A rational choice perspective on good governance in sport: The necessity of rules of the game

Arnout Geeraert argues that the majority of the principles of good governance in sport implicitly build on the core assumption of the rational choice approach to social theory, which argues that instrumental rationality drives individual behaviour. His critical examination of the approach and its implications for good governance in sport reveals that it holds significant benefits in terms of clarity and simplification. This makes the approach attractive for those who implement good governance with the aim of achieving specific organisational outcomes. At the same time, however, the rational bias in codifications of good governance in sport may lead to over-confidence in rules and structures to prevent wrongdoing, to over-regulation and distrust, and to neglect of moral, ideational and personal aspects of governance.