Justice and Responsibility in Sport Organiations

Understanding Justice and Responsibility in Sport Organizations: A Call for Shared Responsibility

When we think about justice and responsibility in sports, our focus often lands on the roles of decision-makers and leaders. Discussions typically revolve around concepts like organizational justice, diversity management, and corporate social responsibility (CSR). These frameworks analyze how fairness and equity are handled within sport organizations, from how resources are distributed to how diverse workforces are treated. Generally, the responsibility for ensuring justice falls on the shoulders of managers and leaders. However, CSR extends this responsibility to the broader community, involving everyone from consumers to employees.

Yet, CSR often stops short of fostering a sense of shared responsibility among all stakeholders. The idea of shared responsibility—rooted in the interconnectedness of entities within cooperative and competitive systems—suggests that addressing systemic issues requires acknowledging and acting on our connections to both internal and external stakeholders. This concept is particularly relevant for tackling harm and injustice in sports, where entrenched cultural norms and institutional practices can perpetuate power imbalances and inequality.

Consider the case of the Penn State University football program, where hierarchical power dynamics allowed Jerry Sandusky's sexual misconduct to continue unchecked for years. This situation underscores the need for a model of shared responsibility that extends the duty to address harm to everyone involved in sport institutions. In such cases, ignorance and vulnerability are not just incidental; they are integral to maintaining an unjust system.

Ignorance and Vulnerability: The Unseen Forces

Ignorance in sport organizations isn’t just about lacking knowledge—it's a socially constructed tool used to maintain control and suppress dissent. It can distort knowledge acquisition and perpetuate oppressive power dynamics. Forms of ignorance, from passive disregard to strategic concealment, help uphold unjust systems. For instance, in sports, protecting a program's reputation often takes precedence over addressing issues like abuse and violence. This form of ignorance, promoted by oppressive structures, leads to various forms of harm.

Similarly, vulnerability in sports is often misunderstood. It's not merely about being exposed to harm but is shaped by societal inequities and power dynamics. Vulnerability varies in degree based on factors like likelihood and magnitude of threats, and it's exacerbated by oppressive environments that prioritize performance over participant well-being. Understanding vulnerability as "openness to being affected and altered" can help challenge and dismantle oppressive structures. However, it can also reinforce these structures if not addressed properly.

The Case for Shared Responsibility

Responsibility for injustices within hierarchical structures, such as those seen in the NFL’s handling of traumatic brain injuries (TBI), should not fall solely on one individual or entity. The concept of shared responsibility emphasizes that everyone involved—players, coaches, spectators, and consumers—shares a role in addressing and mitigating harm. This collective approach is essential for creating a safer and more equitable sporting environment.

The traditional focus on liability often misses the broader picture. Legal and moral frameworks might assign blame to specific entities, but they frequently overlook the systemic issues that perpetuate injustice. Instead, a social connection model of responsibility suggests that no single entity should bear the full weight of responsibility. Rather, all stakeholders within a system that perpetuates injustice share a degree of responsibility.

Educational Programs and Cultural Shifts

Education is a powerful tool for addressing and preventing harm in sports. Comprehensive programs targeting players, coaches, parents, and other stakeholders are essential for improving injury management and prevention. Historically, abuse and violence in sports have been ignored due to institutional norms prioritizing performance and program protection. This has led to individual blame rather than addressing systemic issues.

Cultural norms within sports—such as aggression and hypermasculinity—often discourage athletes from disclosing abuse and perpetuate a "culture of silence." To break this cycle, sport management researchers and practitioners need to critically examine processes and policies, ensuring an athlete-centered approach that prioritizes well-being over performance.

Towards a Safer Sporting Environment

The proposed conceptual model argues that power imbalances and structural injustices in sports lead to ignorance, vulnerability, and harm. By adopting a perspective of shared responsibility, athletes, parents, coaches, educators, and administrators can challenge these injustices and improve safety in sport. This shift involves questioning harmful norms, prioritizing athlete well-being, and promoting shared responsibility across various stakeholders.

Sport organizations must balance profit with morality and safety. Shared responsibility can enhance relationships, improve public image, and underscore the broader social impact of sports. Effective change requires a cultural shift within sport organizations—one that aligns norms and practices with moral acceptability and addresses issues like concussions with seriousness and integrity.

In conclusion, acknowledging and addressing ignorance, vulnerability, and responsibility are crucial steps toward creating a safer, more equitable sporting environment. By embracing shared responsibility, the sports community can work together to challenge and dismantle harmful structures, ensuring the well-being of all participants.

Sartore-Baldwin, M. L., McCullough, B., & Quatman-Yates, C. (2017). Shared responsibility and issues of injustice and harm within sport. Quest, 69(3), 366-383.

This summary is © by Claudia Benavides-Espinoza