The “Winning at all costs mentality”

One of the chapters in our readings that I found interesting was chapter 16 when Stanley Eitzen talks about the darker side of sports and some of the ethical dilemmas coaches and players face on a daily basis in college and professional sports.  It made me think about some of the aspects of sport and that not everything in sports encourages positive behavior.  Although I believe that competition and winning is at or near the top of the list in terms of why most people enjoy sports, this article gave me a better view about the mentality of why some players and coaches will take shortcuts or gain unfair advantages to achieve this goal of being the best.  I liked the quote by former NFL coach and Super Bowl Champion Vince Lombardi where he said that “Winning isn’t everything, it is the only thing.”   The quote exemplifies sport’s heavy emphasis on winning and how many college and professional athletes/coaches are so cutthroat about this bottom line that they are willing to stretch their moral boundaries to great lengths in order to reach the top of the mountain and stay there.   

Nick Matsumoto

KIN 577

LT 24