the moral reasoning of student athletes and athletic training students

athletic training students did not score significantly higher than individual and team sport
athletes supports the argument that there is something about the competitive environment that
negatively influences the moral reasoning processes of individuals involved. By the nature of
their clinical experiences, most athletic training students are encouraged to take ownership of the
teams with which they work. They are encouraged to work with the athletes and coaches on a
professional level and as a result are directly injected into the daily and seasonal activities of
their teams. They attend most practices and competitions often serving long hours alongside the
certified athletic trainer to meet the physical and sometimes psychological needs of their athletes.
As a result, most athletic training students, like certified athletic trainers, are not immune to the
emotional montage inherent in athletics. After serving 1200 hours in an athletic training
education program there is nothing like sweat, blood and tears of “game day.” The results of this
study, as well as previous research (Beller, 1990; Beller & Stoll, 1995; Beller, Stoll, Burwell, &
Cole, 1996; Beller, Stoll, & Hansen, 2004) suggest that athletic training students may be as
driven as coaches and athletes to try anything to gain a competitive edge. Comments such as,
“Soccer is a dirty sport,” and, “It’s just part of the game” reflecting an internal process of moral
justification. In its fundamental form, the attitude is that while certain behaviors may not be
acceptable outside the game, they are acceptable in sport as “part of the game.”
Due to the consistent results of research on the topic of moral reasoning in sport the
United States Anti-Doping Agency argues that moral reasoning specific to issues of doping in
sport may prove valuable in the fight against doping. Although only in its pilot stage, results and
frequencies from the EAMCI were particularly interesting and may provide insight to the
specific reasoning process of decisions made regarding doping in sport. If the reasoning process
that takes place prior to a decision or action can be identified and altered, perhaps the fight
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