Part 1: Overview of Regulation (or Lack Thereof)

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Regulation in sport is an important but varying and often-overlooked element of sport. Regulations create and codify standards of gameplay enacted to define sport. Regulations often include the rules of the game—for example, rules surrounding scoring and what defines a victory against an opponent. Common violations of rules are included, with consequences for failure to comply or ethical violations outlined. Many sports also define “illegal moves” that are prohibited from competition, primarily because they place athletes at an undue risk of harm. They also may include regulations on equipment, whether that’s the size of the field, the inflation of balls, or required protective gear for athletes.

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These standards are enacted by a sport’s governing body (or bodies), leagues, or competition organizers. Organizers and regulators associated with a sport are additionally responsible for upholding these standards, investigating possible rule or ethics violations, and holding participants accountable for violations. Regulations are typically codified in a handbook, rulebook, or code of points, and then disseminated to all participants so that everyone is on the same page.

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In some sports, each element of gameplay is heavily regulated. For example, in soccer, the field, turf, ball size, and point scoring are all standardized. Every soccer participant understands the rules and is equally responsible for following and upholding them. 

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Regulations are also frequently utilized in subjectively scored sports like gymnastics. Skills are assigned Difficulty scores, and deductions based on errors are outlined in the Code of Points. All equipment is the same for each participant, creating a level playing field for all gymnasts. 

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However, while many sports are subject to regulations surrounding all aspects of sport, many others are not. 

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For example, cheerleading has regulations in the form of “levels” to ensure athletes compete with those on similar skill levels to them and prevent athletes from performing skills above their level. However, scoring is entirely subjective. The scoring rubric provides technique and difficulty score ranges for different components of a routine, but the actual score is entirely left up to the judge’s discretion, with few qualifiers attached.

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Skydiving is entirely self-regulated. Skydivers and skydiving companies can voluntarily follow a set of regulations provided by the U.S. Parachute Association, but not all air sports require USPA compliance. The provided basic safety requirements have varying levels of reliability—for example, to be deemed “medically fit for skydiving”, you can either provide a doctor’s note or you can self-report as healthy and willing to assume risk. 

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Even more, sports like dance have no governing body—meaning any regulation is left up to the studio/organization and to competition organizers. All elements of competition—scoring, floor, and appropriate technical elements—vary from company to company.

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Regulation benefits sport and its participants. Providing rules and regulations to sports standardizes gameplay, legitimizes scoring, and can promote ethics. By regulating the use of safety equipment and establishing “illegal moves” that could injure participants, we can ensure athlete safety and hold participants who fail to comply (and put other athletes at risk of harm) accountable. When sporting organizations neglect to implement regulations to standardize sport, it leaves athletes at risk of injury and misconduct. 

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Part 2: The Issues of Unregulated Sport

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Gameplay

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When sports are largely unregulated, gameplay, scoring, and other rules become inconsistent. When gameplay and scoring (and therefore the outcome of games) are unreliable and inconsistent, it’s impossible to know what a “good game” is or who constitutes a “good player.” 

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We also can’t hold participants accountable for potential ethical violations if regulations outlining sport-appropriate versus prohibited conduct aren’t in place. 

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Issues like favoritism or cheating can go unchecked and be continuously rewarded by sporting organizations, which creates distrust in these sporting organizations among all participants—athletes, staff, and even spectators. This distrust and deregulation extend past gameplay and impact athlete safety on all levels.

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For example, soccer’s largest governing body, FIFA, has long been accused of favoritism and corruption by fans and external organizations, with the latest instance surrounding the selection of Saudi Arabia for the World Cup 2034. Even though the World Cup is supposed to rotate continents every year for fairness to players and to provide equal opportunities for host countries to bid and host such a high-profile event, the United Arab Emirates was selected out of turn. This is especially noteworthy when considering that the last World Cup hosted in the Middle East (Qatar in 2022) resulted in high levels of trafficking, labor violations, and even deaths of migrant workers due to the climate and work schedule. 

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Conduct

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When athletes don’t trust the organizations meant to moderate and uphold rules or regulations in the sports environment, they may not feel supported and are at a higher risk of burnout. 

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When spectators feel that organizations don’t appropriately address cheating or ensure consistent scoring, they are less likely to keep watching and are more likely to harass athletes online for alleged ethical violations, which further harms athletes. We have seen this extend to youth sports with the rise of unruly parents harassing and assaulting referees accused of unfair score decisions. Legislation has been enacted in multiple states and by sporting organizations to increase the severity of the consequences for this behavior to address the issue.

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A safeguarding policy is very difficult to implement with fidelity when sports are unregulated. When no standards of gameplay exist within a sport, it’s difficult to determine what is appropriate vs. inappropriate behavior/contact. This makes standardizing positive behavior in the form of a code of conduct more difficult. 

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Education is difficult to disseminate when sports are decentralized. Therefore, sports staff don’t know where to start with—or even if they need to—creating a safeguarding policy. Similarly, reporting, data collection, and response procedures are nearly impossible in decentralized sports—who is going to do it? This creates a paradox—when there is no collection of reports, we can’t assess the risk of misconduct, and we can’t address safeguarding concerns on an appropriate scale. It’s also easier for coaches/leadership to say “abuse doesn’t happen here”, further dismissing the need for proactive prevention.

