In many occasions, sports fraternity has been hit by scandalous moments which involve a clear breach of sports code and law. The moment individual sports' parties indulge in these disgraceful and unethical actions; they always affect the honor and integrity of the sports they participate in. In the article "Sport Scandal and Sponsorship Decisions: Team Identification Matters" published in the Journal of Sport Management by Monica Chien and Sarah J. Kelly, 2016 elucidates that no matter how sport outrages may appear limited to an individual, the effects will always narrow down to other sports stakeholders such as the teammates, trainers, administrators, and sponsors.
Drawing from the Social Identity Theory, the article elucidates that any sports indignity epitomizes an imperative infringement illustration where the involved persons engross in actions that are disparaging and detrimental to the entire sports cluster. According to the authors, the consumer to sports disgrace, as well as assessment of the allied investors and financials are massively prejudiced by the connections that cord them with the concerned athletes. Therefore it is critical to hold the notion that sportspersons and their respective teams' embraces an essential part when it comes tom matters of social identity development, as individuals can habitually attain their personality through entitlement to a particular sports team (Chien, P. Monica et al. pg. 491).
In its course to identify the various cause of sports scandals, the article classifies sports affiliation into two categories, the in-group and the out-group. The former exemplifies an elementally incentive to uphold a constructive and affirmative identity in showing their loyalty to the teams they support. However, the latter would certainly espouse some contrast approaches, viewing their teams greater than others, thus the emanation of outrages. Additionally, the in-group sports enthusiasts possess auspicious outlooks, which then grows minute in cases of sports ruthlessness. The authors explain how much the out-group depicts their don't-care arrogances, even when it comes to sponsoring their teams. For them, when their teams are guilty of unethical sporting, they would support patronage cessation than withholding verdicts, compared to the in-groups who would advocate for the preservation of the backing rather than termination (Chien, P. Monica et al. pg. 492).
The article concludes with exploratory sports conflicts from a consumer viewpoint. It demonstrates that they are prevalent and extensive in the fact that, responses contrasts by the involved parties, mostly the devotees' collective distinctiveness with the sportsmen involved, the sternness of the outrage and the promoter's rejoinder to the respective scandals. In its deduction, the study suggests that to some lengths, no matter how much sport team may indulge in unethical undertakings, which would pose a marketing detriment to the sports sponsorship management organizations, some benefactors would opt continue with their support, rather than dismissing and terminating their support, as a way of dodging insights and discernments of tolerating the whole comportment, with the main aim of curbing any means of estranging both the in-groups and the out-groups conflicting supporters (Chien, P. Monica et al. pg. 501).
. However, this is not reason enough; sports scandals should be avoided by all means. Every stakeholder in the sports arena should be responsible and always uphold a mutual code of ethics as outlined in various sports Acts.
Works Cited
Chien, P. Monica et al. "Sport Scandal And Sponsorship Decisions: Team Identification Matters". Journal Of Sport Management, vol 30, no. 5, 2016, pp. 490-505. Human Kinetics, doi:10.1123/jsm.2015-0327.
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