Violence and Aggression In Sports
Introduction
The prevalence of violence in sports is not simply a modern American problem. There has probably never been a society anywhere on earth without some degree of sports-related interpersonal violence. Roman gladiators, many of whom were volunteers, risked death every time they stepped into the arena. The ritual ball games of Aztec and Mayan culture ended in human sacrifice. The chariot races of ancient Constantinople were accompanied by spectator violence that, on one occasion, left 30,000 dead. The brutal and obscene behavior of English “football hooligans” has become legendary. To explain the apparently universal occurrence of some degree of sports-related violence, we need to look beyond the American military and the modern corporation (Allen). According to Silva (1981), aggressive behavior is an overt verbal or physical act that can psychologically or physically injure another person or oneself. The aggressive behavior must be non-accidental and done with the intent of injuring the opponent. Aggression can be divided in two different categories according to Buss (1961). Hostile aggression and instrumental aggression are differentiated based on the intention of the aggressor and the primary reinforcement sought by the acts. For individuals engaged in hostile aggression, the primary goal is to inflict injury to another human being; the intent is to make the victim suffer. Individuals engaged in instrumental aggression also
To understand what the public believes on violence in sports, a survey was conducted among American youths ages 13 to 17 in October of 2000. The Gallup Youth Survey showed that 63 percent of teens said there was too much violence in hockey. In comparison, 41 percent said football was too violent, 25 percent said basketball was too violent, and 17 percent said baseball was too violent. One question that remains though is how does one qualify violence. A study completed in December 2000 by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Research tried to do just that. According to the test analysis, 1.69 "acts of aggression" occurred in hockey for every aggressive act in basketball, the only other sport in the study (Grant).
In the documentary the League of Denial, Frontline presents an informative documentary about the dark side of the football in the United Sates. Since 1970, the football game has become an entertainment show for the audiences. If I watch a football game, I notice that the fans love encouraging their favorite teams. Annually, these lovers of football have prepared to give the biggest cheers. They also like the violence of how the players perform the game. If the game shows hard-hitting, punishing, and violence defense, the game is excited. However, the current way that these players play is not normal, they are in danger for sacrificing their bodies. Harry Carson emphasizes, “the humans body was not created or build to play
In the arena of sports today there is a continuous subject in every sport hostility and violence. Aggression can be revealed in a lot of dissimilar methods in sports. In baseball hostility can be chucking a pitch inside to a player or gliding into second base and captivating the other basemen. In basketball it can be a foul that is hard and shoving someone to the ground. And in NASCAR it can be somewhat as little at bouncing another vehicle at a race track. Over the past few years aggression and violence in sports is growing bigger and bigger. It seems like you can not go a week or two without the news talking about a fight or argument that has occurred at a sporting event between a couple of players or teams.
Throughout the years, sporting events has been a place for fans to forget about what is going on in their life, take a break from the real world, and focus on the game. Often, many fans don't just watch and keep up with sports solely because of the type of sport, but also to keep up with their favorite athletes and teams. However, the aggressive and violent nature of the sports can often be carried over from the field to real life, impacting not only the athlete and the team, but also the fans.
Violence, fistfights specifically, in hockey are viewed as deviant because; that very type of violence is statistically rare in institutionalized sports and it is harmful to individuals, the sport of hockey, and society as a whole. This violence also violates the norms that society has created for competitive sport. Because of these harms, the rarity of such violence in sports, and the violation of the norms, a negative societal reaction forms.
Football is the athletic roots of the United States of America’s pastime. It’s part of the culture and history of this nation. It helped shape the way Americans watch sports today. But in today’s world the game has changed. It is changing this nation, and these players, both on and off the field. Concussions, on the field, have become a major commodity, and it raises the question of if it is really worth the risks of what can become of head injuries. Off of the field, there is also an up and coming problem and the NFL is taking a lot of heat for it. Domestic abuse cases are popping up left and right, involving NFL players. Maybe these cases are a coincidence, but maybe there is a relationship between the sport and
Violence in sports is central in measuring success in American culture. The harder he hits that the defensive players lay on their offensive counterparts, the more that fans enjoy watching them play. I can see a correlation between hard hitting defensive players and their popularity during their careers. NFL players, such as Ray Lewis and James Harrison, have made careers out of being the most physical players on the field. Lewis and Harrison’s devastating hits have injured opponents and many people believe they are the top linebackers in the game.
It is not clear if on-field violent behavior leads to off-field violence. It would be somewhat logical to assume that people who become accustomed to using physical intimidation and violence in sport naturally revert to those behaviors when facing conflict outside of sport. However, sport may not be the cause of violence, but rather a result of the athletes’ upbringing or natural disposition, which led them to choose a violent sport to begin with. Drug and alcohol use should also be noted, since they and not sport may be the cause of violence. Alcohol consumption and binge drinking add to the problem of
THESIS: Contact sports have been here since the medieval times. Soccer was also already being put into sport use by china in the dynasties. Implied, players on both teams have agreed to be hit, pushed, shoved, and possibly fought. What can be used for considering when or where a player crosses the line? Using examples from previous court cases, we will examine how players in the NHL could be charged when excessive force against other players in the opposite team come into play. Having hockey being used for an example, we will examine and look at the rules of the NHL, as well as how Todd Bertuzzi from the Vancouver Canucks stepped over the line, and was charged with assault.
The competitive nature of today's sports associations calls for athletes to be aggressive and forceful , both physically and mentally. This aggressive mentality stays with some athletes off the field, and may explain why so many athletes are committing violent crimes.
Because sports news and sports figures are constantly in the news, sports reflect our values. We are living in a society that is filled with violence. Many adults choose to solve their problems in violent ways. When the stress of life becomes too much, or
What is the social role of sport? To what extent does social structure influence the practice and experience of sport? Discuss in relation to two of the following: gender, class, ethnicity or Aboriginality, or region. Illustrate your answer with at least three examples from sporting contexts (local or international).
Violence is defined as the use of excessive physical force, which causes or has obvious potential to cause harm or destruction to an individual. Violence in sports comes in many forms, and divides into social and cultural factors related to the sport ethic, gender ideology, the dynamics of social class and race, and the tactics used in sports. Violence in sports has gone too far because sports violence has become so severe in sports, that players are injured each years. However, in sports some violence has become entertaining for the fans and fans would begin their own violence around with other fans that support opposing teams to win. The violence in sports can cause severe casualties from collisions to concussions that may result in long-term mental or physical damage.
Thousands of people have died at the wrath of my gun. I have blown up cars with a stolen jet. I have even massacred hordes of zombies. Then, the video game is switched off and life resumes as normal. I have never felt compelled to re-enact any of these situations in real life after playing. This is also common place for millions of other video game players all around the world. Yet, still the media continue to demonise video games and use it as an excuse for the man made tragedies that happen. People have to start realising the hysteria the media generates by using video games as a scapegoat is a ploy to sell their product, nothing else. If people stopped buying into these false claims and hence fueling them, then they will find something
The future of gaming revolves around technology. Video games are transitioning into reality. The main consumers of violent games are teens. These games encourage in killing and fighting enemies. Violent games are created each year and it comes to mind, do violent video games influence young people to act aggressively?