ABSTRACT
Modern sport is premised on an assumption that sport is inherently good and pure, that the inherent goodness and purity is transmitted to those associated with sport, and that sport enhances individuals and communities (Coakley, 2015, p. 404). Coakley’s ‘great sport myth’ is borne out in practice, demonstrated by sport creating opportunities for social mobility, allowing nations to unite behind extraordinary athletes in times of adversity, driving technological innovation and inspiring people to test the limits of human performance. However, the great sport myth is also contradicted by the apparent exploitation of children and the poor, the marginalisation of women, and athletes being sacrificed for the sake of national prestige. The attempt to preserve the assumed goodness and purity of sport has seen both sporting institutions and governments engage in extraordinary management practices – giving rise to the need to manage the ‘integrity of sport’. Management of the integrity of sport is an attempt to manage the trust relationship between stakeholders in organisational contexts (Kaptein, 1999). That is, sports consumers (e.g. fans, gamblers, sponsors, broadcasters and governments) trust that producers (e.g. athletes and sports managers) have practised sport in line with a combination of rules-based and values-based expectations (Maesschlak & Vanden Auweele, 2010). For example, Treagus, Cover and Beasley’s (2011) review summarises expectations about the integrity of sport as ‘respect for oneself and others, moral responsibility and accountability’ (p. 5). Australia’s National Integrity for Sport Unit (NISU) defines integrity as ‘fair and honest performances . . . unaffected by external influences’ and ‘positive conduct . . . which enhances the standing of the sporting contest and of sport overall’. Applied to sport, threats to the perceived integrity of sport emerge when there is a violation of the trust placed in producers to preserve the inherent goodness and purity. From this point of view, integrity management is understood negatively rather than positively, as it is most apparent when it is absent. Integrity management in sport seeks to prevent violations of expectations in the production process and to respond effectively should violations occur.
