Honor Code in Tennis?
Given the recent flurry of publicity regarding the possibility of irregularities related to betting on tennis matches, the ATP Tour Board is discussing adding a new regulation. If it is approved when the ATP Board debates the proposed rule during meetings in Shanghai in November, the new rule could allow the sanctioning of players who don’t report encounters with gamblers seeking to influence the outcome of matches. Many universities have “honor code” systems regarding
cheating on exams, etc., which require students to report if they have seen another student cheat. The proposed ATP rule sounds very similar to these types of academic honor codes. However, is this the appropriate way to counter the current betting threat or problem? Will the next step be to sanction players who don’t report it when they see a playing using an illegal drug? The ATP Tour can, and should, request that players report any instance in which they are contacted regarding betting on a tennis match. However, sanctioning players who don’t comply is creating an unnecessarily hostile environment between the ATP Tour and its players. The joint goal should be, as it is with drugs, to simply have a “clean” Tour.
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