Does cheating in sports matter?
CHEATING in sports has long become a growing concern (or has it?). Looking at the players onto the judge perspectives, such controversy in sports has still become one of the major headlines over the past decades, even high profile regional events like our SEA games is no exception.
courtesy of Matichon on-line
Just how common and why cheating happens? On the player’s side some does it because they believe they would not get caught or simply think that the achievement is worth a risk. Interestingly from the other side of the line, some people are willing to "forgive" or look away what might affect or even dictate an outcome of the game under certain circumstances (of extreme pressure from some sorts). If that’s the case for the host of a sport event, to what extent individuals should be punished for such cheating when certain circumstances are intentional or even uncontrollable?
In marketing, we cannot always afford to control the unknowns. To understand what factors affect participants' attitudes towards athletes who cheat or people who might want to deflect the results are to understand how people in general form judgments of other peoples' behaviours and most importantly, the culture of the games. It does matter to know there are reasons such as the game is a just a basic need or highest moral attainment for athletes, participants and governing organisation. Whatever that is, media sponsors are to be there for the market. Getting to that would probably be enough to form an excusable reason for our high tolerance of the standard of a game for so long.
There is no secret that there have been numerous ethical scandals concerning high-profile sport firms and private entities. Regular sport events have also raised many concerns about the frequent emergence of unethical and irresponsible behaviour in governing organisations and it has become something we can live with. As it becomes “regular”, for marketers it is then “predictable”
In real life individuals bring their own goals to the situation, marketers are no exception. Sports marketing has shifted to new, different platforms. One fact remains, scandals still always sell. Sport is now the only potential discipline where you can engage very high numbers of people in such a short period of valuable time. We can easily live with it and benefit from replaying and commenting on what happened over the internet. But on the other side, as a game inherently creates a motivational climate, we can also help get it right. We can try to bring back the spirit of the game. Brands that diverted all their sports marketing budget to digital are, in cases of scandal, reversing that decision and realising traditional media plays a crucial, accompanying awareness role, particularly when trying to become an ethically good guy.
Either way, it’s a win-win for people outside and inside the field since the cost of marketing is therefore irrelevant if an individual is not getting caught. Traditional sponsorship is not dead, but great use of assets that genuinely engage are few and far in between. Digital marketing in sports is prospering as long as tolerance lasts.
This article has been originally published by THE NATION on 5th September 2017
