Moral Theories In Sports

1188 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on the importance of ethics in sports

Sports and Moral Theories
Moral reasoning requires athletes to think about what is a good decision and is this decision right or wrong, strategic decisions are based on what advantage will this bring to the individual. Moral decisions produce a variety of different outcomes and two common areas of moral thinking include consequentialism and deontological theory. Both consequentialism and deontologicalism have strengths and weaknesses and both theories are used in a variety of situations, in regards to sports ethics.
Consequentialism
According to Schneider (2009), consequentialism is when “the consequences of actions are the primary element in determining thr right action to take in a given situation.” Consequentialism is one of the most common …show more content…

For instance, when a decision is made on a case like Tom Brady and deflategate, Commissioner Goodell needs to operate in the best interst of the owners and his goal is to make as many owners happy with his decision as possible. This is important to remember and places him in a situation where he might come off as the “scapegoat’ for the ownership groups. However, using consequentialism while serving as a league commissioner is a wise move to make solid decisions for the league. There are times when he may not entirely agree with the decision on an individual level, but if it places the league in a better situation, Goodell needs to remember that he is acting in the best interest of the league and not …show more content…

Unlike consequentialism, deontologicalism focuses on the decision itself and not the outcome of the decision. The 18th century philosopher Immanuel Kant is the philosopher who made deontologicalism popular and believed that all moral decisions should have the same answer. According to Kant (1960), “act only on the principle of which, then and there, you would be willing to make a general law.” Kant believed that actions of moral value are based on duty and that everytime that duty is encountered, the same moral action should follow, no matter the individual or

Show More
Related

  • Consequentialism In Training Day

    908 Words  | 2 Pages

    Consequentialism is a term used by the philosophers to simplify what is right and what is wrong. Consequentialist ethical theory suggests that right and wrong are the consequences of our actions. It is only the consequences that determine whether our actions are right or wrong. Standard consequentialism is a form of consequentialism that is discussed the most. It states that “the morally right action for an agent to perform is the one that has the best consequences or that results in the most good.” It means that an action is morally correct if it has little to no negative consequences, or the one that has the most positive results.

    Read More

  • Deontological Moral Theory

    1228 Words  | 3 Pages

    Deontological moral theory is a Non-Consequentialist moral theory. While consequentialists believe the ends always justify the means, deontologists assert that the rightness of an action is not simply dependent on maximizing the good, if that action goes against what is considered moral. It is the inherent nature of the act alone that determines its ethical standing. For example, imagine a situation where there are four critical condition patients in a hospital who each need a different organ in order to survive. Then, a healthy man comes to the doctor’s office for a routine check-up.

    Read More

  • Ethical Issues in Athletic Training

    914 Words  | 2 Pages

    No matter your career, you will eventually run into a situation where an ethical or moral decision has to be made. I am planning on going into athletic training where many ethical dilemmas will surround the health or actions dealing with athletes. Here are three different scenarios I could face as an athletic trainer and how I would resolve each ethical issue.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Consequentialism In Macbeth

    1302 Words  | 3 Pages

    When thinking about ethics the most common definition would be the behavior for distinguishing between acceptable and unacceptable actions. Ethics refer more to rules from an outside source, morals however, are a test of one's individual principles regarding right and wrong. When judging morality, consequentialism is the belief that the goodness of an action should only be determined by the end result. Consequentialism is a good test of one's moral compass by viewing how one sees their personal gain versus the steps took achieve the goal. The most common saying relating to consequentialism is “the ends justify the means” saying that it does not matter how one would achieve his goals as long as he gets there eventually. This statement

    Read More

  • Utilitarianism In Sports Ethics

    788 Words  | 2 Pages

    Deontological ethics values the right decision regardless of the consequences. The right thing for the NFL to do was to disclose the credible research about the long-term effects of concussion on football players. The failure to reveal lead to suicides by players unknowing suffering from CTE. Mike Webster’s wife said if she would have known her husband was sick she would have done more for him. If they NFL would have discussed this information, Mike Webster would have received the necessary care and not been driven to commit suicide. Even though the NFL would potentially lose profits from informing the players, they could have saved multiple lives. Under deontological ethics, disclosing the information would be the right thing and an ethical organization would not care about the consequences. NFL’s lack of ethics endangers their own players by not informing them on the possible repercussions of concussions that affect 28% of

    Read More

  • Ethical Issues in Sport

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Health and fitness industry have many ethical issues involved which was very interesting to me. I have never purchased a membership at a health club, but from the reading I learned a lot about how they operate. It amazed me that health clubs push their sales representatives to get 200-300 new members a month (Amend, 1992). This is a large amount of people for such a short amount a time, which means some members are not fully aware of the fine print of the membership agreement. Also the reading mentions that more than half of instructors at these clubs do not have valid certification (Copeland et al, 1988),. This is unethical because the members pay each month for the service of a qualified staff member to assist them in exercise and fitness. Safety of the members could also be at risk working out with a non-qualified trainer. Learning how these companies do business make me want to hold off as long as possible to join a gym.

