Sport: An Ethos Based on Values and Servant Leadership

Abstract

Concluding remarks for this special issue of the Journal of Intercollegiate Sport on Ethical Leadership in Intercollegiate Sport note the numerous breaches of ethical and moral behavior in a physical and personal space that have the poten-tial to develop character, moral development, self-efficacy, respect, and personal honorable significance. While it is easier to speak from higher ground, regarding ethical behavior in intercollegiate athletics, the implementation of such is a prob-lem held by many of those associated with this level of sport. The challenges are many in this area and the actions are met with resistance when massification and commodification are considered regarding sport in the educational setting. The direction of this paper is to educate those who are or will be in roles affiliated with intercollegiate sport by developing an ethical awareness of their moral values and creating a legacy of action based on servant leadership. In the papers published in this special issue, authors have articulately covered some of the very real ethical and moral issues intercollegiate athletics programs are facing (Burton & Welty Peachey, 2014; Roby, 2014; Sagas & Wigley, 2014; Staurowsky, 2014). These issues cover both the breach of ethical considerations as well as the subsequent moral transgressions which have affected the essence of competitive games. Challenging issues such as human rights violations, cheating, lack of corporate social and personal responsibility, and respect are just a few of the concerns our intercollegiate sport leaders and participants face daily. The basis of these emanates from the character of each individual involved with intercollegiate sport; that is, integrity, justice, truth, fairness, respect, and beneficence. Some may title these points as just pure " humanness " , or as Parry (2010) refers to as the role and responsibilities of players. Westerners tend to extol the ability of sport as a character building space while on the contrary, it may serve as a place of consterna-tion, repugnant actions, and hate. Taking the philosophical stand that intercollegiate sports are neither inherently good nor bad, but rather have the potential to be both, is incumbent upon the intent of the sport itself, the manner in which it manifests itself, and the leadership which guides it.