ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the concepts of ethics, moral reasoning, and moral decision-making as they relate to professionalism and profession responsibility. It discusses the related professional issues and challenges associated with the leadership and teaching responsibilities of the sport coach. The chapter deals with suggestions for future directions in research and practical application to better prepare professionally and support coaches regarding ethical issues. Before examining the need for further evolution in coaching professionalism, it looks at three of the more common areas of ethical debate in sport: doping and ergogenic aid use, gamesmanship vs. sportsmanship, and the abuse of power. Within sport, the intense and often intimate nature of the sport coaching relationship can create an environment where the lines of power and emotions can become blurred, particularly for younger and more vulnerable athletes. It is based on this concern that many coaching ethical codes have express guidelines prohibiting relationships of an intimate nature between adult athletes and coaches.
