We Ride Together Blog | Integrity Violations 101

Integrity and Violations in Sport

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In the world of sports, integrity means adhering to principles of honesty, ethics, and fairness by respecting sports rules on and off the field. The emphasis on integrity in sports often starts early with young athletes via a focus on “good sportsmanship.” Athletes are encouraged to “win well” and be good teammates, like high-fiving the opposing team after games or taking a knee when someone gets hurt.

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These principles extend into adulthood and professional athletics, where codes of conduct are often implemented by governing bodies to outline etiquette, anti-doping policies, and other rules upholding fair play. These rules of gameplay and ethics legitimize sport by standardizing acceptable on- and off-court behavior. Many rules and regulations are designed to keep athletes safe and minimize potential risks of sports participation, such as injuries from “illegal moves” or injuries from a lack of appropriate safety equipment.

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Consequently, integrity violations (behaviors that go against ethical rules and jeopardize “fair play”) are taken seriously by sporting organizations, especially as athletes age and advance in their sporting careers. Common integrity violations in sport include the use of performance-enhancing drugs (“PEDs”), match-fixing, and sports betting. These integrity violations have major consequences both in and out of sport for the athlete. Their career records may be stricken, they may be sanctioned from elite or professional opportunities if they are found guilty of said violations, and their overall health and safety may also be negatively affected.

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Influences and Pressures

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It may be difficult to comprehend the idea that youth athletes are potentially involved in integrity violations or that conversations around awareness and education on integrity and integrity violations need to start at a young age. We commonly view sports as safe spaces, yet they are often highly competitive and niche areas ripe with environmental, safeguarding, and emotional risks.

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Youth athletes primarily prioritize having fun and the social aspects of sport involvement, with winning being their 48th priority. However, external elements may influence athletes’ ideals surrounding ethics or outright coerce athletes into participating in integrity violations. Adult stakeholders in sport — who frequently hold a high level of control over athletes — may influence athletes into violating integrity. These adults may include coaches, parents, medical staff, or broader sporting organizations.

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Teams and peers, who may also be facing pressures from adults to engage in violations, may pressure athletes into unintentionally or intentionally engaging in integrity violations. These may take the form of hazing athletes as a method of obtaining compliance or bullying and ostracizing athletes who refuse to participate. Youth athletes may prioritize the opinions of others over intrinsic motivation to adhere to integrity, which is a known risk factor for violations. Generally, the societal “win-at-all-costs” sporting culture – commonly seen in elite and pre-professional environments – contributes to integrity violations, as athletes internalize the message to prioritize wins and profit above all else. Developmentally, children and adolescents may not fully understand or consider the long-term consequences of these integrity violations, leaving them even more vulnerable.

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Therefore, it is essential that adults supporting young athletes stay vigilant for potential integrity violations within their athletic environment. Proactive prevention, achieved by spreading awareness and providing education, is critical. This looks like making age-appropriate discussions surrounding ethics and integrity commonplace in sporting environments. Promoting positive values in sport keeps athletes safe, especially as their participation increases, and retains their opportunity to glean the benefits of sport. Additionally, positive relationships in sporting environments, founded on integrity, care, and support, help prevent abuse and misconduct. This blog is designed to exemplify the possible signs of integrity violations and provide prevention and intervention tools that can be utilized by any adult working or interacting with young athletes.

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Common Integrity Violations in Sport

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Performance-Enhancing Drug Use

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Performance-enhancing drugs, colloquially referred to as “doping” or “PEDs”, are substances that athletes may take to gain a “competitive advantage”, increase performance, or decrease recovery time from injury or between competitions. 9.2% of U.S. professional athletes admitted to doping in 2020, according to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). PED use typically begins in an athlete’s early 20s, but one study indicated that 8% of adolescent girls and 12% of adolescent boys in the United States use PEDs to improve their physique or athletic performance. Doping is taken seriously by sporting organizations, with 66% of anti-doping rule violations across all sports worldwide resulting in sanctions in 2020.

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PEDs encompass a wide variety of substances, with a list of banned substances provided by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). They often include steroids and human growth hormone (HGH), diuretics, stimulants, or illegal substances like painkillers or illegal drugs. Blood doping, or the intentional increase of red blood cells, is also considered PED use and is strictly prohibited. Specific PED use varies across sports. Combat and power sports may encourage the use of anabolic steroids or androgens to increase muscle mass and gain. On the contrary, in aesthetic sports, where minimal body weight is considered key to performance, athletes may dope by taking diuretics or appetite suppressants. Endurance sports, such as cycling, often see incidents of blood doping and the use of stimulants to maintain an athlete’s lean physique and increase stamina.

