This assignment presents a critical reflection on an incident which prompted an ethical dilemma for me as a football coach for the u15s Summerton Stars during the 2016/2017 season. Critical reflection is utilised in this assignment as it can be seen as an evaluative tool to understanding one’s past experiences and actions, thus enhancing knowledge and guiding future actions (Whitaker and Reimer, 2017).
Sports ethics was formally established after the 1960s, when it was recognised as a significant issue to consider (Grosset, 2011). This is due to a realisation of serious complications arising from the competitive nature of sports. For example, in the NFL, young players placed the importance of performing well over their health …show more content…
Code of conducts for young players and coaches are most relevant for this assignment, therefore only they will be presented (see appendix A and B). They all portray ‘respect’ as the key message, which involves fair play, equality and sportsmanship. Coaches’ code of conduct involves demonstrating respect to all stakeholders in a game, such as the opposition and officials as well as promoting fair play and equality. Players’ code of conduct involves respecting the opposition and playing fairly, such as no wasting …show more content…
Coaches makes difficult decisions off-pitch like players do on-pitch (Gould et al., 2002), therefore making them off-pitch players and part of the social group (Thelwell et al., 2008). Hence, competition can increase a coach’s stress levels and build pressures (Olusoga et al., 2012). I feared any action designed to stop my players’ behaviour could threaten my social identity in the team. Pinto et al. (2010) explains the concept of ‘black sheep effect’, where in-group members favour likable members over divergent members who threaten the identity of their group in any way. My fear of being dishonoured by my players and their parents for prohibiting the behaviour led to tremendous pressure, as it could change the score line in favour of opposition. Therefore, I violated the code of conduct set by the FA in terms of showing respect to opposition and fair play, however I wasn’t penalised. The implication for coaches is that they can effortlessly elude the FA using such behaviour. Additionally, coaches are conveying the message that such behaviour is acceptable to their players, which may increase the persistence of such behaviour in grassroots