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Is a Professional Foul Possible?

As a supporter of both Arsenal and Harlequins I had a bit of a rough time over the last few months - "Diving in the box" and "Bloodgate" marred an otherwise idyllic summer. OK, so the same degree of media hype as for those two would be necessary to call the summer of 2009 idyllic but I have been offended by those who excuse cheating by saying that it is inevitable in a "professional sport".

Surely these are paid (usually very well paid) sportsmen rather than professional sportsmen. Professionalism has only a passing connection with payment and I would argue that the true professional acts in ways that may result in earning less than they might otherwise have done. The professional association for project management in the UK, the APM, expects that a professional project manager will

• "act with integrity"
• "accept responsibility for their actions"
• "act in the best interests of their employer and clients"
• have "regard to wider public interest concerns"
• "ensure that they have knowledge and understanding"
• "claim expertise only in areas where their skills and knowledge are demonstrably adequate"

I can't see anything there about short term gain being an acceptable reason for (to be very generous) bending the rules.

There are those who doubt that project management is a profession. It can be, indeed it should be ... but only if we are prepared to be truly professional.