European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science ISSN: 2501 - 1235 ISSN-L: 2501 - 1235 Available on-line at: www.oapub.org/edu 10.5281/zenodo.158241 Volume 2│Issue 3│2016 ETHICAL ISSUES AND PROFESSIONAL CODE OF PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS SPORTS Lawal Yazid Ibrahimi PhD, Department of Physical and Health Education, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria Abstract: Purpose: This paper examined ethic and institutionalization of code of professional practice in the Kano State School sports system. These codes of ethics include commitment to athletes, player, public, profession, employment practice and services that embodied personal integrity, dignity and mutual respect. Methods: Three [3] research questions were formulated, answered and tested at 0.05 level of Significance. The Sample comprised of 5 School Sports professionals management practitioners selected from secondary schools of Kano, from the total population of 105 through stratified Sampling technique. The instrument used in the research was the Self-Assessment Questionnaire [SAQ] developed by the researcher, data collected were analysed using rank ordered correlation. Results: The findings revealed the need for school sport management professionals to understand the different functions of codes and distinguished between the three types of codes namely, code of ethics, conduct, practice and levels of professional ethics of competencies and best practice in school sports system. Conclusion: In conclusion Secondary school sports managers must embraces and practices according to professional code of ethics, conduct and practice, the individual, the profession and the society as a whole will benefits in improving ethical decision making, high standards of practice and ethical behaviour, enhances trust and respect from the general public. Recommendations: The study recommends among others that professional association should Design ethics and codes of professionals practice of sports management practitioners even though at the time of the study there was no sport management professional association the practitioners belong. Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved Published by Open Access Publishing Group ©2015. 29 Lawal Yazid Ibrahim ETHICAL ISSUES AND PROFESSIONAL CODE OF PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS SPORTS Keywords: ethics, profession, practice & sports Introduction Professional society the world over forms a set of rules that establishes the boundaries of generally accepted behaviour; often, the rules are expressed in statements about what people should or should do not. These rules fit together to form the moral code by which that professional society lives (Reynolds 2003). The term morality refers to social conventions about right or wrong that are so widely shared that they are the basis of for an established common consensus. In the same vain every professional society and culture have developed a moral code of its own, sport management profession entails knowledge, production and services in the form of organization and management of school sports competition, the accomplishment of which involves different level of relationships with not just coaches, players and athletes but others like fans, spectators, staff and the larger society. However all of these levels of relationships observing the ethics of the profession; According to Reynolds (2003) ethics are belief regarding right and wrong behaviour, ethical behaviour refers to behaviour that conforms to generally accepted social norms an individual s interpretation of ethical behaviour is strongly influenced by a combination of family influences, life experiences, education, religious beliefs, personal values and peer influences, these bring us to the issues of virtue. Virtues are habits that incline us to do what is acceptable and vices are habits that incline us to do what is acceptable, fairness, generosity, honesty and loyalty are examples of virtues. Vanity, greed, envy and anger are examples of vices. According to Kuçuradi, (1996) ethics attempts to study the standard of behaviour as we use or propose to judge such things and conformity to such codification, dividing issues in three branches: Metaethics, the general study of the source and the meaning of ethical notions Normative ethics, establishing norms or standards for what constitutes moral behaviour, obligation and permissions, articulating the good habits that we should acquire or the consequences of our behaviour on others. Applied ethics, studies specific problems or application of moral ideas and those issues we see every day (Wiley 2000). The sports management profession has its ethical codes which are mandatory for all members to adhere to and of course, the ethical codes are determined by the members taking into cognizance the environment. The codes of ethics are to protect both the practitioners and the clients in the conduct of the practice. Haynes, (2002) stated that ethics are based on value consideration inherent in the social environment. They are characterized by moral rules and judgment which in turn, have direct implication for what human action, characters, institutions and ways of life European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2016 30 Lawal Yazid Ibrahim ETHICAL ISSUES AND PROFESSIONAL CODE OF PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS SPORTS should be. According to (Campbell, 2000) the following are some of the needs for the ethical codes in schools sports code of professional practice: 1. To provide a position on standard of practice and to assist each member of the profession in deciding what he should do when situations or conflicts arise in his work. 2. Give the profession some assurance that the practice of members will not be detrimental to its general functions and purposes. 