Tanking Lesson Plan for 12th Grade Students

Topic: Is tanking cheating? How does tanking affect professional sports?

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to define "tanking" and explain the reasons why teams might engage in this strategy.
• Students will be able to assess the ethical implications of tanking and provide recommendations on how to address this issue.

Materials

• Whiteboard
• Markers
• Copies of the article "Tanking in the NBA: When Sport Goes Too Far" (provided below)

Warm-up

• Show students a clip of a basketball game and ask them to observe the play of the two teams.
• Ask students to look for examples of teams taking fewer shots than their opponents or making fewer attempts to score.
• After a few minutes, ask students to share their observations and any examples of teams "tanking" that they saw.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the concept of tanking, or intentionally losing games in order to improve one's draft position or chances at making the playoffs.
• Discuss the benefits of tanking, such as improving chances at landing top draft picks or improving playoff chances by positioning oneself as low as possible in the standings.
• Discuss the ethical implications of tanking, including the negative impact on fans and the league's credibility.
• Provide examples of teams that have been accused of tanking in recent years, such as the Philadelphia 76ers in recent seasons.

Guided Practice

• Divide the class into small groups and give each group a professional sports team.
• Have the groups research the history of their team and identify any instances of tanking.
• Lead a class discussion on the various examples of tanking that the groups discovered.

Independent Practice

• Have students choose a professional sports team and research whether or not the team has ever tanked.
• Students should write a short report on their findings and present their report to the class.

Closure

• Review the concept of tanking and discuss the controversy surrounding the practice.
• Ask students to consider whether or not they believe tanking is cheating and give their reasoning.

Assessment

• Evaluate students' presentations based on their understanding of the concept of tanking, the impact it has on professional sports, and their views on whether or not tanking is cheating.