Ethics and Management in Sports

We wrote about the problems of Jim Tressel, Coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Luke Fikell is serving as interim coach, but that won't last for long. There's a short list of replacements for Mr. Tressel, and the job is perhaps one of the most coveted in college sports.

Mr. Tressell resigned a contract worth 3.5 million a year through 2014, and Ohio State will not be paying him for the duration.

ESPN:

. . . fined him $250,000 for knowing his players had received improper benefits from the owner of a local tattoo parlor. The school said at the time it was "very surprised and disappointed" in Tressel. Yet, the school still managed to crack jokes.

Asked if he considered firing Tressel, Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee said then: "No, are you kidding? Let me just be very clear: I'm just hopeful the coach doesn't dismiss me."

That's what it means to have power. Even the president of the school can see that.

Which is why ethics in sports has to reach beyond the playing field. It's not how the game is played, it is how the money is managed, how the behavior of the team and the management of the team reflects upon an institution.