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Substances on PED lists present real dangers to athletes – PEDs have guaranteed side effects that often last long after PED use is discontinued. These substances may also be illegal, with stimulants and steroids being illegal in many jurisdictions.

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PEDs also put non-using athletes at an unfair and unwitting disadvantage, and widespread use can tarnish the reputation and jeopardize the sustainability of sports. Sports with frequent PED use are often subject to great levels of scrutiny. This was seen after Lance Armstrong admitted to PED use in cycling, which revealed a broader issue of PED use within professional cycling. Cycling then held a reputation of permitting rampant PED use among athletes. This shift in public perception can impact the future of the sport – credibility and trust are called into question, which can lead to reduced viewership and participation.

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Signs of PED Use

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Many different substances comprise PEDs. These are some of the most common physical signs that an athlete is doping. Many of these symptoms may occur without the use of PEDs – for example, hormonal imbalances and mood swings among adolescents – so consider what is “normal” for your athlete, and understand that these symptoms are marked differences from an athlete’s normal behavior.

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Increased acne, coupled with oily skin and hair
Hormonal imbalances
- Female athletes – deepening of voice, excessive body hair
- Male athletes – developing breast tissue
Sudden or rapid changes to an athlete’s physique
- Increased muscle mass
- Decreased water weight
Stunted growth
Gastrointestinal issues, including stomach ulcers
Drastic mood swings, often coupled with aggression
Vision loss
Lightheadedness
Prolonged or persistent dehydration
Cardiovascular issues
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Arrhythmia

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If you see these signs in your athlete(s), take them very seriously. Many PEDs can directly result in permanent disability or death. For example, the use of HGH can cause diabetes, and steroids, stimulants, diuretics, and blood doping can result in stroke, blocked arteries, heart attack, and death.

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What to Do if You Suspect Doping

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Direct or Indirect Interventions
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- Direct intervention would involve asking an athlete directly about potential PED use. These conversations should be tailored to an athlete’s age, demographic, and level of involvement in their sport. When discussing the potential harms from PED use, emphasize the short-term effects of use, as they are proven to be more impactful on/for youth athletes whose brains have limited capacity for understanding long-term cause and effect. Citing real-world examples of the multitude of consequences athletes have faced as a result of doping is also helpful.
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- Indirect interventions involve documenting potential signs of PED use or asking for help from a licensed medical or mental health professional. Another organization you can reach out to is the Courage First Athlete Helpline, an anonymous resource for those seeking support on athletics-related concerns.
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Report doping violations to the sport’s applicable ethics organization
- If doping involves youth athletes, report to the U.S. Center for SafeSport or other relevant child protection agencies within sport. Coaches, parents, and/or organizations that encourage or pressure athletes to take any substance that can cause harm are engaging in abusive conduct. These violations may also be indicative of other types of misconduct — such as emotional/psychological abuse through athlete coercion, or medical neglect.
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Ensure the athlete has appropriate medical and mental health care
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A child may suffer physical and mental harm as a result of doping or getting caught doping
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- ‍Endocrine therapies and monitoring cardiovascular health are important for mitigating and treating the adverse physical effects of PED use. Many PEDs are addictive in nature, and ceasing their use can result in detox and withdrawal. Rehabilitation services and mental health care focused on reducing the negative psychological effects of PEDs are essential.

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Prevention Strategies

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Educate athletes early and often on the harms of PEDs
- Having these conversations with parents, coaches, and other athletic staff in multiple formats can present new perspectives and a united front against doping. It’s important to consider any communal or cultural influences that could impact perceptions of PED use. Short- and long-term health effects of PEDs should be discussed. Athletes who want to increase their competitive advantage so they can pursue elite or professional athletics should be warned that PED use would severely limit — if not eliminate entirely — any chance of achieving these goals. Additionally, PED use could have social implications for an athlete — for example, being labeled as a “doper” or “cheater”. These negative effects could be compounded by the mental health effects of PEDs (such as anxiety and depression), which may make athletes more likely to isolate from their peers.
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Encourage positive methods to improve performance
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- These methods include cross-training, developing a training regimen, setting goals, and maintaining a healthy diet, adequate hydration, and consistent rest. Educating and supporting your young athlete with other ways to improve their sports skills and fitness can help offer healthy alternatives in line with someone’s motivation to use PEDs.

