| Gamesmanship Model
Under the gamesmanship model, all that matters is winning. Gamesmanship approaches adopt the values of the marketplace, encouraging and sanctioning clever and effective ways of bending, evading and breaking the rules in order to gain a competitive advantage. This is considered part of the game.
It's Only Cheating If You Get Caught. Gamesmanship coaches and athletes often believe that they have no ethical or sportsmanship obligation to abide by rules because it is the officials job to catch violations and impose penalties. The operational standard of gamesmanship are: "If it works it's right," and "it's only cheating if you get caught."
No Criteria For What Is Acceptable. Gamesmanship coaches and athletes are pragmatists, believing that ethical standards are determined by practical consideration of what works, rather than principles of what's right. One of the serious problems with gamemanship is that there are no criteria for drawing a line between what is acceptable and what is not.
Faked Fouls. Gamesmanship theory justifies the tactic of pretending one was fouled even when the player knows he/she wasn't.
Illegal Head Start. Gamesmanship theory can be used to justify an athlete deliberately getting an illegal head start in track or cross country, or leaving the line early in soccer to block a penalty kick.
Doctoring Equipment. Some baseball players and coaches adopting the gamesmanship model have no moral qualms about illegally doctoring the ball or bat to gain a competitive advantage. Is raising the foul line slightly to keep bunts in play to favor a home team or altering the height of the mound or distance from the rubber to the plate in the same category?
Surreptitious Personal Fouls. To gamesmanship players and coaches in sports like soccer, water polo, basketball and football, illegally holding, grabbing and pulling are all legitimate tactics.
Physical Intimidation. The gamesmanship model can be used to justify intentional efforts to inflict pain on opponents to intimidate them.
Espionage. Gamesmanship theory has been used to justify elaborate means of getting information about an opponents' plans or plays from secret filming to electronically intercepting game communications. If this is legitimate, what is wrong with inducing a disgruntled player on the other team to give a copy of the playbook?
Sportsmanship Model
Under the sportsmanship model of sports, the way one plays the game is central. Sport is seen as a very special activity where nobility and glory is found, not in winning, but in honorable competition in pursuit of victory.
Commitment to Principles. The sportsmanship model demands a commitment to principles of scrupulous integrity (including compliance with the letter and spirit of the rules even when one could get away with violations), fair play, respectfulness and grace.
Disadvantage. One who plays by the sportsmanship model is often at a substantial disadvantage when competing against others who adopt the gamesmanship theory of sport. Gamesmanship coaches may gain advantage by violating eligibility, recruiting and practice rules just as gamesmanship athletes gain an advantage using illegal performance enhancing drugs.
Must be willing to lose. In sports, as in business and politics, the more important it is to win, the higher the stakes, the harder it is to adhere to ethical standards. A true sportsman/woman must be willing to lose rather than sacrifice ethical principals - even when the stakes are high. If you are not willing to lose, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes to win.
Counterfeit victories. Victories attained by cheating or other forms of unethical conduct are counterfeit. A sportsman/woman believes that winning without honor is not a true victory. Coaches must remind themselves and their athletes that true sports is a process of pursuing victory with honor.
Back to "Is" vs. "Ought." While the practice of sports often reflects the dominance of the gamesmanship model ("is ethics), the sportsmanship model is deeply rooted in the "Olympic Spirit" and is the foundation of all major athletic mission statements and codes of conduct. It is the way sport ought to be played.
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