Alex Rodriquez Business Ethics Tui

Introduction:

This paper will discuss the ethics surrounding Alex Rodriquez and his use of banned substances in Major League Baseball. It will conclude with my opinion on whether Alex should be banned from Major League Baseball or not.

Statement:

In our society it is all too easy to blame a person, rather than a “non-human” entity like a major sports league. It is also easier to blame a single person than a group of people such as a committee or board. Lastly, it is always easier to be the judge when the results of your judgment have no tangible effect on yourself. While researching for this paper and developing my Deontological and Utilitarian perspectives I was sure to not lose visibility of those three key elements. This paper took into consideration that Major League Baseball (MLB) did not have penalties associated with negative test results until 2004. I also did not want to be naïve, so I assumed Alex was far from the only player in MLB to be taking performance enhancement drugs since the drug test survey did not even start until 2003. Lastly, MLB is a business and businesses like to make money. Do you really think MLB suffered as more people tuned into watch games or purchased high priced tickets to attend the game in person? MLB only cared once the news became public and they had to protect their “image”. Remember MLB did not have penalties for the use of performance enhancing drugs until 2004, how against it could they really be?

Deontological Considerations:

If Deontological ethics is based on duty, obligation or rule it would be hard to argue that Alex did anything wrong. His obligation and duty to his team was to win. The MLB did not have clear guidelines or rules against the use of performance enhancing drugs during the time Alex was using them. From a purely deontological perspective I cannot find that Alex violated any deontological ethics.

Utilitarian Considerations:

Utilitarian ethics certainly give a different view on the...