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Violence in Sports!!!Violence in Sports!!!

Why and How Bad?

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Definition of Violence

The use of excessive physical force, which causes or has the

potential to cause harm or destruction

Violence is not always illegal or disapproved It may be praised and lauded as necessary

in sport contests

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When violence involves extreme overconformity to norms, it may signal fascism

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Aggression

The most discussed term associated with violence in sports and employed to describe angry violent behavior with intent to hurt a person or cause damage to property. An inborn drive similar to sex or hunger (Freud, 1950), may be regulated through discharge or fulfillmentAggression is not the same as assertiveness, competitiveness, or trying hard

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Definition of Aggression

Verbal or physical actions grounded in an intent to dominate, control, or do harm to another personIs not an act of a cognitive stateIs not accidental, rather intentionalInvolves both bodily and psychological harmInvolves only living being

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Categories of Aggression

“Legitimate” (no fault) and “illegitimate” (at fault) aggressionPlayer aggression Personal: harm to oneself Interpersonal: harm to each other

Spectator aggression Celebratory Hooliganism

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Violence in Sports History

Figurational research shows that violence was more severe in the past On the field & off the field

Rates of sports violence have not automatically increased over timeViolence in sports remains a crucial social issue today Sports violence can serve to reproduce an

ideology of male privilege

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Types of On-the-field Violence

1. Brutal body

contact2. Borderline

violence

3. Quasi-criminal violence

4. Criminal violence

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When violence involves widespread rejection of norms, it may signal anarchy

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Violence As Deviant Overconformity to the Sport Ethic

Coaches may expect players to use violenceViolence often attracts media attentionPlayers may not like violence, even though most accept it as part of the gameQuasi- and criminal violence are routinely rejected by athletes and spectators

(continued)

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Violence As Deviant Overconformity to the Sport Ethic

Violence may be related to insecurities in high performance sportsExpressions of violence are related to gender, but not limited to menPhysicality creates drama and excitement, strong emotions, and special bonds among all athletes, male and female

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Commercialization and Violence

Some athletes are paid to do violenceCommercialization and money expand the visibility of violence in sports and encourage a promotional rhetoric that uses violent imagesViolence is not caused by TV and money – it existed long before TV coverage and big salariesMedia sometimes promoted violence

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Violence and Masculinity

Violence is grounded in general cultural norms

Violence in sports is not limited to men

Playing power and performance sports often are ways to prove masculinity

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Violence Is Institutionalized in Some Sports

In contact men’s sports, players learn to use violence as a strategy Enforcers & goons

are paid to do violence

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In non-contact sports, violence is usually limited to using violent images in talk

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In women’s contact sports, violence may be used as a strategy, but not to prove femininity

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Pain and Injury As the Price of Violence

A popular paradox in today’s sports: People accept violence while being concerned about injuries caused by violenceDisabling injuries caused by violence in some sports are serious problemsDominant ideas about masculinity are related to high injury rates in men’s sports

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Controlling On-the-field Violence

Brutal body contact is the most difficult form of violence to control Most injuries occur on “legal hits”

The most effective strategies might involve: Suspensions for players Fines for team owners

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Off-the-field Violence

Data on carryover are inconclusiveAssault and sexual assault rates among male, heterosexual athletes are a serious problem These behaviors are a serious problem in society

as a whole Debates about whether rates are higher among

athletes distract attention from the problem of violence in culture

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Learning to Control Violence in Sports

Control may be learned if The social world formed around a sport promotes a mindset & norms emphasizing:

Non-violence Self-control Respect for self and others Physical fitness Patience

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Violence Is Most Likely When:

Sports are organized in ways that

Produce HUBRIS

Separate athletes from the community

Encourage athletes to think that others do not deserve their respect

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Violence Among SpectatorsNo data on how watching sports may influence violence in everyday relationshipsSpectators at non-contact sports have low rates of violenceSpectators at contacts sports have rates of violence that constitute a problem in need of analysis and control Rates today are lower than rates in the past

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Celebratory Violence

This form of violence has not been studied systematically by scholars in the sociology of sport

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Hooliganism

Dunning (1983) concluded that hooliganism, is rationalized by its perpetrators as a legitimate adjunct professional soccer activity.

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HooliganismMirror of Society

Peter Marsh of the Social Issues Research Centre in Oxford said: "If you had thousands of working-class males congregating on a Saturday afternoon, and there were no fights, that would be very surprising."

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Figure 7.1 Research is needed on celebratory riots associated with sports

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General Factors Related to Violence at Sport Events

1. Action in the sport event itself

2. Crowd dynamics & the situation in which spectators watch the event

3. Historical, social economic, & political context in which the event is planned and played

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Crowd Dynamics & Situational Factors

Crowd size Composition of crowd Meaning and

importance of event History of relationship

between teams Crowd control

strategies at event

Alcohol consumption by spectators

Location of event Motivations for

attending the event Importance of teams as

sources of identity for spectators

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Controlling Crowd Violence

Be aware of the following factors:1. Perceived violence on the field is positively

related to crowd violence

2. Crowd dynamics and conditions

3. Historical, social, political, & political issues underlying spectator orientations