It’s interesting listening to and reading the media coverage of the storm surrounding Melbourne Storm – particularly talkback radio. Most of the commentary is around the fairness or otherwise of docking points, taking away trophies; how will the players feel; should the losing teams get the trophies for the last 2 years?; would you as a player on the losing team be glad to accept a medal after all this time?
Surely the bigger questions are: who knew about the fraud that was perpetrated, the two sets of accounts, the gross over-payments, the blatant ‘gaming’ of the system in a culture that is clearly driven by a ‘win at all costs’ imperative? What messages would we want young fans and players to take from all of this? The penalty should surely fit the crime. Fines are inappropriate because the message is then, still “It’s only a matter of money”. What about the principles; honesty, integrity, truth, fair play?
The franchise system as it exists mitigates against any form of selection, natural or otherwise. In other codes/countries, the loss of points of this magnitude means relegation from the league and the loss of face as well as finance, and potentially more than 1 year of re-building and loss of star players. Basketball is the other sport that has followed a similar format and a number of franchises have ceased to exist because they could not strike the right balance between money and sustainable business.
The ethical issues are all about the system that drives unacceptable behaviour in an artificially constructed system where the natural conditions of a marketplace do not exist. As well as the financial penalties, those that control the Melbourne Storm need to understand and educate their players and staff – from the most junior level up – that a sporting business, like any other business, earns it’s social licence to operate by being a good corporate citizen. When people in society trust the clubs in any code to apply community values to their enterprise, then they continue to invest their energy and enthusiasm into the club through their support. When they fail to live up to even the most basic community vaues of trust, integrity and fairness they risk alienation and ultimately, extinction. The Storm will have a lot of work to do over the next few months and years if they are to re-build that trust, but more importantly to demonstrate to the thousands of community members, from the youngest to the oldest, that they have the character to put these events behind them.
Fans and young players look up to professionals for guidance and leadership; professional sports men and women are important role models for current and future generations. This carries the responsibility to model appropriate behaviour, and not to see that their ethics, values, and their character are somehow different to the society that created them and that continues to give them a licence to operate.
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What amazes me about the Storm storm, is the extent that sport commentators are prepared to go to justify what is an illegality. Storm players are not niave they have agents, lawyers and financial advisers. Everyone knew – inlcuidng managers an downers. There was a conspiracy of silence. They either:
1. thought they wouldn’t get caught
2. thought they were ‘above’ the rules’
3. thought it was worth the risk and short term gain.
Whenever I hear a commentator ask the question “what about the fans?” I know that the fans were NEVER a consideration of the players.
Mind you I think the same about Goldman Sachs.
Similarly with Goldman Sachs “What about the investors?” If they had been playing with their own money they would never have spent it.