3. Help clarify the sports mangers responsibilities to the client and protects the client from sports mangers violation of or his failure to fulfil these responsibilities. 4. Give society some guarantees that the services of the sports manager will demonstrate a sensible regard for the social codes and moral expectations, 5. Offer the sports management professionals some grounds for safeguarding their privacy and integrity. Ethical Issues in School Sports The ultimate goal of school sports competition according to Dodge and Robertson (2004) is to win. Winning defined as a personal best or securing first place and getting the associated awards and rewards participants expect. A desire to win is good and most benefits occur when extreme effort is made and causal effort does not often result in desirable benefits. The desire to win should be guided by a whole some philosophy and ethics of competition. When winning is not guided by adequate ethics it might result in school sports disgrace and counter-productive (Dada 2010). How sport is structured by the organizing body, administrators and coaches determines the quality and outcome of school sport competition. The emphasis within the sports programme becomes the means by which the participants learn what is appropriate and acceptable behaviour for achieving the objectives of competition is the pursuit of victory in the spirit of sportsmanship and according to the rules that define the game. School sport should promote the most cherished values of the community and the Nigerian people. Some of the significant roles of schools sports are: sustenance of good health; development of competitive spirit; promotion of social harmony and national unity; enhancement of international respect and prestige: inculcation of discipline and team spirit in the youth and promotion of sport as a business. These expected roles cannot be achieved in the absence of an articulated and a wholesome philosophy and ethics of school sports. There seems to be three main ethics and philosophies of school sports. Sport administrators and athletes have based their belief on any of them. European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2016 31 Lawal Yazid Ibrahim ETHICAL ISSUES AND PROFESSIONAL CODE OF PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS SPORTS 1. Winning is not everything but the only thing: Tepe, (2000) identified a school sports competition ethic which says that winning is not everything but the only thing”. Put in another form, Eitzen (1995) calls it a win-at-all-cost philosophy that pervades sport at all levels. This ethic has been round for many years and emphasizes that athlete should be product oriented with excellence of outcome as the first and perhaps the only justifiable goal. 2. Bundereau and Konzak (1999) observed that ethical problems associated with school sport increases when winning is the only thing. 3. Winning is not every, it`s nothing: in contrast to the win-at-all-cost belief is a counter culture ethic, which has just evolved. It stresses the importance of sport as a medium for human development. Pieper, (1999) posited that this is in contrasts with winning is the only thing ethic. The believers in this ethic tagged it winning is not everything, it`s nothing. This belief stems from the Olympic creed which states that the most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to participate. It is consistent with the philosophy that just as the important thing in life is not triumph but the struggle. The essential thing according to Josephson (1999) is not to have conquered but to have fought well. Within such a framework the most important question put to the individual is how did you feel rather than who won. Winning is not everything but is important with honour: a third philosophical framework which, Eitzen, (1995) calls the radical ethic is a compromise position between the two ethics discussed earlier. It proposes that nothing is wrong with competition but, that there is need for a balance between beliefs. Thus approach brings symmetry to processproduct emphasis by promoting the idea that both are linked and that neither is meaningful alone. Victory, which is trained by violating the rules or exhibiting poor sportsmanship, is tarnished. By the same token playing without striving for victory devalues competition and limits the challenge sought by an opponent. Given these major ethics and philosophy of school sports, what is important is how much emphasis should be placed on competition while pursuing excellence and dedicating oneself to an activity. Certainly achievement becomes meaningful only when a worthwhile challenge is met by employing effective and honourable means. In sports the following questions must be answered: How can games and sports be utilized to help the individual learn right conduct? Is character education through physical education possible? Physical education places individuals in situations that reveal their true nature and character. One who plays on a team may soon realize that, using four-letter words is not acceptable; the student who play by the rules and acts like a sports man or sport woman at all times will win the respect to team mates. Specifically sport management ethics in an applied area of moral philosophy, Ethical European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2016 32 Lawal Yazid Ibrahim ETHICAL ISSUES AND PROFESSIONAL CODE OF PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS SPORTS theories and principles would be applied to try to understand, examine and resolve particular moral dilemma