Реферат: Sports Violence Essay Research Paper Sports violenceThe

Sports Violence Essay, Research Paper

Sports violence

The Growing Problem of Violence in Sports

Bench clearing brawls in baseball, bloody hockey fights, soccer mobs, post-game

sports riots, and increasing injuries are all images of today s sports that are familiar to

us. In recent years players and fans alike have shown increased aggression when it

comes to sporting events. One of the most disturbing trends in sports is the increasing

frequency and severity of violence. Injuries and deaths among participants are on

the rise, as are injuries and deaths among fans and spectators. Violence in sports is an

important issue because sports themselves are an important aspect in our lives and the

society we live in. Their importance, however, should not be greater than our concern

about preserving the values and aspects of our society. The problem of sports

violence has become a worldwide phenomenon, that is an unacceptable, growing social

problem.

Sports violence can be defined as behavior by a player, coach, or fan that is

intended to inflict pain or cause injury (Berger 8). Sports violence causes harm, breaks

the rules of the game, and is unrelated to the competitive objectives of the sport.

Leonard identifies two forms of aggression in sports: Instrumental aggression, which is

non-emotional and task-oriented and reactive aggression, which has an underlying

emotional component, with harm as its goal (165). Violence is the outcome of reactive

aggression. There are three major theories of aggression in sports: The biological theory,

psychological theory, and the social learning theory (Leonard 170-171). The biological

theory sees aggression as a basic, innate human characteristic, in which sports is seen as

a socially acceptable way to discharge built-up aggression (170). The psychological

theory states that aggression is caused by frustration and is situational (170). In sports,

frustration can be caused by questionable calls by officials, failure to make a certain

play, injuries , heckling from spectators, or taunts by coaches and players. The social

learning theory maintains that aggressive behavior is learned through modeling and

reinforced by rewards and punishments (171). Each of these theories could play a role

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