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Sports Betting

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Sports betting – both online and in-person – has risen in prominence and popularity since the creation and widespread marketing of apps like FanDuel, Stake, and DraftKings. While these apps are considered “skill-based games” since they rely on sports knowledge for success, users can place bets on any sport at any time for potential profit. Cheap buy-ins are used to advertise gambling to potential users, increasing the likelihood and frequency of betting.

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Sports betting and gambling are illegal for those under 18 or 21 (if legal at all), depending on state, federal, and international laws. Despite this, the market for sports betting has grown in popularity among youth and collegiate sports. Youth and collegiate sporting events are hotspots for gambling, despite the ethical and legal concerns associated with normalizing gambling among children. This has impacted many children who participate in and don’t participate in sports. In one study of high school students, 74% of high school males and 27% of high school females admitted to placing sports bets despite being underage. Education and policies have been enacted and mandated by various governing bodies, particularly the NCAA. However, since gambling is a relatively new and ever-changing phenomenon (especially at the level we are now seeing it), it is challenging to effectively tackle.

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Gambling has long-term impacts on youth. Gambling addiction risk increases significantly in environments where bets and gambling are normalized, especially if this normalization takes place at an early age. Other impulsive behaviors – stealing, substance use – may occur in tandem with gambling, placing youth (who often have lower impulse control) at additional risk for future addiction issues. For example, athletes who gamble may be more susceptible to match-fixing and other integrity violations to secure financial wins.

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Spectators who gamble may harass athletes online and in real life, which can also result in extreme negative consequences on an athlete’s mental health and performance. This is a form of verbal abuse that has unfortunately become all too common in sports. 1 in 3 NCAA athletes received abusive messages from sports bettors in 2024. This verbal abuse and harassment disproportionately impacts athletes from marginalized communities — at the Paris Olympics, 18% of abuse was racist and 30% of abuse was either sexist or sexual in nature. Five professional female tennis players receive more than a quarter of all online abuse. This harassment and discrimination, spurred on by betting, is pervasive and abusive to athletes.

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Signs of Sports Betting/Gambling

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Increased irritability and anxiety
Decreased social, academic, and athletic performance
Frequently asking for money
Increased impulsivity
- In sports betting itself, it may manifest as betting parlays or on sports they have no knowledge of
Knowledge of betting terms – odds, spreads, parlays, etc.

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If You Suspect Gambling

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Find and provide gambling addiction support resources for your child. These resources – suggested resources provided at the end of this post – can come in an online format, or you can source support from a licensed medical or mental health professional.

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Prevention Strategies

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Educate athletes early and often on the negative impacts of gambling, including gambling addiction
- With the rise of online gambling, particularly among minors, these conversations are more vital than ever. When discussing gambling with your athletes, emphasize the importance of upholding ethics, no matter the potential financial gain. Impulse control is an important aspect to emphasize during these conversations. It should be promoted both on and off the field – for example, holding athletes accountable for impulsive and/or risky behavior while playing. Athletic staff and parents should mirror these behaviors by examining their own views on gambling and how they portray gambling to impressionable youth.
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Set healthy standards surrounding screen time
- Limits on screen time may mitigate the risk of gambling addiction, as limiting screen time would limit the time your child can access these platforms. Parental controls can directly prevent your child from accessing gambling platforms. There are also parental controls that can prohibit your child from making in-app purchases or otherwise accessing money to gamble with.
- Monitoring your child’s internet use overall is essential for preventing gambling. The “skill-based game” element of sports betting can often resemble a child-friendly game and, coupled with frequent advertisements for gambling on sports channels and social media, can lead to your child gambling without fully comprehending the risk or even recognizing that they are gambling.

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Match-Fixing

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Match-fixing refers to dishonest activity with the intent to achieve a predetermined result in sport. This may take many forms. It may look like small actions, such as calling balls in vs. out, or throwing games by intentionally missing shots. These behaviors may manifest in more outright ways, such as bribing referees or sporting officials, or interfering with equipment or other standards of play. Sharing of insider information – such as announcing a player’s injury before it becomes public knowledge – is also considered match-fixing. Match-fixing is frequently linked to organized crime and betting, with match-fixing used to guarantee specific bets pay off.

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Match-fixing is a criminal offense in many countries, resulting in significant legal and financial consequences for athletes and other participants. Athletes are frequently sanctioned or permanently banned from future sports participation. Sports leagues and betting organizations are also put in harm’s way through match-fixing, as it can result in significant revenue losses.

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Youth athletes may be particularly vulnerable to match-fixing, as they may not see or understand the consequences of these actions. Coaches may pressure athletes into influencing the outcome of a match, leveraging the vulnerability of youth athletes. Athletes who gamble – a phenomenon increasing among young athletes – may stand to benefit from throwing matches to hit their parlay. Gifts are frequently used as bribes in match-fixing, which may additionally sway athletes, particularly those who want (or need) more money.

