty and virtue that define what is right and wrong and prescribe how we should behave to be good and honorable.

Duty and Virtue. The dual concept of duty and virtue suggest both a minimal, mandatory aspect of ethics (duty) and a realm of special moral excellence that goes beyond what is required (virtue).

Duty. In sports, duty refers to the minimal expectations embodied in core ethical principles. According to the Arizona Sports Summit Accord these principles are the "Six Pillars of Character" - trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and good citizenship. It is, therefore, unethical to violate these standards of duty by being dishonest, disrespectful, irresponsible, unfair, uncaring or ignoring requirements of good citizenship.

Virtue. Virtue refers to a special degree of moral excellence about minimal ethical requirements. A person of character should aspire to be virtuous and virtuous conduct is highly commendable, but a person is not unethical for failing to go above and beyond his or her moral duties.

Examples of Virtue

1936 Olympic Games. Luz Long: In the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, Hitler said, "Americans ought to be ashamed of themselves for letting their medals be worn by Negroes. I myself would never shake hands with one of them."

Jesse Owens, the great American track and field star had already embarrassed the German dictator by winning gold medals in the sprint and relay. But in his first two attempts at the long jump he stepped over the foul line. He recalls being scared stiff that he would foul on his third attempt and not make it to the finals.

His fiercest rival in the event was Luz Long, the German. Despite the risk of infuriating Hitler and the chance that Owens would beat him, Long took a towel and laid it a foot before the foul line and advised Owens to use the towel to assure that he would qualify. Owens did, and he ultimately defeated Long to win the gold medal. Long's extraordinary display of sportsmanship and courage went well beyond the call of duty, but demonstrated the highest standards of ethical virtue in sports.

Aftermath: Luz Long was sent to the Russian front where he was killed. When his daughter was married years later, Jesse Owens walked her down the aisle.

1964 Olympic Games. Eugenio Monti: In the two-man bobsled event at the 1964 Innsbruck Winter Olympics, the British team driven by Tony Nash discovered that its sled had broken a bolt on the rear axle. They were about to quit the competition when Italian bobsledder Eugenio Monti heard of the problem. Monti's team had already made their last run, so without hesitation he took the bolt out of his rear axle and sent it up to Nash. The British team won the gold medal and Monti's team the bronze.

"Tony Nash did not win because I gave him a bolt," Monti said. "Tony Nash won because he was the best driver and deserved to win."

Two Aspects of Ethics: Discernment and Will Power

Discernment. In morally ambiguous situations where ethical duties are not clear or there is no single right thing to do; an ethical person must seek to discern right from wrong. Discernment involves the application of ethical principles to real situations. In sports, the line between right and wrong is not always apparent.

What is Cheating? There is wide disagreement on what is cheating and what is just clever play, what is a "legitimate part of the game" and what is unsportsmanlike conduct.

What is Respect? A foundational concept in ethics and in the concept of sportsmanship is the obligation to behave respectfully, to treat opponents, officials, fans and others with respect. Thus, acting disrespectfully is unethical and unsportsmanlike. There is no exemption from this ethical duty when disrespectful conduct provides a competitive advantage or is provoked.

Will Power. Moral will power and ethical commitment is needed in situations where ethical duties are clear but the potential cost of doing the right thing is so high that it takes strength of character to overcome the pressures and resist the temptations to do otherwise. Coaches and athletes are continually faced with opportunities to cheat or engage in improper and unsportsmanlike conduct and there are often great pressures for them to do so in order to get a competitive edge.

Resisting Pressures. Coaches must be vigilant for and resist these pressures and demand that athletes do likewise.

Do the Right Thing. In 90% of the ethical problems we face, we know what we should do. Ethics demands that we do the right thing even when it is likely to cost more than we want to pay.

Ethics is More than Compliance

While illegal conduct in sports in unethical, an act is not necessarily ethical simply because it is legal. An ethical person often does more than the law requires and less than it allows.

Terminating Coaching Services. For example, a coach may have a legal right to terminate coaching services in the middle of a season, but it might be unfair to the team or an athlete to do so.

Recruiting. Similarly, it is not illegal for a college coach to recruit an athlete who wants to come to the coach's institution to work with the coach even though he knows it's likely the athlete will be moving on to a professional team. However, it is unfair, disrespectful and dishonest (violating the principle of candor) to do so.

"Is" Versus "Ought" Ethics

Ethics is not about the way things are, it's about how they should be.