in sport management, thereby effective sports development, promotion and good practice could be established. Ethics and moral is closely unit. Duncan, (2000) believes that Ethical judgment contains moral components as related to conducts and values yet morals and ethics can differ. In ethics one appeals to rules or maxims as ways to justify certain moral decisions irrespective of whether or not those decisions are right or wrong. Statement of the Problem Ethics lies on the basis of all relationships established by humans. There are such values as love, respect, gratitude, and trust in a relationship between two persons (Kuçuradi, 1996). Ethical behaviour considers the rights and interests, as well as the existence of others (Haynes, 2002). The goal of an ethical relationship is being able to show that ethical action is a basic characteristic of human existence; that is being able to teach to love people (Pieper, 1999). Studies on ethics deal with the standards used in the rightfulness or wrongfulness of human behaviour. They seek answers to such questions as to which behaviours are good, desirable, and acceptable (Gözütok, 1999). Professional ethics resulted from an increase in ethical problems in certain professions or from the awareness of these increasing problems. Ethics of medicine, law, sports, press, and education are some examples of professional ethics (Tepe, 2000). Professional ethics are a set of general rules that look at the work performed by the members of the profession from an ethical point of view and that are complied with by the majority of these members (Sockett, 1990; Kultgen, 1988). Ethical codes laid down by professional organizations and supported by sanctions will guide the person who applies them and help him/her to decide in potential dilemmas (Fain, 1992). Even though professional codes of ethics are regulated separately for every profession, such codes as honesty, legality, reliability, professional loyalty, and respect apply to all professions (Wiley 2000). Arising from the strategic importance of school sports as a critical physical education and sports services and the urgent need to enforce compliance of its ethical code of conduct in line with the national sport development policy of (2004); ethical relationships are expected to be experienced within the environment of schools. For this reason, ethics codes that are determined for sport must have compliance by sport managers or games masters. Universal values such as honesty, fairness, loyalty, and respect are taken as basis when determining ethics codes. The basic purpose of ethics codes is to make application most beneficial, to provide public benefit, to protect the profession, to discipline the members, and to European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2016 33 Lawal Yazid Ibrahim ETHICAL ISSUES AND PROFESSIONAL CODE OF PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS SPORTS guide the teachers in solving ethical dilemmas they may encounter during daily applications (Campbell, 2000). Sport manager or games masters are faced with making ethical decisions while they are fulfilling their duties in schools and sports facilities (Harrison and Blakemore, 1992). Sport Managers or Games masters must act in compliance with professional ethics while they are performing their duties in order to protect service ideals, regulate competition within the profession, and raise the quality of the service provided. The basic aim of this study was to determine the levels by which sport managers or games masters agree with the professional codes of ethics of sport management. With this aim was intent to determine whether or not the opinions games masters or sport managers regarding the levels of agreement with the professional codes of ethics displayed differences depending that is why this study is examining the ethical issues and professional sports management code of practice in school sports. According to Zeigler (1999) developing a code of ethic for sport managers is problematical undertaking because the breadth of the field makes it very difficult to create a code that has encompassing relevance. In addition, no organization can fully accommodates the tremendous variety of practitioners and academicians in the field as is the case with sport management. Purpose of the Study The main purpose of the study is to discover the best ethical and codes of professional practice in school sports professional practice. Specifically, the study sought out to identify the following: 1. The characteristics of school sports professionals code of practice 2. The benefit of the best practice in professional school sports management to an individual and organization. 3. The codes of competencies for best practice in professional school sports professional practice. Research Questions The following research questions have guided the study: 1. What are the characteristics of professional school sports manager? 2. What are the benefits of best practice in school sports professional practice for individual and sport organization? 