1. Chapter 10 Sporting Behavior11
Sporting Behavior
Chapter 10 Sporting Behavior

2. Chapter Outline Sporting behavior at different levels of sport
Youth attitudes
Development of moral values
Moral values applied to sport
(continued)

3. Chapter Outline (continued)
Moral values taught through sport
Strategies for good sporting behavior
Chapter summary

4. Sporting Behavior
Newer term (replacing sportsmanship) to remove gender bias
Interchangeable with sportsmanship in this book

5. Sporting Behavior Ethical behavior involves the following:
Participation for the pleasure of a hard- fought contest
Refusal to take unfair advantage
Courtesy toward one’s opponent
Graciousness in both winning and losing

6. Sporting Behavior at Different Levels
Professional athletes are role models who influence youth athletes.
Media and coaches tend to emphasize winning and competition.
Athletes need to be taught fair play, moral development, and character.
Participation sport tends to be more balanced.

7. High School Athlete Survey
Girls more committed to honesty, fair play
Baseball, football, and basketball players more inclined to bad behavior
Poor coach behavior reported by 25% to 33%
Hazing, stealing, cheating okay with majority
Inflicting pain okay with 60% of males

8. Development of Moral Values
Some theorists hold that behavior is based on moral development.
Kohlberg proposed an age-related progression of stages.

9. Kohlberg’s Six Stages of Moral Development
Preconventional
1. Punishment and obedience
2. Pleasure or pain
Conventional
3. Good boy or girl
4. Law and order
Postconventional
5. Social contract
6. Principled conscience
For age range and focus of each stage, see table 11.1.

10. Discussion
What stage of moral development would you say that Meghan Vogel demonstrated? Explain your reasoning.

11. Barriers to Good Sporting Behavior
Emphasis on winning
– By coaches
– By parents
– In traditions and customs
Lack of the necessary intellectual understanding for advanced moral reasoning

12. Sport as Builder of Character and Morals
Values can be learned through sport socialization.
Factors related to sporting behavior include the following:
Sport type
Performance level
Position played

13. High School Sport and Moral Development
Athletes have lower moral development than nonathletes.
Female athletes score higher than male athletes, but their scores decline every three years.
Intervention programs can positively affect moral reasoning.

14. Key Point
Cause and effect cannot be determined, because athletes may already have key positive or negative traits before participating in sport.

15. Discussion
Does sport build character or characters?

16. Two Types of Character
Social—teamwork, loyalty, work ethic, perseverance
Moral—honesty, fairness, integrity, responsibility

17. Discussion
What should be the role of a coach in the moral development of a youth sport athlete?

18. Existing High-Performance Sport Ethic per Coakley
Striving for excellence
Competing to win
Sacrifice
Love of the game
Commitment to team
Playing with pain and adversity
(continued)

19. Existing High-Performance Sport Ethic per Coakley (continued)
Is this a positive or a negative ethic?
If it is negative, can we change it? If it is positive, why is it positive?

20. Sporting Behavior and Mental Toughness
Emotional control may lead to better sporting behavior.
We must both learn the rules and understand the spirit of the rules.

21. Strategies for Good Sporting Behavior
Parents teach values to kids at a young age.
Coaches and officials prohibit play if rules are not followed.
Parents and coaches model good behavior.
(continued)

22. Strategies for Good Sporting Behavior (continued)
Fans decrease rowdiness and alcohol use.
Professional athletes and organizations serve actively as positive role models.
We all reward good behavior!

23. Discussion
What strategies do you think could be used to promote good sporting behavior?
Discuss the possibilities for success of campaigns such as the Colorado High School Activities Association’s guide to good sporting behavior.