Ethics, Values and Professionalism in Sports

It's shaping up to be an interesting week in professional sport, from a 'values' point of view. We often expect athletes to be role models, but when we do we are often let down. It's not cut and dried that professional athletes should shoulder that responsibly, but we still can't help feeling disappointed when their values are called into question.

From a sports marketing point of view, what is the impact of unethical or unprofessional behavior on a player's 'brand'?

Anyway, I've picked up two examples this week, both of which are completely different.

The first, and higher profile, incident was Lewis Hamilton's disqualification from the Australian Grand Prix after he and the McLaren team were found guilty of "deliberately misleading " race stewards in a post-race hearing.

Sitting on the outside, it is hard to say where the culpability lies, but sporting director Dave Ryan has been suspended by the British Team. That hasn't stopped the international media from having a field day, with Hamilton described as a "liar" and the values of the McLaren team called into quesion. German paper Bild printed a doctored photo of Hamilton as Pinocchio.

This could have implications for Hamilton's career, as well as McClaren's status with potential sponsors. Assuming that Hamilton was acting under orders, one can sympathise with the dilemma that he would have faced - risking his employment for the sake of his integrity - but would hope that integrity and honesty have a higher value than one championship point.

The other story is closer to my own heart, as a Scot. It is different in that it refers to two Scotland footballers, Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor, who were dropped from Wednesday's game against Iceland for a breach of team discipline (related to drinking).

Rather than accepting that their punishment, both players where photographed displaying 'V' signs as they sat on the bench - a petulant and immature display of arrogance and immaturity. McGregor is a relatively young and inexperienced player at that level but Ferguson was the Scotland and Rangers captain, and a highly experienced 'professional' of whom we should expect higher standards.

I also highlight this because, reading between the lines, this is not just about the unprofessional act of publicly displaying dissatisfaction with a decision. There have been a number of indications that all is not well in the Scotland camp, and this act could have been read as an attempt to wield 'player power' and undermine the manager, George Burley. Again, ethics come into the equation if this was a political act.

In the end, with the Scottish Football Association defending their manager, and Rangers suspending both players (and stripping Ferguson of the captaincy), their actions have backfired and they may just have strengthened Burley's position.

Neither Lewis Hamilton, McLaren F1, nor the two soccer players have done much for their brands this week, while Glasgow Rangers and the Scottish Football Association have probably gained a little..