Do Athletes Tolerate Fraud for the Benefit of the Club? Applying the Lens of Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior

Fraud in sport is a prevalent and harmful form of deviant behavior. Across two experimental studies with British and Belgian sport club members (N = 597), we examined aversion to four types of sport-related fraud (corruption, asset misappropriation, match-fixing, and identity fraud) through the lens of unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPOB). Participants evaluated scenarios where fraud either benefited their club (pro-club condition representing UPOB) or was self-serving (pro-self condition). Our results revealed consistently lower aversion toward pro-club fraud compared to pro-self fraud (Studies 1 & 2), regardless of individual morality or perceived club competitiveness (Study 2). Fraud aversion correlated positively with moral identity and negatively with perceived club competitiveness, and these relationships were consistent across conditions. Our findings highlight that aversion to fraud significantly differs based on its perceived beneficiary. This perception discrepancy underscores the need for sport organizations to address the potential normalization of fraud resulting from UPOB.