Ethics in Soccer
Ethics in Soccer
Around 4% of the world's population is directly involved in soccer according to a survey conducted by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) in 2006 (FIFA 2007). When including unregistered occasional players, futsal, and beach soccer players, there were 265 million youth and adults playing soccer. The number of registered female players increased 54% since 2000 (4.1 million) and 10% of all players are women. Worldwide, there are over 300,000 clubs and 1.7 million teams. As the fan and financial interest in soccer continues to grow, so do the ethical violations and media scrutiny of individuals and organizations involved in soccer scandals.
The Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program at UCCS College of Business and the College of Business Sport Management program provide workshops, events and resources to address ethical issues in soccer.
"If you get involved with a sport, it's not just about players and customers, there are leagues and media and government agencies and legal issues that have to be addressed as well as ethical. It gives them a good exposure to things they may not pick up in the classroom and they certainly wouldn't pick up as a young intern." - Director of the Sport Management program at UCCS, Eric Olson, Ph.D.
Events & Programs
The DFEI Collegiate Program at UCCS COB and the Sport Management program in the College of Business at UCCS co-sponsored a series of events on October 8, 2015 titled, "From FIFA to the Pitch, the Ethics of Soccer." The goal was to assemble a diverse panel of industry participants that can discuss ethical issues associated with the management and playing of soccer at the league level, club executive level, and club coaching or playing level. Panelists included:
Jill Ellis - USA Women's National Team and World Cup Champion Head Coach
Robert Elstone - CEO Everton Football Club, Liverpool, England
Eric Wynalda - FOX Sports soccer analyst and US & MLS player
Padraig Smith - Sporting Director, Colorado Rapids UEFA Financial Fair Play
The purpose of the proceedings is to disseminate the learning of ethics in soccer to students, educators, and the community. We begin with an introductory chapter on ethics in soccer to provide context for examining ethical in sport - including defining "ethics", mapping ethical issues in soccer, describing the role of an ethical leader in sport and presenting an ethical decision-making framework. Subsequent chapters describe the student workshop and community panel discussions. In sharing the panel's stories, the developers hope that further dialogue on the in ethics in sport ensues. The final chapter outlines the next steps for individuals and organizations to prevent and address ethical issues in soccer.