Effects of Violence in Sports

Historically, violence was not only found in sports, but it served as a sport in itself, such as was the case in Ireland in the 19th Century (Conley, 1999). Conley stated that the recreational element of violence in sports must be considered when studying violence in general. Studies of violence such as homicide focus on explanations that include economic, political, demographic, and cultural factors but fail to consider the recreation factor. Conley studied the records of 1,932 homicides that were reported by the Irish police from 1866 to 1892, newspaper articles, and court records. Findings showed that while multiple factors are involved, the Irish chose violence as a pastime in many cases. Violence in later times continues to reflect this pattern; violence is described as both rational and goal oriented and expressive of emotions and pleasurable feelings. Actions that include pleasurable violence are noted in other countries such as Australia, the Mediterranean, the American West and South, and Central and South America. Recreational violence has declined but continues to exist in play or sports.

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chool students to determine their views of sport involvement, sport violence and health behaviors. These authors found that students had positive associations with violence in sport-related events and they also associated sports with eating fruits and participating in sports and exercise. Male involvement in sport violence increased with age. The authors concluded that while sports is helpful in promoting health-related behaviors, it also promotes violence in young people. Efforts to eliminate sport violence are recommended since this violence is linked with positive associations that generalize to other situations. Sports, Violence, and Masculinity Sports help create images of masculinity (Drummond, 2002). Drummond stated that male athletes help shape the meaning of relationships and sports themselves are a place where masculine behaviors develop. In the 1960s it was believed that sports built character in men and sports were encouraged. Prior to this time politicians encouraged sports to build courage and strength needed to defend the nation. Sports were designed to teach "manly" behaviors and values (p. 129). Sports were an arena in which a man or male could sustain physical punishment and participate in violence.
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Approximate Word count = 1518
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

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