3. What are the ethical choices and imperatives in school sports programme and the minimum requirement for professional ethic, conduct and practice? European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2016 34 Lawal Yazid Ibrahim ETHICAL ISSUES AND PROFESSIONAL CODE OF PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS SPORTS Methodology Descriptive survey method was considered to be the most appropriate for this study. This method was preferred because it helps to collect data from large number of subject participants on a particular topic or issue. The target population for the study includes all the 35 sports management professionals in all the schools of Kano state. It was expected that sports management professionals will come from each of the in Nigeria, through stratified sampling, 200 sports management professionals were selected and considered in this study. A Self developed questionnaire titled questionnaire on best practice in professionals sports management (QBPPSM), was used to obtain relevant data for the study. The responses to the questionnaire items were design on 4 point scale of measurement: Strongly Agree (SA) 4 Points Agree (A) 3 Points Disagree (D) 2 Points Strongly Disagree (SD) 1 Points QBPPSM was subjected to test – re–test reliability estimates. The Pearson (r) yielded 0.74 while the internal consistency reliability estimates of 0.73 and o.75 respectively. However, with the validity and reliability ascertained, the instrument was considered appropriate for testing purposes. The data were analysed using mean and rank ordered 2.50 which is the bench mark for either accepting or rejecting. Literature Review Ethics (from Greek ethikos) is the study to understand the nature of morality, Ethics deals with morality, but it is not the same as morality. Morality is the subject matter that ethics studies. So what exactly is morality? Morality consists of the standard that an individual or a group has about what is right and wrong or good and evil, to define that which is right from that which is wrong of an action, a way of life or a decision. So what exactly is ethics? Ethics begins when a person reflects on her moral standards or the moral standard of her society and ask whether these standards are reasonable or unreasonable, whether they are supported by good reason or poor ones. So a person starts to do ethics when she takes the moral standards that she s absorbed from her family, her church, her society-and asks questions: Do these standards really makes sense? What are the reasons for or against this standard? Why should I continue to believe in them? What can be said in their favour, and what can be said against them? Are they really reasonable for me to hold? Becoming a sports management professional goes beyond ascribing the status to one self. It demands a legal binding, and European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2016 35 Lawal Yazid Ibrahim ETHICAL ISSUES AND PROFESSIONAL CODE OF PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS SPORTS professional ethics which guide the conduct of the practitioners. Haynes, (2002), stated that professional Occupation Such as sports management should be recognized legally through licensure or certification using criteria defined by its members. In addition, Several Conditions ought to be met as the ethics demand before one can become a sports management professional. The followings are some of the desirable conditions. a. An Overall understanding of the scope of the field, its historical heritage, its purpose and its organizational structure; b. Active participation in the profession through organizational work, lobbying, research and writing; c. Knowledge and understanding of ethical codes and principles; d. Development of a professional attitude; e. Extensive Knowledge of relevant subject matter. Developing a foundation for ethical analysis first require an understanding of the fundamental concepts of morality and ethics. These terms are often used interchangeably, and although one must not get bogged down in semantics, a brief discussion of distinctions between the two terms is appropriate. According to Côté, Bruner, Strachan, Erickson, & Fraser-Thomas, (2010) Morality has been defined as the special set of values that frame the absolute limitations on behaviour. It may include such basic rules as don’t steal moral norms , as well as a more general system of duties and obligations (moral principles). Ramares, (2010) defines a value as an enduring belief that guides personal behavior and shapes personal goals. He characterizes two types of values; instrumental values (e.g., ambition, courage, honesty), which are viewed as the means to terminal values (e.g, freedom, happiness, security). Harrison, & Blake More, (1992), place emphasis on morality s concern with the good and bad or right and wrong character of actions within the context of social customs and mores of any particular culture. They also tress the idea that morality is based on impartial considerations and that individuals cannot legitimately create own personal moral codes. Gervis, & Godfrey, (2013) defines ethics as a systematic attempt to make sense of our moral experience to determine what rules should govern conduct. This definition suggests that ethics is the study of morality. Swisher LL, Nyland J, Klossner D, Beckstead J. (2009) & Velasquez (2002) seems to support this idea, while stressing that ethics involves the justification and application of moral standards and principles. Theoretical Framework The theory that this research study adopted is that of Theory of Profession and occupational Identities developed by Olof & Hedman (2004). The interest of theory of European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2016 36 Lawal Yazid Ibrahim ETHICAL ISSUES AND PROFESSIONAL CODE OF PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS SPORTS professions which could, among other things, is understood in the context of the increasing specialization in working life combined with the acceleration of institutionalized expertise in society. Theory of professions focuses in particular on the relations between occupational groups, theoretical knowledge and the possibilities for practitioners to exclusively apply such knowledge within their occupational practice. Philosophers have developed many different approaches to deal with moral issues. Four of the most