Introduction
College athletics is a billion-dollar industry that has played a significant role in the education sector, owing to the revenue generated from this sector. While colleges generate increasingly high revenue from college athletics, it is against the NCAA regulations for college athletes to be paid or reimbursed for participating in these athletic activities. This, in effect, leads to instances where most college athletes struggle to foot their bills and support themselves and eventually get caught in improper conduct of receiving under-the-table assistance, like in the case of the Hawksville University softball team. Following the allegations of NCAA student-athlete codes, the athletics director at Hawksville is tasked with devising an action plan to solve the crisis and promote ethics and integrity in college athletics. Therefore, this paper will craft a plan that outlines the truth of the case at Hawksville University and ethically remedies the issue.
As the Director of Athletics, the truth about the ongoing rumour of students receiving under-the-table aid must be investigated. To achieve this, I will examine financial records, documentation, transactions, and communication logs between the top donor and the athletes to determine whether the alleged rumours are true. Furthermore, I will also conduct interviews and engage personally with individuals directly involved in college sports, such as coaches, players, and administrators, to gain insight into the issue. To ensure that the information obtained is credible, I would assure the individuals involved in the investigation process of anonymity and confidentiality, as this will guarantee that the information collected is not subject to coercion. Based on the above investigation protocol, I will come up with reliable and credible information that will then inform the decision-making process and ensure integrity and ethics are maintained in college athletics.
An investigation must be conducted to determine whether or not the rumors are justified or are based on hearsay. The NCAA regulates college athletics, the governing body that has established a set of regulations outlining the do’s and don’ts of college athletics. NCAA implemented a “Sanity Code” that deems it illegal for college athletes to receive indirect or concealed benefits and limits any money athletes receive to transparent scholarships offered based on financial need, as Branch (2011) elaborated. Institutions that fail to uphold this code are expelled from being NCAA members and participating in competitive college athletics. These regulations were implemented to ensure that student-athletes amateur status is protected. Therefore, as the institution’s director of athletics, I must investigate the alleged rumor and devise a strategy to mitigate the crisis.
The NCAA rules have also been implemented to promote fair play in college athletics. Like other contests, college sports are highly competitive environments, and participants and athletes may be incentivized to cheat to gain a competitive and unfair advantage against their opponents (Eber, 2011). While fair play was promoted as a formalism, it also exists to ensure that the integrity and ethics of competition in college athletics are maintained. According to Sheridan (2003), fair play ensures that athletes respect the game because when individuals engage in dishonest practices, they undermine the cheated party’s opportunity to consent to the cheater’s plan. This is evident in incidences like doping in sports.
However, a new form of unfair play has emerged, which involves athletes receiving under-the-table aid from donors. Owing to the financial responsibility characterizing college, most athletes are often forced to receive under-the-table aid to help offset their financial obligations and bills. This is partly due to the fact that the NCAA deems it illegal for college athletes to be paid. According to most sports ethicists, the system prohibiting athletes from being paid is hypocritical and unethical because institutions exploit these athletes for money, generating billions in revenue. Hanson and Savage (2024) assert that the full-ride athletic scholarship offered to students is not equivalent to the multi-million-dollar salaries coaches are paid and television contracts signed, considering these institutions lower academic standards to increase students’ eligibility to win games and generate more revenue. Receiving under-the-table aid, however, has far-reaching consequences, as seen in the case of penalties levied against USC owing to the improper benefits Reggie Bush received while attending the institution (Hanson & Savage, 2024).
To avoid ramifications similar to USC’s, if the investigations confirm that the rumors have violated NCAA regulations, then as director, I will invoke a professional dialogue with the donor. Even though the donor plays a significant role in the team’s financial contribution, engaging in the mentioned misconduct might likely lead to the integrity of college sports and the principles of fair play being compromised. As director, I will inform the donor that Hawksville is dedicated to maintaining and upholding the integrity of college athletics as well as NCAA regulations (Andrews, 2013). To ensure that the donor funds continue helping the students likely to be affected, I will partner with the school administrator to devise alternative approaches to use the funds for academic support. Furthermore, if the NCAA confirms the alleged rumors, I will inform the donor of the likely consequences for the institution and the donor.
As athletics director, I will also devise measures to protect student-athletes’ welfare. Suppose the rumor is confirmed, it implies that the donor will be expected to refrain from offering under-the-table aid to students, leading to several student-athletes being affected by this misconduct (Andrews, 2013). I will work with the administration to devise support services to benefit these students, including mentorship, academic assistance, and counseling to guarantee that their learning process will continue without disruption. I will also partner with the school to ensure that these students are offered necessary resources and opportunities like part-time employment to help them support themselves financially without needing under-the-table aid.
Regarding the institution, I will partner with external auditors to review the school policies to help determine the weakness that likely promoted the alleged athletic misconduct. Reviewing policies sheds light on areas for improvement that would enable me, as the director, to initiate new policies and strategies to mitigate against similar incidents occurring in the future. Furthermore, a clear reporting protocol should be devised so that in case a similar incidence arises in the future, it is identified and reported before it becomes an NCAA issue (Andrews, 2013). I will also promote NCAA compliance education to all the stakeholders involved in athletics in the institution. This can involve outlining the probable consequences of breaching NCAA regulations on the school, individual athletes, and responsible stakeholders.
Conclusion
In summary, it is critical that the director establishes the truth about the rumor of the NCAA regulation breach and devise an ethical approach to dealing with the issue. I will establish the truth by conducting interviews, reviewing financial records and communication logs, and promoting the confidentiality of the investigation. Investigations should be conducted to determine whether the rumor undermines NCAA rules that seek to promote the integrity of college athletics and fair play. Further I will engage in a professional discussion with the donor if the allegations are true, devise measures to protect student-athletes welfare and review institutional policies to determine improvement areas.
References
Andrews, T. J. (2013). Fair Play: An Ethical Evaluation of the NCAA’s Treatment of Student Athletes. UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1379&context=etd
Branch, T. (2011). The shame of college sports. The Atlantic, 308(3).
Eber, N. (2011). Fair play in contests. Journal of Economics, 103(3), 253–270. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00712-010-0189-1
Hanson, K. O., & Savage, M. (2024). Ethics in college sports. Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/more-focus-areas/resources/ethics-in-college-sports/
Sheridan, H. (2003). Conceptualizing `Fair Play’: A review of the literature. European Physical Education Review, 9(2), 163–184. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356336×03009002003
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