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Signs of Match-Fixing

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Inconsistent athlete performance, especially if players are uninjured or if consistency is extremely varied
Inconsistent or sudden changes in betting markets that usual circumstances cannot explain
- Odds or spreads may change in normal ways, such as after an athlete’s public injury or after a significant loss, but suspicions should arise if odds change drastically for no apparent reason
Frequent gift-giving to athletes, judges, referees, or other sports officials

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What to do if you suspect Match-Fixing

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Report any instances of match-fixing to law enforcement and your sport’s applicable integrity unit
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- Sport governing bodies often have integrity units. Some examples include the International Tennis Integrity Agency, or soccer’s integrity mechanisms through FIFA. You may be able to search the name of your sport or governing body along with “integrity” to find the specific unit.
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Direct and Indirect Interventions
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- Direct intervention looks like calling out suspicious and potentially problematic behavior. Cite any policies created by your sporting organization – for example, “I noticed that you and your team have all received some pretty extravagant gifts. Who gave these to you and why? The sport’s NGB doesn’t permit gift-giving above a certain amount.” If worried about an athlete’s inconsistent performance, be sure to inquire about other factors potentially impacting performance – “Hey, I’ve noticed that your performance has fluctuated a lot recently. I want to make sure you’re okay participating in the sport – are you injured or burnt out? Or is there something else going on?”
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- Indirect Intervention involves documenting any suspicious and potentially problematic behavior. This may look like taking photos of gifts or screenshotting betting markets to show rapid and unexplained odds shifts. If any suspicious behavior occurs, you can call the Courage First Athlete Helpline and/or the Athletics Integrity Unit for more information and additional support.

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Prevention Strategies

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Discourage athletes from gambling, particularly on their own sport
- When athletes have a vested financial interest in the outcome of games in their sport, the likelihood or incentive to manipulate the outcome increases substantially. Even if the athlete is not betting on games they are personally participating in, the addictive nature of gambling can create a slippery slope where they eventually bet on their own games. There are also often policies created by sporting organizations that outright prohibit this.
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Keep inside information inside
- Don’t share information prematurely or privately that could significantly change event odds. Emphasize to athletes the importance of maintaining privacy, especially if insider information is shared without the consent of the affected athlete(s).
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Do not accept gifts from coaches, sporting officials, or external organizations
- Ask yourself: What is the potential motive for giving an athlete a gift? Is this innocent, or are there ulterior motives? Gift-giving is equally important to look out for from a safeguarding lens, as it is often part of the grooming process. If concerns arise, refer to your sporting organization’s gift policy.

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These are not comprehensive of all types of integrity violations, but rather some of the most common types. If conduct in your sporting environment seems to lack integrity, reach out to your sporting organization’s integrity unit or the Athletics Integrity Unit for more information and assistance.

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The Importance of Acting with Integrity

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Many integrity violations present real harms to athletes and sport as a whole, and policies surrounding ethics and integrity are implemented to keep athletes safe. It should raise alarms if an athlete’s coach, other staff members, or sporting organization encourages athletes to break rules, even if these rules seem minute. Rampant violations or a general lack of integrity may be a sign of other forms of misconduct in sport, as it’s indicative of broader deregulation and disregard for safety. Many integrity violations are outright abuse – such as encouraging PED use, or interference with equipment or gameplay (particularly safety regulations) – or may be symptomatic of abuse – such as giving athletes gifts. When we act with integrity – promoting honesty, fairness, and personal accountability – we can ensure participation in sport stays safe and fun for everyone, promote the sustainability of sport, and foster the healthy development of athletes.

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Similarly to safeguarding, integrity violations are preventable through easy and actionable steps.

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Prevention education is one of the most effective tools for preventing participation in integrity violations, whether it involves enlisting the help of medical and mental health professionals or having routine casual conversations that check in with athletes and their perceptions of integrity violations. These conversations should include education about boundary-setting and intuition, as athletes often feel uncomfortable when confronted with negative behavior in sport. Adults should reward sportsmanship above winning, as it impresses the importance of integrity in and out of sports participation.

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Lastly, if an athlete is feeling pressured into engaging in integrity violations, examine the athlete’s broader sporting environment. We want to ensure athletic communities and relationships (particularly those with individuals who hold high levels of power and influence over athletes) are based on care and support, emphasizing the longevity and sustainability of athletes’ careers through holistic support.

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