common approaches are virtue ethics, utilitarian, fairness, and common good. There provide a frame work within which decision makers can reflect on the acceptability of actions and evaluate moral judgments. Virtue ethics approach. Virtue ethic is a approach to ethical on how we ought to behave and how we should think about relationships if we are concerned with our daily life in a community. Utilitarian approach this approach states that when we have a choice between alternative actions or social policies, we choose the action or policy that has the best overall consequences for all persons directly or indirectly affected. The goal is to find the single greatest good by balancing the interests of all affected parties. Fairness approach this approach focuses on how fairly our actions and policies distribute benefit and burdens among those affected by the decision. The guiding principle of this approach is to treat all people the same. Common good approach; is based on a vision of society as a community whose members work together to achieve a common set of value and goals. It is based on this principle that the ethical choice is the one that advances the common good. However a levelled equation between them is based on four established conditions as stated by Beaucham (1999) Moral ideals that are accepted as supremely authoritative or overriding guides for behaviour; A prescribed character; Universality; A central concern for the well-being of others. Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct A code of ethics is a document, usually issued by professional association that outlines a set of principles that affect decision-making. The expectation is that individual employees, when faced with the option, will select the greenest solution. A code of conduct typically is issued by a professional association however, it outlines specific behaviours that are required or prohibited as a condition of on-going employment. Similarities Both codes are similar in so far as they attempt to encourage specific forms of behavior by members. Ethics guidelines attempt to provide guidance about values and choices to influence decision-making, whereas conduct regulations assert that some specific European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2016 37 Lawal Yazid Ibrahim ETHICAL ISSUES AND PROFESSIONAL CODE OF PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS SPORTS actions are appropriate or inappropriate. In both cases, the professional association desire is to obtain a narrow range of acceptable behaviours from members. Ethical dilemmas According to Loubert (1999), Makarowski (1999); Ray, Terrell & Hough, (1999), ethical dilemmas tend to fit into one of the following categories: confidentiality; conflict of interest; lack of training; lack of resources; lack of comfort; relationship issues and exploitation. The importance of maintaining professional boundaries within sport and adhering to relevant codes of conduct to develop an effective working relationship with the students; failing to adhere to these can lead to ethical challenges. According to Burke, (2001) the potential ethical dilemmas that may arise within a particular school sports competition in a range of schools sport environments are: Confidentiality: Conflict of interest; Lack of training; Lack of resources; Lack of comfort; Relationship issues and Exploitation. Results Table 1: Mean and rank ordered of the characteristics of professionals ITEM MEAN RANK ORDERED Skills and expertise 4.00 1st Ethical values 3.99 2nd Proper education 3.98 3rd Commitment to public service 3.97 4th Legitimized authority 3.96 5th Independence 3.95 6th Responses from table 1 reveal that sports officers/games masters and coaches accepted all the items as the appropriate characteristics of professionals and that ethics in sport requires four key virtues: fairness, integrity, responsibility, and respect. Ethics serve as guides to moral behaviours. They must be clear cut codes of conducts to guide expected ethical practices in Sport administration. From the mean, one will note that they all scored above 2.50 which is the bench mark for accepting or rejecting. This reveals that we accept all the items as the appropriate characteristic expected of school sport management practitioner. Without ethical behaviour, all the moral reasoning in the world would seem pointless. European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2016 38 Lawal Yazid Ibrahim ETHICAL ISSUES AND PROFESSIONAL CODE OF PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS SPORTS Table 2: The mean and rank ordered for the benefits of best practice in professional sport management to an individual or organization. Items Mean Rank ordered Best practice in professional sport management has a positive impact on job 4.99 1st It increases skill levels and flexibility of individual and Organization 4.98 2nd It can confer professional recognition and enhance Career prospects of individual 4.97 3rd 4.96 4th It can increase self-awareness, self-confidence and respect from colleagues 4.95 5th It can save money as investment for professional sport management 4.94 6th It can improve retention of individual and the employees who are given 4.93 7th Organization and individual benefit from up to date skills and knowledge 4.92 8th It can make recruitment easier for sport management professional 4.91 9th Employers who offer sport management professional opportunities Gain good 4.90 10th satisfaction and motivation of individual and organization and organization It empowers individual and organization to take Responsibility for their own professional advancement professional sport management opportunities are more likely to stay with the organization reputation Table 2 reveals that all the items were accepted by the respondents as the benefits of best practice in school sports management professional practice to individual and organization as they all scored above 2.50. In this case, we can accept all the characteristics. Table 3: Present Mean and Rank Ordered of ethical choices and imperatives in school sports programme for professional ethic, conduct and practice Items Mean Rank How can sport be utilized to help student learn Right conduct 4.72 5th Is character education through sport possible? 