    Read More

  • The Influence Of Consequentialism

    932 Words  | 2 Pages

    Consequentialism is described as the theory that states actions are morally right based only on the consequences. Many of my actions are based in terms of consequences. Before, I used to take whatever actions that made my happy, but now, I think more about the results of my actions. More specifically, I think about the negative results. This has made into a bit of pessimist. Whenever I hear ideas, I am quick to think about the negative consequences first before the positive. This usually means that I am not keen on taking risks if the amount of negative consequences outnumber the good. I remember when I was first planning to come to George Fox University. When the idea first hit me, I was quick to think negative consequence of how expensive it was to come to the mainland for college. I wasn’t thinking how the university could benefit my future. Eventually, I figured the positive consequences of coming to George Fox outweighed the bad. On the bright side, at least in my view, being a pessimist has allowed to think farther ahead when it comes to planning. Every action has consequences, and my consequentialism has taught me the importance of thinking before taking action. If I take any actions, it will be the ones that have the fewest negative consequences for me and the people around

    Read More

  • Kai Nielsen’s Support of Consequentialism and Rejection of Deontology

    1487 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kai Nielsen defended consequentialism and showed how it can still agree with commonsense, deontological convictions in his article “Traditional Morality and Utilitarianism.” His article focused on closing the gulf between consequentialism and deontology by showing how closely they can agree, and he further evaluated the systems and found that consequentialism as he sees it should be practiced is morally superior to traditional deontology. First, this essay will explain his argument that consequentialism squares with the commonsense convictions of deontology, and second, it will show how Nielsen arrived at the conclusion that consequentialism is a good moral system while deontology is faulty.

    Read More

  • Consequentialism, Non- Consequentialism, Virtue Ethics and Care Ethics

    1745 Words  | 4 Pages

    Consequentialism is an ethical perspective that primarily focuses upon the consequences resulting from an action and aims to eliminate the negative consequences. Within this framework there are three sub-categories: Egoism, Altruism and Utilitarianism.

    Read More

  • The Parable of the Sadhu

    832 Words  | 2 Pages

    Let us discuss consequentialism first. Consequencialism focuses on consequences as the most important factor in the decision making process (Donaldson 3). For consequentialists, the motives of an act are not as important as what comes out of it. Utilitarianism is one of the branches of consequentialism. Utilitarianism believes in the greatest good for the number (Donaldson 3).

    Read More

  • Equate To Determine The Ground In Kant's Deontology?

    467 Words  | 1 Pages

    Deontology is a rationale of thinking that attempts to determine the grounds for which morals are formed. It was formed by Immanuel Kant in disagreeance to Bentham’s Utilitarianism. Deontology creates easy to follow rules, such as, “Don’t cheat, don’t lie, don’t steal.” If you do anything that violates these simple rules, you are acting morally wrong. Deontology also states that you are meant to perform your duty. Kant argues that if everyone were to follow these rules and perform your assigned duty, you will be acting morally correct. Deontology is also not outcome based, like utilitarianism is.

    Read More

  • Kant and Deontological Theory

    1240 Words  | 3 Pages

    Immanuel Kant was a moral philosopher. His theory, better known as deontological theory, holds that intent, reason, rationality, and good will are motivating factors in the ethical decision making process. The purpose of this paper is to describe and explain major elements of his theory, its essential points, how it is used in the decision making process, and how it intersects with the teams values.

    Read More

  • Case Analysis: Case Study: If Looks Could Kill

    1269 Words  | 3 Pages

    Deontology is when an action is considered morally good because of the action itself not the product of the action ("Deontological Ethics"). When applying Kant’s theory one also has to take into account the two aspects in determining what exactly the right thing in any situation is. They include universality and respect for persons. Universality states that you must “act only on that maxim which you can at the same time will to be a universal law”(Manias). Respect for person’s states that one must “act so that you treat humanity, weather in your own person or that of another; always as an end and never as a means only” (Manias). With this being said one must apply both of these to any option they are

    Read More

  • Comparing Kant's Empiricism And Rationalism

    1253 Words  | 3 Pages

    Deontology is an ethical theory of philosophy based in the non-consequentialist tree of ethics. Deontology’s major founder was Immanuel Kant, whose work was done near the end of the eighteenth century. Kant’s contributions to metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics were enormous, and is thus considered to be one of the most prominent minds in the history of western thought. Kant was a product of the modern philosophy, and his own theories were in many ways a reaction to the two opposing schools of philosophy at the time, Empiricism and Rationalism, which differed in the nature of their epistemological foundations. Kant’s answers to these two movements, such as his notions of a priori knowledge and how the mind constitutes fundamental parts of

    Read More

  • Three Major Principles Of Deontology

    305 Words  | 1 Pages

    Deontology, on the other hand, emphasizes on the moral intuitions that guide one’s conscience for or against certain actions (Curcă, 2013). Deontologists are the opposites of utilitarians because the essential judgment of taking or not taking a course of action is observed in its strictest sense. Apart from feelings and conditions, deontologists also consider the consequences of not following religious rules and natural laws of morality to guide every course of action. Thus, deontologists value three major principles of decision-making: intrinsic morality, the duty of care, and the moral consequences of an action.

    Read More

More about Moral Theories In Sports

Open Document