Because sports are very much a part of today’s media culture and because so many students want to work in sports either in front of or behind the camera, it’s increasingly important to examine sports from an ethical perspective, particularly as sports continue to increase in popularity (see Figure 10.1). Sports and sports violations are everywhere. For example, the Russians are accused of cheating at sports.1 As a result of cheating, they might be banned from participating in the international track meets. There are examples of other infractions in sports, meriting a detailed examination of sports ethics.
If one looks at the weekly television ratings, sports are nearly always at the top of broadcast or cable rankings (see ...