February 3, 2025
Thank you for joining the Better Together Newsletter! This bi-weekly newsletter is dedicated to sharing insights into applied sport psychology and science-based tools that can aid us as sport psychology professionals in helping athletes, teams, and coaches enhance their performance and well-being. The goal is to deliver actionable insights in a concise and engaging format, making it easy for you to apply them in your work in sports.
Recently, during a running competition I participated in, the winning team of the relay marathon used a pacemaker on a bike to support one of their runners during a 5K leg. In the end, they finished just 24 seconds ahead of the second-place team, which wasn’t exactly thrilled about how the race was won. The debate continued on Strava—was it fair play, or did it cross an ethical line?
Situations like this aren’t uncommon in sports. Rules may not always be broken, but they’re often bent—a medical break when no timeouts are left, a coach signaling a tactical foul, or an athlete engaging in trash talk at the starting line, the net, or under the basket.
As sport psychology professionals, we need to be aware of these dynamics. Athletes sometimes seek our advice—should they use these “Winning Ugly” strategies themselves? How should they cope when opponents do, especially when it disrupts their focus?
Today, I’d like to focus with you on the concept of Winning Ugly from a sport psychology perspective and explore how we can navigate it in a way that aligns with both our personal and professional philosophies.
Let’s get better together…
As sport psychology professionals, we often find ourselves in the challenging world of high-performance sport, where the pressure to win never lets up. Athletes, coaches, and teams are constantly searching for an edge—sometimes by honing their skills and strengthening their mental resilience, and sometimes by pushing, or even crossing, the boundaries of fair play.
One of the key challenges we face is figuring out where to draw the line between strategic competitiveness and unethical behavior. Some strategies, like gamesmanship, can be seen as clever and within the rules, while others, like outright cheating, clearly violate the spirit of fair play. But then there’s the gray area in between—where tactics might be technically allowed but don’t quite sit right from an ethical standpoint. Understanding this spectrum is crucial if we want to guide athletes responsibly.
If you’ve read Winning Ugly by Brad Gilbert, you’ll be familiar with the idea that winning isn’t always about playing beautifully—it’s about playing smart. In his book, Gilbert describes various psychological and strategic behaviors that disrupt an opponent’s focus and create a competitive advantage. Some of these behaviors are clever, even admirable in their cunning, while others feel ethically questionable. His famous quote, “Winning ugly is still winning,” captures a mindset that many competitors adopt. But is this really the way we want to win? What does it say about our character?
Winning Ugly takes different forms depending on the sport. Verbal tactics, for example, can range from lighthearted banter to deliberate attempts to provoke an opponent. Physicality plays a role as well—contact sports often embrace a level of aggression, but when does assertiveness become intimidation? Then there’s deception. Exaggerating an injury, wasting time, or manipulating referees are strategies that exist in that murky ethical space. Some behaviors, like doping or match-fixing, go beyond questionable tactics and outright violate the rules of fair competition.
As sport psychology professionals, our role isn’t just to help athletes perform better; it’s also to help them navigate the ethical challenges of competition. Whether or not an athlete chooses to use Winning Ugly tactics, they will inevitably come across them. Our job is to prepare them for these situations, build their mental resilience, and encourage ethical decision-making that aligns with their values. This means helping them recognize when they’re being manipulated and how to respond without resorting to the same tactics. It also means teaching emotional regulation so they can maintain focus under pressure without crossing ethical lines.
There are many ways we can support athletes in making ethical choices. Education and awareness can go a long way, whether through workshops on fair play or deeper discussions about the values that guide them. Cognitive-behavioral techniques can help athletes channel their competitive drive productively without resorting to manipulation. Working closely with coaches allows us to influence team culture, ensuring that ethical principles are embedded in training environments. And scenario-based training—where athletes practice handling psychological pressure without engaging in questionable tactics—can be a valuable tool in preparing them for real-world situations.
When an athlete asks how to “get inside their opponent’s head,” it’s an opportunity to shift the conversation. Instead of encouraging deception or intimidation, we can help them focus on strengthening their own mental resilience, strategic thinking, and composure. Asking them to reflect—what’s your goal? How can you stay true to your values while gaining a competitive edge?—can help them see that playing smart doesn’t have to mean playing dirty. Setting clear professional boundaries is just as important. If an athlete insists on strategies that compromise fair play, taking a firm but supportive stance reinforces the importance of ethical decision-making.
The culture of competition is something we can influence. By working with coaches and teams, we can facilitate discussions about fair play, help integrate ethical mental strategies into training, and create an environment where winning with integrity is valued. Encouraging athletes to develop long-term mental resilience rather than relying on external disruption strategies can be a game-changer. Pre-competition routines that build confidence from within rather than focusing on throwing off an opponent are an effective alternative. Sharing stories of athletes who have succeeded without compromising their integrity can reinforce the message that ethical competitiveness isn’t a weakness—it’s a winning strategy.
To wrap this up, I want to leave you with two quotes. The first is from Sir Alex Ferguson: “Sometimes, the key to winning isn’t playing beautifully—it’s playing smarter.” But what does “smart” really mean? Does it involve bending the rules? What does it mean to you and your clients? The second quote is from Heywood Broun: “Sports do not build character. They reveal it.” What kind of character do you want to reveal for yourself and your athletes?
A question that keeps coming to mind is whether the winning team of the relay marathon played smarter than the team that finished second, or if their performance simply reflected their true character. Was it a combination of both? Or perhaps something else entirely? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
In 2023, some colleagues and I explored these topics in an article where we also discussed different scenarios and ethical decision-making in sport. Although the article is in German, I know there are many different ways to translate it into your preferred language.
The only tactical foul Chuck Norris commits is existing—because his presence alone is an unfair advantage.
Sign up to join other subscribers from around the globe and receive regular emails on sport psychology, mental training, and science-related tools from Dr. Christian Zepp.