To read this content please select one of the options below:

Researching Drinking Cultures in Sport: Making Difficult Ethical Decisions

Sport, Alcohol and Social Inquiry

ISBN: 978-1-78769-842-0, eISBN: 978-1-78769-841-3

Publication date: 6 August 2020

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this chapter is to share our thoughts and observations about some of the ethical issues that arise when researching sport-drinking cultures. In particular, the chapter focuses on what researchers should do when they witness potentially harmful and risky drinking behaviour.

Approach – The chapter is written mainly from an ethics disciplinary background. We use philosophical methods to analyse, evaluate and interrogate certain claims, assumptions and judgements about moral action and inaction in the research context. We employ ethical concepts in general and research ethics concepts in particular to make and defend value judgements about what is reasonable or unreasonable, right or wrong, and good or bad in relation to witnessing risky and harmful behaviour.

Findings – The chapter argues that in some situations there are good and perhaps compelling moral reasons for researchers to take action when they observe certain problematic drinking behaviour. Researchers who fail to notice and/or act may be morally blameworthy and culpable in other ways, e.g. in breach of contract or code of conduct.

Keywords

Citation

Jones, C., Brown, D. and Harris, M. (2020), "Researching Drinking Cultures in Sport: Making Difficult Ethical Decisions", Gee, S. (Ed.) Sport, Alcohol and Social Inquiry (Research in the Sociology of Sport, Vol. 14), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 147-162. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1476-285420200000014009

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020 Emerald Publishing Limited