Home Run Ethical Analysis

Organizational Issues: The Responsibility Project: The Home Run Cleveland Ivery ETH/316 Version 2 09/01/2013 Ryan Busch

In life, we as conscious, responsible and humane individuals all have the responsibility of doing the right thing, even if others may not think are actions are justified. Good ethics is the key to achieving this goal. Ethics can best be defined as doing the right thing in a religious aspect, abiding by what the law requires as well as the standards that society accepts. Ethics often will require
or prompt individuals to do what is right even if there is nothing to gain from it. The short film The Home Run is about a women’s softball game between Western Oregon College and Central Washington University where Central Oregon was winning 2 to 0. The Central Washington University team had gotten the bases loaded with a player at bat and 2 strikes against them. The next batter for Central Washington hit a home run and hurt her knee before she could make it home. Her teammates and coach attempted to help her, but the rules of the game did not permit them to do so. She had to touch every base on her own with no help or forfeit the homerun which would cause them to lose the game. As a “phenomenal” gesture of ethics and being morally conscious, the opposing team helped the injured girl to home plate even though it meant losing the game. The ethical issue in this scenario was to give help when it didn’t benefit the opposing team to win. The rules of the game did not permit the injured players teammates or coach to help the injured player, but there were no discrepancies against the opposing teams help. The opposing team could have just won because the injured player was unable to make it to the home plate on her own without help, but their ethics and morals did not permit them to do as such. Both teams played well and hard, but if it wasn’t for the injury that the Central Washington team had obtained, they would have initially won anyway. Personally, I actually thought that the Central Washington University team had justifiably lost the game due to the rules and regulations of the game.
Ethically, I thought that the team did their best but had just unfortunately come up short to close out the game due to the injury sustained. The ethical lens that I used to make my decision in this scenario was the rights lens: individual/reflective, which denotes that an ethical action is doing one’s duty and following ethical standards of action. This lens as applied to the scenario, The Home Run, would have prompted the Central Washington University team to accept their loss due to respect for the rules and regulations that govern the game as a whole. For me it was completely unexpected for the opposing team to come out and give the injured player help because they didn’t have to and it would have sealed a definite win for their team. The rights lens denotes following the ethical action standard, which is to do the right thing even if it is of no benefit to you. The injured player would have had to physically go back and touch the bases and make it to the home plate for the homerun to be redeemable, but she was unable to because of her injury. The rights lens would have prompted the injured player to take a loss because it was
ethically the right thing to do according to the rules and regulations of the game. I personally believe that we as individuals should always do the right thing no matter what. As a parent I always encourage my children to tell the truth even if they are in the wrong and there are consequences to be obtained due to their actions. Ethics build character and help to exude morals that are respected. Concepts from this short film relate to my workplace because they help to give a more clear understanding of what doing the right thing is all about. There are individuals that I work with and that I know that will only do the right thing f it is beneficial to them. These concepts have reinforced the teachings that my mother instilled in me as a child, which is to always help others and do what is right as it is contagious. These concepts relate to my workplace because they encompass ethics and morals that benefit social responsibility and togetherness. In conclusion, good ethics should be the emotion that individuals pursue for “personal” gratification. Good ethics should command doing the right thing and helping others when capable. Life as we know it can be difficult at times, but good ethics can make just a little more comfortable.

References:
http://beta.responsibilityproject.com/films/the-home-run#fbid=_RVSkND8L3b