The Sport Ethic

The Sport Ethic is a belief in which athletes must follow certain norms in order to be successful in their sports. According to Hughes and Coakley, "the Sport Ethic emphasizes positive norms, the ethic itself becomes the vehicle for transforming behaviors that conform to there positive norms into deviant behaviors that are prohibited and negatively sanctioned within society and within sport organizations themselves". They also mention how this ethic is a criteria that defines what it means to be a 'real athlete'. There are four dimensions of this concept. First, an athlete must make sacrifices. An example of this is the amount of time they spend practicing or in competition which prevents them from spending more time with friends and family. Second, an athlete must be distinct from other athletes. This means that athletes are always competing to be above other athletes in order for there to be something special or different compared to other athletes. Third, an athlete should take risks and play through pain. Most of the time being an athlete involves getting hurt, but in order to be a good teammate selfless should be the key to succeeding. Lastly, an athlete should have no limits. I think that athletes are forced to conform with these dimensions because these characteristics make up what an athlete is at certain times in their careers. As a student athlete I believe I experience these four dimensions ever since I started playing my sport. Along the years I've had to sacrifice time that I could spend with friends and family due to practice or competition. In my case I feel it is amplified because I am in a different country far away from my loved ones. I think it is important that we are competitive and push harder to be noticed in order to be successful and earn playing time. Also, I've certainly have had to play through pain and sickness many times for my team including one time were I was sick with mono and a week after being diagnosed  I was expected to play and help out my team. In the end, I think 'real' and 'great' athletes abide by these norms because in the end we know it is all going to be worth our sacrifices.

Neira Ortiz-Ruiz