Principled-centered leaders in sports model personal values like integrity and respect. An athletic department's mission statement should match a philosophy that encompasses moral knowing, moral valuing, and moral _________.

• A. believing
• B. planning
• C. acting
• D. judging

Answer: (C)

The key idea here is that a strong ethical framework for sports leadership includes not just understanding what’s right and valuing it, but actually behaving in ways that reflect those ethics. A mission statement grounded in moral knowing, moral valuing, and moral acting signals that ethical principles are lived out in real actions, not just ideas.

Moral knowing is recognizing what’s right and wrong in sport, such as fairness, respect, and integrity. Moral valuing means placing those ethical principles high in priority when making decisions. Moral acting is the crucial piece: consistently translating those beliefs into concrete, ethical conduct—how leaders coach, administer programs, handle wins and losses, treat athletes, and enforce rules.

Choosing the term that completes the sequence with “moral _________” to capture action best fits this idea of enacting ethics. Believing centers on internal conviction but doesn’t guarantee behavior; planning targets preparation rather than ethical conduct; judging focuses on evaluation rather than actual behavior. Acting completes the triad, making the department’s mission about doing what is right as a matter of practice.