4.31 8th Sport places student in situations that reveal Their true nature and character 4.81 3rd Student who plays on a team may soon realize that using Four letter words is not 3.56 10th 4.82 2nd Fair play means playing within the letter and spirit of the rules 4.73 4th Seeking to win within the letter and spirit of the rules is acceptable while winning at all 4.67 6th 4.15 9th Sport is to be played as a mutual quest for excellence with intimidation inappropriate 4.63 7th Retribution for violent or unfair action done by an opponent or an official is never 4.83 1st acceptable The student who plays by the rules and acts like a sports Man/woman at all times will win the respect of team mates costs is unacceptable An opponent should be treated with respect and exactly as everyone would wish to be treated acceptable European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2016 39 Lawal Yazid Ibrahim ETHICAL ISSUES AND PROFESSIONAL CODE OF PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS SPORTS Table 3 present all the items that were accepted by the respondents as ethical choices and imperatives in school sports programmes for best professional ethical conduct and practice during schools competition as all the respondents scored above the bench mark of 2.50 as such all the characteristics are acceptable. The following canons or principles, arranged according to category or dimension, shall be considered by the sport managers in their performance of professional duties The Professional s conduct as a sport manager The professional s ethical obligations to Students the Professional s ethical responsibility to employers/employing organizations the professional s ethical responsibility to colleagues/Peers and to the profession and the professional s ethical responsibility to society. Discussion Ethics is the study of rules, standards and principles that dictate right conduct among members of a society. Such rules, standards and principles are based on moral values which serve as a basis for what is considered right Loubert, 999 . In a schools sport context the games masters/ coach or instructor should adhere to ethical standards set by the professional association to act in a way that is considered right’. Ethics is underpinned by morals and values; therefore it is important that we also pin down the difference between morals and values. Values – the beliefs and attitudes that provide direction to everyday living. Values are personal beliefs and attitudes that guide action. Morals – Morality is concerned with perspectives of right and proper and involves an evaluation of actions based on some broader cultural context or religious standard (Gavin, 2005). The findings of this study revealed that skills and expertise, ethical values, proper education, commitment to public services, legitimized authority and independence are the characteristics of professionals. To understand the role ethics plays in schools sport competition, it is important to make a distinction between gamesmanship and sportsmanship. Gamesmanship is built on the principle that winning is everything? Athletes and sport masters/ coaches are encouraged to bend the rules wherever possible in order to gain a competitive advantage over an opponent, and to pay less attention to the safety and welfare of the competition. Some of the key tenants of gamesmanship are: Winning is everything; It's only cheating if you get caught; It is the referee's job to catch wrongdoing, and the athletes and coaches have no inherent responsibility to follow the rules and The ends always justify the means. Some examples of gamesmanship are: Faking a foul or injury; Attempting to get a head start in a race; Tampering with equipment; Covert personal fouls, such as grabbing a player; Inflicting pain on an opponent with the intention of knocking him or European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2016 40 Lawal Yazid Ibrahim ETHICAL ISSUES AND PROFESSIONAL CODE OF PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS SPORTS her out of the game; The use of performance-enhancing drugs; Taunting or intimidating an opponent and A coach lying about an athlete's grades/age in order to keep him or her eligible to play. All of these examples place greater emphasis on the outcome of the game than on the manner in which it is played. A more ethical approach to school sport is sportsmanship. Under a sportsmanship model, healthy competition is seen as a means of cultivating personal honour, virtue, and character. It contributes to a community of respect and trust between competitors and in society. The goal in sportsmanship is not simply to win, but to pursue victory with honour by giving one's best effort. This finding is consistent with the view of Sockett, (1990) who expressed that professionals are persons who belong to professional association that requires extensive education as well as the study and mastery of specialized knowledge; and who is regularly a financial member of the professional association that certifies its members and enforces the occupation ethical code and standards. Another finding of this study revealed ten (10) benefits of best practice in professional sport