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Essay / Racial Discrimination in Sports Case Study
In this case study we have young Billy Simmons, an extremely talented tennis player. Growing up, the Simmons family played mixed doubles, various singles combinations or just hit for fun at Forest Hills Country Club, which is predominantly white. The Simmons family is the only African-American family in the county club. As Billy got older he became a repeat age group winner and eventually became the club champion. Billy was only competing against Caucasians and he began to realize that many of them, as well as their parents, were racist and unethical. He began hearing his first racist insults from the parents of the boys he was competing against and some of his opponents cheated on phone calls to gain unfair advantages. This was all very new to Billy, and it led to a decline in his performance. The more his performance and confidence declined, the more parents and players used racial slurs and cheated during online calls. After talking with his father, Billy had learned that he had also faced the same issues while playing intercollegiate basketball. Through great focus and determination, Billy returned to high-level performance and placed in the top 10 in the state of Georgia. It was Billy's passion to enroll at the University of Georgia Southern because they had a top tennis program. He received numerous college scholarship offers from other schools, but he still decided to attend the University of Georgia Southern. Billy heard rumors that Coach Vines never had an African-American player on his tennis team and people heard him make disparaging comments about African-American players on other teams. Despite the rumors, Billy still wanted to play tennis for USG. On the first day of practice, Billy arrived at the tennis courts early and talked to Coach Vines about trying out for the team. After a week-long tryout in which Billy outperformed the rest of the players, he was not chosen for the team. Billy called his father who then spoke to Coach Vines. Dr. Simmons then went further and set up a meeting with the athletic director, Bruce Holcombe. Dr. Simmons felt strongly that Billy had been discriminated against because of his race. This case study decision will be viewed from Bruce Holcombe's perspective while presenting counterarguments on behalf of Coach Vines. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay There are a few unethical issues that need to be addressed, but the main unethical issue is that Coach Vines discriminated against Billy because of his race and not his performance. As a result, Billy will not be able to play on the University of Georgia Southern tennis team. Since Billy was clearly one of the better players during the week-long tryouts, we know he didn't make the team based on his performance. Another unethical issue is that people have heard that Coach Vines has made disparaging remarks about African Americans on other tennis teams that they have faced. These issues mainly challenge the values of integrity, fairness and respect for personality. Integrity is defined as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, or themoral righteousness. Coach Vines clearly doesn't have integrity because he isn't honest about why Billy didn't make the team. Billy is clearly one of the better players, and he still hasn't made the team. Equity is defined as impartial and fair treatment or behavior, without favoritism or discrimination. Coach Vines never had an African American player play for him and despite how good Billy was, Coach Vines still decided not to put him on the team. Coach Vines has shown that he is not impartial when it comes to players of color, despite their physical abilities. How can someone who isn't better than Billy make the team? Character is defined as the set of characteristics and traits that form the individual nature of a person or thing. Coach Vines clearly showed us that he did not have good character. He cut Billy based on the color of his skin, not his performance. Additionally, it is rumored that people heard him make derogatory comments toward African-American players they faced. A man of good character would never do or say these things, especially in the presence of his players or coaches. Some questions that could be asked regarding the issue might be: "Why can't Coach Vines be more tolerant of African Americans and accept them for their value to the team rather than their physical appearance?" » “What kind of history does Coach Vines have that makes his perception of African Americans the way it is today? » Many ethical questions must be asked of everyone involved. Why wasn't Billy placed on the team if he was clearly one of the better players? Why have no African-American players ever played for Coach Vines? Is Coach Vines a good role model for the University of Georgia Southern tennis program? Did Billy have a good attitude during the week-long tryouts? Has Billy ever been late or missed a day during the week-long tryouts? What criteria does Coach Vines use to select his players? Did Dr. Simmons jump the gun when he accused Coach Vines of discriminating against Billy based on race and not performance? All of these questions need to be examined in depth, because there may be something extremely important that we are all missing. Coach Vines clearly ignored ethical decisions when he decided to cut Billy. He had no sound reasoning, statements of principle, or rational arguments when he made his decision. Furthermore, he made his decision based on how he felt and his feelings cannot dictate his judgment because they are not always rational. Coach Vines also did not display the criteria of good moral reasoning. He showed that he was not free from prejudice, fraud or injustice, that he was not consistent with his past and present actions and that he was not careful in all moral decisions and not morals. There is an ethical theory that is clearly displayed: selfishness. It is the belief that everyone acts in their own self-interest. Coach Vines cut Billy based on the color of his skin and didn't care about his quality. Because of Coach Vines' personal views on African Americans, he made a decision that would make him happy and satisfied. Stakeholders in this situation include Coach Vines, Billy, Bruce Holcombe, Dr. Simmons, the tennis program and Southern University. Georgia. They all play a vital role in this situation. Coach Vine's decision affects Billy and.