Transpose these orchestrations to tennis, and modern sports in general, and the results are increased aggression and twisted values, says Neil. With more and more money going into televised sports, athletes are playing all kinds of mind games, using drugs, bribing officials. We keep upping the ante for the winners with bigger contracts, higher stakes. Neil has taught in the Department of Physical Education since 1970 and is currently the director of its undergraduate program. His interest in sport psychology led to research in Machiavellian tendencies among athletes, an area that has received little study.
Sportsmanship exists in all competitive sport.
In basketball, for example, a player dribbles in one direction and then suddenly switches course. But Machiavellianism, or gamesmanship, is based on psychological warfare and deliberate manipulation that are unsportsmanlike in spirit. When you psych-out your opponent or the other team through intimidation and frustration, they become angry and distracted. If you're successful, they begin to focus on all the wrong things. From the point of view of certain values, that's cheating.