management as; it has a positive impact on job satisfaction and motivation on individual and organization. This finding was not surprising, for it was confirmed by Loubert (1999), Makarowski (1999) & Ray, Terrell, & Hough, (1999) observed that best practice in sports management professional has so many benefits on the following: a. Athletes/players The athletes/players may behave as if winning is everything these are Pretence and faking of injury; Illegal techniques of holding; Tripping or injuring the opponent within or without detection; Perpetuating violence; Intimidation; Drugs abuse; Coaches; Encouraging cheating of all forms; encouraging the use of performance enhancement drugs, Violations of recruitment rules and procedure; Incompetence; Covering up of inadequacies, Establishing improper relationship with athletes in order to be favoured; Mal-treatment of athletes. b. Sports administrator and managers The sports administrator/manger has professional obligation and responsibility toward the athletes, the coaches, the organization and the society at large. They are expected to give efficient leadership direction through effective participation and commitment, providing adequate resources, motivation and rewards based on achievements and attainments of set goals. The welfare of the athletes/players must be taken care of health safety & well-being; Cheating; Wrong declamation of age; Poaching; Artificially enhancing strategies to enhance performance thereby creating unfair advantage; Poor treatment of athletes; Personal self–interest seeking; Hiring and firing coaches without European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2016 41 Lawal Yazid Ibrahim ETHICAL ISSUES AND PROFESSIONAL CODE OF PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS SPORTS objective assessment of performance; Match fixing; Illegal recruitment practices; Corruption, Bribery, Nepotism. c. Spectators The fans, audience and spectators sometimes behave unethically in the following ways: Violence when their team does not win; Abuses of officials/referees; Assault of referees and players; uncooperative attitudes (Robin & Reidenbanch, 1989). Furthermore the finding revealed a general poor association between the manpower requirements for optimum service delivery in the implementation of school sports code of professional practice management. This was indicated in table three (3) which revealed that only three (3) out of the thirteen (13) schools studied barely fulfilled the sport programme – students ratio of 5 minimum standard specifications by the professional body. Furthermore, it is only ethical in any profession for members to aspire for professional growth and capacity building for more effective and efficient performance. Conclusion and Recommendations The paper provides the foundation for a rational application of the principles of ethics in schools sport competition to the ethical problems that confront the school sport manager and coach Consequently, upon the findings of this study, the following conclusions were drawn; skills and expertise, ethical values, proper education, legitimized authority, commitment to public service and independence are the characteristics of professionals which are generally lacking in most schools managers. The paper recommends that a code should (1) be regulative, not simply a statement of ideas, (2) project public interests and not be self-serving, (3) be specific and relevant to the specialized concerns of the members, and (4) be enforceable and enforced. Awareness should be created so that, school management should be aware of things they stand to gain from best practices in professional school sports management. The sports management professional should present evidence of knowledge, skills and understanding of code of ethics, code of conduct, school sports programme and competitions. References 1. Berleur, J.; (1994), Codes of ethics or of conduct within IFIP and in other computer Societies, proceedings in the 13th computer congress IFIP94, Elsevier science B.V North-Holland: Amsterdam European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2016 42 Lawal Yazid Ibrahim ETHICAL ISSUES AND PROFESSIONAL CODE OF PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS SPORTS 2. ”urke, M. Obeying until it hurts Coach-athlete relationships , Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, no. 28, pp. 227–240. 3. Boudreau, F. and Konzak, B. (1991), Ben Johnson and the Use of Steriod in Sport; Sociology & Ethical considerations; Canadian Journal of Sport Sciences; 16, 2 4. Campbell, E. (2000). Professional Ethics in Teaching: Towards the Development of a Code of Practice. Cambridge Journal of Education, 2(30). 5. 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Velasquez, M.; (2002) Philosophy; A text with readings, eighth edition; Wadsworth, Thomson Learning Inc Belmont C A 27. Schick, T.; & Vaughn, l.; (2000) Doing Philosophy; An Introduction through thought Experiments; McGraw- Higher Education Inc Boston 28. Josephson, M.S (2004) The Ethics of High School Sports, Ethics. McGraw- Higher Education Inc. Boston 29. Vision (2010) Report. Personnel Administration in School; Trade Link International Ltd Zeigler (1999) Ethics and Morality in Sport and Physical Education: Champaign Illinois Stipes European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2016 44 Lawal Yazid Ibrahim ETHICAL ISSUES AND PROFESSIONAL CODE OF PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS SPORTS Creative Commons licensing terms Authors will retain the copyright of their published articles agreeing that a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) terms will be applied to their work. 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