In 1999, the Josephson Institute of Ethics convened a 3-day summit in Arizona with 40 of the most influential leaders in sports including John Wooden, Bob Costas and many of the countries most successful athletic directors, coaches and university presidents. The result was a document referred to as the Arizona Sports Summit Accord which
provides the basis for the CHARACTER COUNTS! sports initiative: Pursuing Victory. The preamble states a powerful case for the responsibility of those who control sports to assure they are conducted in a manner that uplifts rather than diminishes social values:
At its best, athletic competition can hold intrinsic value for our society. It is a symbol of a great ideal: pursuing victory with honor. The love of sports is deeply embedded in our national consciousness. The values of millions of participants and spectators are directly and dramatically influenced by the values conveyed by organized sports. Thus, sports are a major social force that shapes the quality and character of the American culture.
Our views as to what is permissible and proper in the competitive pursuit of personal goals are shaped by the dominant values conveyed in in sports and by high profile athletes. Those who influence these values have an enormous power to uplift and improve the nature and character of our society.*
The National Association of Basketball Coaches commissioned the Josephson Institute a few years later to help create a more comprehensive document based on the same principles to explicitly deal with challenges faced in basketball. See the Gold Medal Standards.