Lecture Seven –issues of governance and ethics in sports business

1. Lecture Seven –issues of governance and ethics in sports business Jarvie – as an introduction looks at the commercialisation of sport and the implications of governance for sport Governance –regulatory rules and officialdom Also refers to degree of public and private ownership and interventions. We will examine football case studies specifically are they are more widely reported in the media

2. Sport and the law • Sports and its domain often has laws that are different from civil laws and this often what differentiates sport from normal life. E.g. –citing in sport (rugby) - could be a civil assault • Thus, mini-legal systems are created in sports to deal with drug taking, cheating, insurance, libel claims etc etc • There exists inconsistencies across various sports in terms of fairness and competence • These ‘laws’ can markedly different from normal morality and can be open to abuse from dominating bodies and selfishness • Laws made from world bodies (fifa, Olympics) have been subject to much criticisms in terms of the transparency and appeals process.

3. Corruption part of sport – yes? • Olympics –many examples – sweeteners, tickets, personal fortunes of members, vote rigging, buying power of major brands (visa, coca cola, adidas, Sony etc) • Football – agents –who regulates them –bbc programme World cup bidding corruption –rival countries ‘ganging’ up on other countries. The refusal of football to involve technology could be classed as undemocratic and denying the fan the right to fair play Gambling and betting scams have increased yet sports bodies have struggled to keep up

4. Democracy in sport • Dominant countries and sports can be in charge of governance and how is it delivered – this can unfair and un democratic • Evidence of bias of western countries towards other global continents (football rugby athletics bias) – where events and hub are contained for example • Distribution of wealth could be undemocratic creating a wider gap between wealthy nations and emerging nations • Global companies are favoured over smaller ones (Nike, adidas etc etc)

5. Need for regulation? Jarvie argues that global sport is in crisis and that major sport bodies are more famous for their corruption than their democracy Who are the Olympics and FIFA answerable to ? Many governments are very reluctant to become involved in regulation of sports bodies –contrast German fuss ball bund with English premier league (debt and distribution of wealth)

6. Key messages • Katwala asks for:- • Greater stakeholder participation • Greater transparency • Co-operation between governments European Union and governing bodies of sport

7. Ethics in sport • Ethics –set of values • Historically sport has been championed as the carrier of all things moral and ethical (playing fields of Eton etc etc) • Sport can reflect and display moral and ethical behaviour • The competitive nature of sport means that there are regular conflicts of ethics and morals

8. Examples • Drug abuse in sport is widely reported –should governing bodies allow open drug taking • Equal pay – is it moral to pay men more than women sportspeople (tennis golf for example) • Technology – does its introduction affect the historical integrity of many sports (cricket, rugby, tennis) • Debt and receivership in sport - how ethical is it to allow sports bodies to go into administration and re-invent themselves owing the public purse –lots of examples