Violence : Sports And Its Effect On Society

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.

Dunning, E. (2001) Sport matters : sociological studies of sport, violence, and civilisation. London : Routledge.

Some sports are filled with aggression. This can be from the way the sport is played, teams losing, players getting injured, fights between players, and/or wrong calls from officials throughout the game. Everybody has heard the references to ‘soccer moms’ or ‘little league parents’ misbehaving at games or showing rage; however, many believe the reason is because “no one told them they couldn't” behave that way (Heinzmann). These parents are negative role models when they show aggression and rage over their child’s game. At games, people have been injured physically and emotionally due to high aggressive behaviors. How can people fix these behaviors in the sport environment? Social workers and level headed people can teach parents their actual “role” in their child’s sports career. This role should be positive and motivational support rather than negative (Heinzmann). Parents are passionate for their child’s sports and performance, and they will do anything to make sure their child is not discredited or pushed to the back. Parents feel a natural obligation to fight for what they feel their child deserves, and that is where aggression can come in to play at

In order to eradicative any negative connotations associated with sports, should all violent aspects of

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.

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

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).

When Indiana Pacer, Ron Artest, charged into the stands with forty-five seconds remaining in a NBA game, last November, between the Pacers and the Detroit Pistons, the shock waves reverberated immediately. Video clips showed Artest pummeling Pistons fans with his fists. Replays also revealed that it was fans, throwing a cup of beer at Artest, which sent the NBA superstar on his rampage. It was one of the ugliest incidents ever seen in American professional sports. Sports fans and non-sports fans alike witnessed the chaotic outbreak of violence from the serenity of their own living rooms. NBA junkies saw the scene unfold during the game's live broadcast on cable TV. Sports fans caught highlights of the melee on ESPN's

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

A common theme I noticed within the readings, videos, and discussions this week is idea of deviance in sport. After watching Dr. Kent’s video about violence in sport, I feel that athletes can potentially develop a violent behavior based on the environment they are exposed to. For example, in past discussions, I learned that some people feel that football players are more likely to be abusive due to the fact they are highly aggressive on the field. Boxers and MMA fighters are looked at similarly, therefore many parents do not want their children to look up to these athletes. Also, it was mentioned this week how domestic violence is the number one crime committed by athletes. Although some athletes convey this deviant behavior outside of the sport, I feel that the sport organizations have been trying to regulate these combat sports while also helping bring awareness to the issues of domestic violence and

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.

A peer review done in Psychology of Violence determined that it is the competitive nature of a game is what arouses aggression and not the level of violent content. Any game can be competitive to any individual. It is all about the perceived notion of the player to determine whether or not a game is competitive or not. No one other that the player can tell them

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.

Playing fair does is nice but it does not sell tickets. Note the popularity of a Dennis Rodman during his heyday as a player for the Chicago Bulls. At one point he physically hurt a cameraman. Dennis was given a slap on the hand, a fine and some suspended days, but he was not permanently expelled from the game. Hockey is another sport that is well known for the violence of its players. Fans revel in the violence of the sport. Players are specifically hired to act as "goons" or "enforcers". Players who commit a violent act have to sit in a penalty box, but the cheers and enthusiasm of fans upon witnessing the violent plans ensure that such plays are destined to be repeated.

Violent games are just an escape door for people who have been socially shocked (Anderson). Young people look for somewhere to place the blame and escape the current situation. The defense for some young people is that whenever they shoot and blow away the enemy in games, their troubles and anxiety are immediately gone. However, they do not know that they are becoming addicted to violent games and rely on that escape door to open the darker and the more dangerous room. If young people are the bullies in school, they will become accustomed to violence. They will feel less remorseful when they encounter the violence and express less pity towards victims. On the other side of things, the victims are then also more likely to seek out violent games and act in the position of the bullies because they have been picked on. The result in both of these cases is that they become more violent and aggressive. All they can think about is violence. Day by day, the increased levels of aggressive thoughts evolve inside them until they reach their limit and the result