SCC Blog

Ethics Imbalance?

I’ve noticed a disconcerting trend lately as I scan sports and entertainment business related news. As many of you know, particularly our members, I spend a lot of time each week dissecting the various news stories in search of articles to share that relate to our curriculum. Unfortunately, the stories that have dominated recent headlines seem more apt to support discussions about ethics and the impact of publicity on sports and entertainment organizations than other fundamental business and marketing practices. Two nationally syndicated sports radio programs even commented that breaches in ethical conduct within the industry are threatening the very fabric of the sports and entertainment industry.

Just take a look at some of the alarming headlines from the past two weeks (beginning, of course, with the release of the “Mitchell Report” which placed MLB on the front page of every newspaper in America this morning):

* Mitchell Report gives sobering account of MLB’s ’steroids era’

* Vick hit with 23-month prison sentence

* Marion Jones stripped of Olympic medals

* Falcons Owner Blank ‘betrayed’ by former coach Petrino

* NCAA debates athletes’ images, marketing

* Is ‘Golden Compass’ ’selling atheism to kids’?

* Federline Attorney to Spears: ‘This Isn’t the Fourth Grade’

* Vivica A. Fox pleads no contest to DUI

Is there a theme here? Sadly, there is. The featured headlines (most of which made for prominent news stories for almost every major media outlet in America) had little to do with actual sport or entertainment property itself. Rather, the news drew all the attention away from great performances on the basketball court, on the ice, on the CD or on the big screen and centered on non-performance related issues.

Here’s what makes this tougher to swallow, particularly for sports fans and entertainment enthusiasts: this is less than two weeks worth of headlines. Consider all the other stories that have made headlines this school year. We’ve had the WWE superstar (Chris Benoit) murder-suicide and the speculation that the performance-enhancing drugs and the WWE lifestyle were to blame for the tragedy. We’ve seen arguably the greatest hitter in Major League Baseball history (Barry Bonds) indicted on charges of perjury and obstruction. And let’s not forget about Tim Donaghy, the NBA referee found guilty of fixing games with ties to organized crime. These stories recur with such frequency that our weekly membership newsletter features a column titled “social issues in sports and entertainment”. Perhaps the most disappointing news of all is that this does not look like a trend that will lose steam anytime soon.

*** Questions for Classroom Discussion ***

1) Are ethics important to sports and entertainment business professionals? Why or why not?

2) Are you disappointed when you see a favorite athlete or celebrity in the news for issues not relating to performance? Why or why not?

3) Do you think the social issues dominating the sports and entertainment industry at the time are prevalent in other industries? If so, why don’t we hear more about them? If not, why?

Posted in General, Media, Public Relations/Publicity, Social issues |

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