Source: Sport, Ethics and Leadership
-- Takes a Deep Look at Fan Behavior, Violence and Hazing in Sports, Gambling and more
What does it mean to be a good fan of a team? Does a fan owe more than loyalty to the team and fellow fans? Does the team have any ethical duties to the fan? How much violence on the playing field is too much violence? What is hazing and what is a harmless ritual of initiation? Should Pete Rose continue to be banned from the Baseball Hall of Fame? Should alleged use of PEDs continue to be a Hall of Fame bar for the likes of Barry Bonds and others? How and why did professional sports teams go from punishing their players for even the perception of contact with gamblers and gambling to being partners and investors in fantasy sports gaming sites?
These questions and more are addressed with thought provoking discussions by renowned Los Angeles sports attorney Richard Walden in a new book he co-authored, Sport, Ethics and Leadership (Jack Bowen, Ronald S. Katz, Jeff Mitchell, Donald J. Polden and Richard Walden) due to go to market in July 2017.
The book was born from a belief that everybody involved in sport, from the bleachers to the boardroom, should develop an understanding of sports ethics and related leadership techniques. Sports, Ethics and Leadership discusses the history and evolution of ethics and leadership in sports and the notion that effective leadership in sport is invariably ethical leadership. This fascinating new introduction to sports ethics outlines key ethical theories in the context of sport as well as the fundamentals of moral reasoning. It explores all the central ethical issues in contemporary sport: from violence, hazing, and gambling to performance enhancement, doping, discrimination and more.
Using real-world case studies, this book not only investigates the ethical, social, and legal underpinnings of the most important issues in sport today, but also introduces the reader to the foundations of ethical leadership in sport and discusses which leadership strategies are most effective.
In an intriguing and timely interview, expert Richard Walden can discuss the following, which are also the chapters he wrote:
- Fan Behavior: Ethics, Responsibilities and Expectations
- Violence and Hazing in Sports
- Gambling and Sports
“I was sitting at a baseball game and noticed that my bag under my seat was being soaked by the beer someone behind me had spilled. I thought that a good fan would have at least tapped me on the shoulder and let me know about the spill rather than just let it soak my bag and belongings. That got me thinking about how fans should behave at sporting events,” says Walden. “I thought about writing a little pamphlet on how to be a good fan and took mental notes when I'd see questionable fan behavior at sporting events. As the pamphlet idea took shape in my mind, I began to think about the bigger philosophical picture of fan behavior and discussed developing a course at the University where I teach sports law. I did not develop the course, but when the Dean spoke a year or two later to another colleague about his interest in sports ethics, he remembered our discussions and put us in touch.”
In addition, Walden is qualified to discuss other sports ethics issues, as he contributed to additional chapters of the book:
- The Ethics of Race Discrimination in Sports
- Ethical Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights in Sports
Sport, Ethics and Leadership is an essential resource for anyone intrigued by sport and leisure studies, the ethics and philosophy of sport, or sport and leisure management.
About the Co-Author
Richard Walden is an attorney in Los Angeles, USA. He obtained his B.A. in Political Science from Texas Christian University and his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. He has represented professional athletes for over 20 years. In addition to teaching sports law for the University of San Francisco's Master’s Program in Sport Management for over a decade, he has guest lectured on the subject at several colleges and universities.
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