Assume that you work for one of the professional sport leagues listed below. Over the last few weeks, a group of big-name professional athletes in the league has been calling for changes to the league’s current approach to regulating athlete cannabis-use. This week, the group has been threatening legal action and their demands have garnered substantial support from fans (especially those who are between 18-35 years old and from states where cannabis is legal).
In efforts towards a resolution, your boss has tasked you with the responsibility of evaluating the situation and making a rational and ethical (and don’t forget legal!) decision on the matter. On one hand, you are aware of the changing views around cannabis in American society, as well as some of the recent research about how cannabis-use might have some positive impacts on the physical and mental well-being of athletes and you are concerned that denying these to athletes might yield some ethical concerns. However, on the other hand, you are also aware that your league has a large conservative fanbase that you don’t want to risk losing, and there are also major legal concerns, especially in regards to differences in the state-level laws around cannabis.
To make a rational and ethical (and don’t forget legal!) decision in response to the athletes’ demands and concerns, you will apply The Rational Decision Model and The SLEEPE Principle.
The purpose of this assignment to think critically and creatively to make the best possible decision to deal with the situation outlined in the question prompt. To do this, in this assignment, students will complete the following steps:
1.) First, pick one of the following professional sport organizations that you will be hypothetically employed at for this assignment:
A.) UFC
B.) NHL
C.) NBA
D.) NFL
2.) Focusing on this professional sport league, research what (if any) policies are currently in place to deal with cannabis-use (by, for example, athletes, coaches, sponsors, and other relevant personnel and stakeholders) and where the gaps are in existing policy (i.e., Does the policy reflect the current science on cannabis-use and sport participation? Does the policy consider athletes’ current needs and opinions on the matter? Is the policy in line with society’s or fans’ current views on the matter?).
3.) Provide a comparison explaining some of the similarities and differences between this cannabis-use policy that of one other professional sport league’s cannabis-use policy. For this step, you must sufficiently discuss at least THREE similarities and THREE differences between the two leagues’ cannabis-use policies.
3.) Apply the Rational Decision-Making Model to make the best possible decision on the matter at hand. PLEASE SEE THE TEXTBOOK FOR AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE FROM YOU IN THIS REGARD.
4.) Apply the SLEEPE Principle to compare the various implications (i.e., Social, Legal, Economic, Ethical, Political, Educational etc.) of your decision in step 3 vs. another option you could have gone with (i.e., if you decided to side with the athletes in your decision, then you must compare the various implications for that side of the decision to those of another option that you could have gone with, for example, keeping the cannabis-use policy as is in a time when society’s views on the matter are changing).
Sample Solution
