Ethics, derived from the Greek word Ethicos, is a term used to refer to how we as a society deal with matters of good and bad using our cultures and customs as a base (Uzor and Ujuagu, 2021). Human societies have developed to depend on ethics to define the boundaries of what we can and cannot do when it comes to a certain field or profession. Ethics have been enshrined in recognized sporting activities in an attempt to ensure integrity, responsibility, respect, and fairness (Uzor and Ujuagu, 2021). For years, ethics in sports has been an unquestionable concept but changing times are forcing us to ask a crucial question, is ethical flexibility in sports needed to ensure equality and inclusivity?
Problem Statement
Recent events involving transgender athletes in sports have sparked a heated debate all over America. This was after transgender swimmer Lia Thomas overwhelmingly defeated her competitors who happened to be cis-gendered women or biological women sparking the debate about including transwomen in women’s sports (Powell, 2022). Among the most vocal critics of this inclusion are people who claim that transwomen have unfair physical advantages over their cisgender female counterparts, owing to anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry (Hilton & Lundberg, 2020). Proponents of the inclusion of transgender athletes into women’s sports cite inclusivity and equal rights to opportunity and dignity as the main rationale for this position. Far from deciding which of the two opposing groups is right, this paper looks to find out whether it is time to loosen the ethics in sports to be more inclusive for cases such as these.
Role of Sports
To be able to answer this question, we have to ask ourselves one major question, why do we have these sports? The answer to this question may be subjective and differ between different respondents. For some, sports are a way to keep healthy and stay fit. Similarly, sports serve as a source of revenue for millions of athletes so to them sports may be a way to earn a living. Sports may also be an avenue of displaying dominance over other countries such as in major tournaments like the Olympics. To be able to answer this question, we would have to consider the impact of sports on humankind as a whole. Historically, the earliest sporting activities, the Olympics were organized as a festival to honor Zeus, the king of the gods (Uzoer and Ujuagu, 2021). The significance of this is that it illustrates that even then, sports had a significant cultural role beyond the simplistic and individualistic goal of sports (Burnett, 2022). Sports have always been used to bring people together in one way or another. According to the UN Olympic Charter, the goal of sports is to contribute to the development of the Human Race with special consideration for promoting and preserving both peace and human dignity (Burnett, 2022).
Role of Ethics
Having defined the role of sports in our modern communities, the next step is to look into ethics and their role in sports today. To put it simply, the role of ethics in sports is to ensure appropriate behavior among athletes and trainers to ensure integrity, responsibility, respect, and fairness. When ethics is mentioned, one naturally thinks that ethics describe a strict morality or absolute law, scholars argue that this is not always the case (Uzor and Ujuagu, 2021). There are instances where the ethics of a sport vary based on cultures and societies. As an example, the ethics in middle-eastern countries do not afford women any of the equal rights and privileges the West does. This is evidence enough that ethics in sports can be both tolerant and intolerant and can be flexible given the right reasons.
Another major concept to consider is the difference between gamesmanship and sportsmanship. Gamesmanship is an approach to sporting activities that assumes the single goal of participation in any sport is to win by any means (Uzoer and Ujuagu, 2021). In this approach, athletes and their trainers make use of any means they have to win. Some key characteristics of gamesmanship include the use of any means to win, the belief that it is not malpractice if it goes unnoticed, it is the referee’s role to police the sport and identify cheating, and finally, the ends justify any means (Uzoer and Ujuagu, 2021). Gamesmanship is an appalling doctrine as opposed to sportsmanship. Sportsmanship is a more wholesome approach to sports that believes that sports are not all about winning, but competing with glory, honor, and dignity, cultivating togetherness, respect, and cooperation in the process(Burnett, 2022). With this in mind, ethics in sports should cultivate a more sportsmanlike atmosphere and attitude.
Flexibility in Sports Ethics
Back to the issue at hand, should transgender athletes be allowed in women’s sports? First of all, we have established that the role of sports is to contribute to the human race by promoting peace and dignity. It is my view that the exclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports is detrimental to their dignity and well-being. Studies have shown among transgender people, men are more inclined to participate in sports than the women (Reynolds & Jahromi, 2021). This is discrimination through barriers to entry into sports created by strict ethics related to who are bonafide athletes based on gender. Given that ethics are derived from the culture and society they exist in, it may be time to review the ethics in sports with special consideration to changing the perception of gender and gender identity (Reynolds & Jahromi, 2021). As such, I believe that ethics should be made more flexible to allow for a place for transgender athletes.
The second point to consider is sportsmanship. The point of sports is not always to win. This has been described as an appalling doctrine and approach to sports. Major arguments against loosening the rules to allow transgender athletes argue that they have biological advantages over the rest and are better poised to win in their respective fields, an issue regarding fairness. While the argument is sound and raises real issues, it fails to highlight that the issue of fairness is double edges as it is also not fair to deprive transgender athletes of their opportunities to participate in sports. Fairness can be ensured to some degree for both parties in this dilemma by setting scientific criteria that would limit the advantages to transgender athletes, essentially leveling the playing field. For example, the Internal Olympic Committee has set guidelines for the participation of transgender women athletes in female sports as maintenance of a set level of testosterone levels for more than a year before the event (below 10nmol/L) (Hilton & Lundberg, 2020). This is an example of how ethics can be made flexible to further meet the goal of inclusion, respect, and dignity in sports.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is my view that rigid ethics and policies in sports run the risk of contravening the main goal of having sports and particularly competitive sports. The main goals of having sports have been identified and furthering the development of the human race through peace, unity, dignity, and respect. The paper concluded that rigid policies and ethics that were aimed at locking transgender women out of women’s sports in the US infringed upon their dignity and respect by essentially ignoring them and their identity. It was also suggested that winning should not take priority over the major role of sports in society. The need to win should not lead to the discrimination of a whole group of people. Ethics flexibility was identified as imminently desirable, especially in modern times when norms are ever-changing.
References
Burnett, D. (2022). The Olympic Movement, the United Nations and the Pursuit of Common Ideals | United Nations. United Nations. Retrieved 10 July 2022, from https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/olympic-movement-united-nations-and-pursuit-common-ideals#:~:text=The%20Olympic%20Charter%20specifies%20that,the%20preservation%20of%20human%20dignity.%E2%80%9D.
Hilton, E., & Lundberg, T. (2020). Transgender Women in the Female Category of Sport: Perspectives on Testosterone Suppression and Performance Advantage. Sports Medicine, 51(2), 199-214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01389-3
Powell, M. (2022). What Lia Thomas Could Mean for Women’s Elite Sports. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 10 July 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/29/us/lia-thomas-women-sports.html.
Reynolds, A., & Hamidian Jahromi, A. (2021). Transgender Athletes in Sports Competitions: How Policy Measures Can Be More Inclusive and Fairer to All. Frontiers In Sports And Active Living, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2021.704178
Uzor, Theresa & Ujuagu, Nonye. (2021). ETHICAL ISSUES IN SPORTS: UNFAIIR ADVANTAGES DUE TO PRESSURE TO WIN AT ALL COST. Journal of Academy of Dental Education. 16. 105-115.
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