Ethics of sport : junior football players as cross-national interpreters of the moral concepts of sport

Abstract

In competitive sport the expression "fair play" often stands as a very important symbol. M.J. Borotra has eloquently stated: "The defense of sport implies on the first place the defense of fair play". However, in the real world of modern sport, what is the valid meaning of fairness in terms of overt behavior? To what extent does it have any instrumental implication in the heat of the contest? What do athletes mean by fair, or right, behavior in sport? Are they unanimous in their notion about what is right or wrong in a contest?