Application of Fair Play Guidelines in Physical Education

Over the past three decades, once abnormal and abhorred behaviours have become the norm in sports arenas ù- both on the field and in the stands ù- in many parts of the world. Some observers attribute the behavioural decline to the democratisation of sport wherein control over games passed to lower social orders (Butcher & Schneider, 1998), while others attribute behavioural deterioration in sports to moral decay in the broader society (Peiser, 1995).

An argument stemming from the first explanation is that reprehensible behaviour spreads from commercial athletes (it is the utmost foolishness to refer to such athletes as professionals) to young people in schools as school athletes attempt to imitate the behaviours of the commercial athletes. An argument stemming from the second explanation is that behaviours on commercial sports fields and in the stands of the sports arenas are simply extensions of the social learning that occurs in schools and society generally.

The alternative explanations and implications are important because one's perception of the issue influences the solution approaches one will propose and that one will support. The thesis of this paper is that (1) the issue essential is one of moral values, as the second explanation posits, but that (2) the problem is so pervasive that teaching fair play in physical education instruction in the schools can only be a part, albeit a vital par

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& Laakso, 1995). According to Telama, Heikkala, & Laakso (1995), the majority of 10-to-16 year old à athletes are inclined to observe the rules and the ideal of fair play, but the number of young athletes who are ready to resort to transgression against the rules and foul play is also large. The readiness to break the rules, to resort to unfair behaviour, or to be aggressive increases with age. (p. 259) Fair play guidelines are protocols that reward good behaviour and punish bad behaviour in games. Physical education is an ideal venue for the application of fair play guidelines. Butler (2000) observed that, while character development, "sportsmanship, and fair play ideals have long been lauded by educators, coaches, parents, and administrators as desired outcomes of competitive sports programs," fair play principles rarely if ever are included in the paradigm of commercial athletics and sports, where the behaviours of participants "occasionally border on the criminal" (p. 33). Butler (2000) went on the state that: Participation in competitive sports is neither inherently positive nor negative in terms of character development. Depending on how competitive sports programs are conducted, they can either teach students to li
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Approximate Word count = 1955
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

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