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Sporting participants who don’t trust their organizations to “do the right thing” on and off the court are reluctant to implement or “buy into” policy if they feel they won’t respond appropriately to abuse or misconduct. This may be exacerbated by institutional betrayal, which can result if an organization has previously mishandled misconduct allegations.

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Safety

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When safety regulations are nonexistent, we dismiss the safety of athletes and put them at increased risk of injury. For example, in lacrosse, the rules of gameplay are different for men and women. Since these rules are designed to limit physical contact during gameplay, it impacts the safety equipment imposed on men’s and women’s players. Men are required to wear hard helmets with face masks, whereas female players wear goggles or a soft helmet (with significantly less coverage and protection). While lacrosse is considered a high concussion-risk sport across sexes, female players have a higher rate of stick-or-ball-contact concussions, which are largely preventable when using the male headgear. Because the rules are inconsistent across sexes, we place female lacrosse players at an unnecessarily higher risk of injury.

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Sports lacking safety regulations may also be placing their athletes at a higher risk of exploitation. Sports always want to “push the limits of what athletes can do” and constantly increase the extremity and technical difficulty of moves, which, if left entirely unchecked, may pressure athletes to compete above their skill level and/or at levels they are uncomfortable with. 

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In addition, some athletes may not be afforded appropriate time off and are encouraged to play no matter, which can lead to exploitation if left unchecked. For example, Shen Yun—one of the leading performing arts companies in the world—has recently faced multiple lawsuits and investigations from the Department of Labor. These efforts stem from accusations of trafficking minor athletes, not fairly compensating athletes for their work, and 14-hour rehearsal days with minimal (if any) breaks.

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Part 3: So How Do We Regulate?

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It may be difficult to visualize what regulation could look like in sports that have been and are currently unregulated. However, we can turn to another environment responsible for helping youth grow and thrive into adulthood—education. 

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In the education sector, each aspect of the learning environment has some regulations. States mandate the use of standardized curricula, where all students in a certain grade or class are learning the same concepts at the same time. These curricula are developed with educational best practices in mind. Learning objectives are communicated to students and parents so that all stakeholders understand what they are learning and how it prepares them for future grade levels. 

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Educators all have appropriate training to teach their classes, which typically includes some college-level education and a certification to teach, and therefore are best equipped to promote student learning. Educators also have to be educated on child abuse and prevention, pass background checks, and serve as mandated reporters in the case of abuse being suspected. Legal and work-related consequences are outlined for those who fail to comply with these child abuse prevention guidelines. Schools and classrooms create behavioral expectations—oftentimes with input from parents, students, and the broader community—where everyone is educated on and understands what and why these expectations are. Physical safety is discussed with students frequently, with schools hosting assemblies and performing drills that demonstrate what the student should do—and why—in the case of common emergencies.

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In sports, this model in action would involve prioritizing athlete safety and adhering to best practices. Emphasizing the importance and impact of regulation on athlete development and sport sustainability promotes ethics on all levels. 

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Some questions to ask about regulations in your sporting environment may include the following:

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Gameplay

• Are rules and regulations published in multiple forms by organizations and equally accessible to all participants?
• What is the level of education required for coaches, referees, or judges to participate in sport?
  
  • Is there a way to ensure your coach complies with these educational requirements?
• Is a reporting system for ethical violations in place? 
  
  • This system should be confidential and come with anti-retaliatory policies.

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Conduct

• Is there a code of conduct standardizing positive behavior?
  
  • Who is required to sign?
• All adult participants need to be educated on abuse. What does this education look like, and how often is it made available?
  
  • This education needs to include the signs and symptoms of abuse, the necessity of proactive prevention, and methods of intervention.
• Organizations need a reporting and response hotline/procedure. Is one in place, and is it made accessible to all participants?

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Safety

• Are safety protocols adhering to best practices?
  
  • It’s important that safety is reflective of up-to-date health standards.
• Does your organization promote the use of safety equipment (ex., helmets, protective gear, etc.)?
• Are there return-to-play protocols that prioritize athlete safety and overall longevity of career?
• Are appropriate consequences given to participants who use (or encourage others to use) illegal moves? And, are athletes competing at an appropriate skill level?
• Are athletes given appropriate breaks/time off?

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If gameplay is inconsistent, it’s difficult to assess what necessary safety measures and equipment should be utilized by all athletes. We also can’t appropriately impress the necessity of these measures onto coaches and athletes if top leadership won’t codify or require their usage. If these regulations are suddenly put into place after a long period of no regulation, it may be considered overly restrictive and dismissed by athletic staff through all-too-common sayings like “we’ve always done it this way”.

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Part of athleticism is pushing boundaries and trying to compete at the highest level possible.

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The goal of regulation is not to micromanage every element of play or to hinder the growth of sport, but is instead to clarify best practices and ensure everyone is on the same page with promoting safety and sustainability. We can do things like develop unconventional strategies or personal playing styles when guardrails limiting dangerous and unethical gameplay are in place.

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Regulations keep athletes safe and help—not hinder—the growth, development, and sustainability of sport.

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Annelise Ware, MHS

Program Manager at #WeRideTogether

aware@weridetogether.today