Cheating: the dark side of sport

Abstract

There is a dearth of empirical data about cheating in sport. This study attempts to help fill this void by investigating perceptions regarding cheating in sport. The sample consisted of 233 final-year university sport science male (n=137) and female (n=96) students. The responses to a self-designed questionnaire revealed that females were less accepting of cheating than male respondents. Furthermore, rugby players indicated a greater tolerance of deliberate rule infringement than participants of other sports and non-sport respondents. The concept of "game reasoning", which allows for deviations of moral reasoning, is discussed.

Keywords: Cheating; Moral reasoning; Ethics in sport; Fair play.

South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation, 2013, 35(2): 153-162