James Constance

Student Services before 8.40am

Outcomes

2.1 discusses the nature and impact of historical and

contemporary issues in physical activity and sport
2.2 analyses physical activity and sport from personal, social and
cultural perspectives

Submission
Requirements

4.4 analyses and appraises information, opinions and

observations to inform physical activity and sport decisions.
A hard copy (typed) handed into Student services before 8.40am.
Ensure that the document is typed, 1 line spaced and your
name is in the footer.

Criteria
Students will be assessed on their ability to present information in
For Assessing written form, showing evidence of knowledge and critical thinking
Learning
Task Description:
1. Write a two-page report on a chosen issue in physical activity and/or sport
within Australia.
- Gambling/ Match fixing
2. R annotated bibliography using 4 different sources of information. Internet
web site, book, you tube clips, magazines, etc. balance of print and nonprint sources.
3. The report should include the following sub headings from the Syllabus:
- Historical perspectives
- Impact of the issue
Criteria

Extensive report that outlines the nature of a chosen

issue relating to physical activity and sport
A wide range of examples are described
The impact of the issue is extensively examined with
advantages and disadvantages distinguished
Evaluates the existing strategies and proposes a detailed
approach to promote positive outcomes in relation to the
issue
Wide range of print and non print resources used
- Ethical implications
- Future perspectives
~ Match Fixing / Gambling in Sport ~
by

Mark Range
A

James Constance
James Constance

Introduction To Match Fixing

Match fixing generally refers to the action or practice of dishonestly
determining the outcome of a match before it is played. In organized sports,
match fixing occurs as a match is played to a completely or partially predetermined result, violating the rules of the game and often the law. There are
a variety of reasons for this, however the most common is in exchange for a
payoff from gamblers. Players might also intentionally perform poorly to get an
advantage in the future, such as a better draft pick, or an easier opponent in a
playoff. Other names for match fixing include game fixing, race fixing, sports
fixing or hippodroming. Games that are deliberately lost are sometimes called
thrown games. Another form of match fixing, known as spot fixing, involves
fixing small events within a match.
Historical perspectives
Match fixing is not a new occurrence within sport, but rather quite an ancient
undertaking, which can be traced back to the early Olympics. Competitors were
obligated to take an oath to preserve the integrity of the competition;
nevertheless Olympic athletes undergoing a deliberate altercation of
performance for a bribe was apparently commonplace in classical Greece. So it
seems that match fixing is as old as
sport itself.
The Black Sox scandal is perhaps one
of the most famous match fixtures
when the Chicago White Sox threw the
1919 World Series. Eight members of
that team were banned for life for
purposefully losing to the Cincinnati
Reds and in the process they made
the 1919 series one of the most
infamous events in sporting history.
The Black Sox scandal was a result of player ties to the Chicago underworld,
and set the pattern of established crime syndicates being linked to professional
sports fixing.

Impact of the issue

The impacts of sport fixing are far-reaching with considerable repercussions;
such outcomes involve criminal charges, athletic sanctions as well as player
and spectator losses. Match fixing carries criminal punishment for both the
gambler or sports book that arranged the fixing also including any players that

James Constance
contributed to the act. In Australia any individual found guilty of fixing a
sporting event runs the risk of receiving stiff criminal punishments ranging
from severe fines to imprisonment. Teams or players found guilty of match
fixing are subject to athletic consequences, which can have continuing effects
on the association or player's career.
Whilst those who are involved in match fixing face severe consequences if they
are caught, fans and spectators suffer, too. Supporters either see their team
perform worse than they should or are hurt if the team later faces sanctions.
The betters or books that are victims of fraud, losing out on money on what
was perceived as a fair bet are the most heavily impacted. Innocent players
also fall quarry to their teammates' dishonest actions. As during the game, the
players who are legitimately trying to win are oblivious that despite their best
efforts their teammates are working to ensure that they are not successful.
Furthermore, any sanctions handed down on a team hurt the innocent players
as much as the cheaters.
Ethical implications
The ethical implications of match fixing can damage credibility as well as
denying spectators a fair spectacle, and the value that commercial partners
such as sponsors and broadcasters put on a tainted sport will fall. As well as
breaking the moral rules of fair play within sports, the criminal gangs behind
the match fixing are also inflicting huge potential damage on the financial
aspect of sports. This disreputable act can tarnish the reputations of sports and
thus deter sponsors from associating with the sport.
Future perspectives
In conclusion match fixing and illegal sports betting is a very real threat to the
integrity of Australian sport as efforts are made to manipulate and exploit
players, umpires and other officials to achieve various culminations. Within
Australia Sports betting is a rapidly developing enterprise generating
significant revenue torrents and the practice now extends to most if not all
sports with a public media profile. An approach to abolish match fixing has led
to the enlargement and ratification of national policies on match fixing, the
establishment of sport integrity units, and inclusion of specialist intelligence
units in law enforcement and the creation of new match-fixing offences.
Another approach is player education, discussing the integrity of the sport. If
the Australian sporting associations implement these reforms, they stand a
good chance of being able to beat back the modern form of fixing.
Bibliography
The Basic Economics of Match Fixing in Sport Tournaments. (2013). Retrieved
[Online] September 12, 2015, from
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0313592609500331
Wilson, B. (2015, May 17). How match fixers can cripple a sport's economic
future - BBC News. Retrieved [Online] September 12, 2015, from
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-32720777

James Constance
Bricknell, S. (2015, February 1). Corruption in Australian sport. Retrieved
[Online] September 12, 2015, from
http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/current series/tandi/481-500/tandi490.html
A Historical Perspective of Match Fixing in Sport. (2010, September 4).
Retrieved [Online] September 17, 2015, from
http://worldcricketwatch.com/stories/feature/a-historical-perspective-of-matchfixing-in-sport/
Mutschke: Match fixing is an "evil in all sports" (2014, May 21). Retrieved
[Online] September 12, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=zoBgKlFTZKY