Ethical Dilemmas In The ESU Football Program

In The Program, the focus of the movie is the ESU football program working toward a winning season after two losing seasons. The team and the coach must win amid the culture and pressures of college life and the oftentimes unethical influence of the administration, alumni, and boosters. Indeed, in considering the movie, there are countless unethical decisions take place. One such unethical occurrence is that football players do not have to do well on the placement tests. One player states that “as long as you are in the program, they are going to get you through. Maybe not with a degree, but they are going to keep you eligible” (Rothman, 1993). I do not agree with this as the main purpose of attending college is to receive an education to provide a better life for oneself. For all athletes, education should come first. If an athlete is not doing well in school, the athlete should not be eligible to play sports. Further unethical situations are that steroid usage appears to be rampant, especially in defensive back Steve Lattimer, who comes back 35 …show more content…
Jefferson is concerned about this being a violation of NCAA rules, but Alvin Mack tells him that he will get more when he is a starter and a football player cannot live on scholarship money. I disagree with doing things that are against the NCAA rules. While I do not agree with all of the NCAA rules, they are still the rules and need to be followed. Sports are prevalent in our culture and have a great impact on its participants and spectators. However, ethical situations are constantly occurring, especially once the college level is reached. Coaches have a difficult job in dealing with these ethical situations, but coaches must provide a good moral and ethical example as the leader to the athletes. Coaches have a legal and ethical responsibility to everyone involved to do the right