Because of the growing concern for the violence in sports, the problem is now widely discussed among modern psychologists. However, this issue has been examined for quite a number of times and roots back into the history of sports. Thus, it is important to consider the problem not only as the sore spot of the modern culture, but as something that is inherent in human being, perhaps, the spirit of competitiveness.
The Article in Details: All That You Wanted to Know
Entitled “The Determinants and Control of Violence in Sports”, the article written by the talented professors of psychology, Peter C. Terry and John J. Jackson explored the shapes which violence in sports can take and suggests the ways to handle them in the field, as well as during the training. Published in the distant 1985 in the journal named Quest, it created quite a stir in the scientific circles.
Causing people to think about the roots of the sports violence and the ways to eliminate or minimize it. It is quite peculiar that even now, 20 years later, the pieces of advice given by the scientists remain topical and prove efficient despite their ripe age. It seems that the established system of psychological evaluations of the sportsmen’s behavior does not age.
Researching the Problem in Deep: The Concern for the Violence in Sports
One of the most important features of the article is that it takes into consideration both the aggression as people’s primary instinct and as the trait of character acquired in the course of personal development, the specific social behavior which suggests a certain pattern for sportsmen to follow. Calculating the percentage of the cases of explicit aggression in the sports field, the authors come to the conclusion that aggression is determined both by the inherited instincts and the social role of the sportsmen.
What has been taken into the focus of the research is the conceptual model of aggression process (Terry 33) on which the assumptions of the aggressive behavior of sportsmen is based on. It is also important that the researches focus on the background of sportsmen to understand the roots of the antisocial behavior in the field.
Considering the problem, it is necessary to see what predetermines the sportsmen’s violence in the field psychologically. Both suggestions introduced in the article are plausible, yet it seems that with the mass media in the modern sport, the reasons for the sports violence can be different.
Another issue which can trigger the sportsmen’s violence is the wish to become even more famous. Relying on the halo effect which makes them invincible to any criticism in their fans’ eyes, sportsmen can resort to violence in sports as the means to gain more popularity.
It also seems that the Lombardi ethic has its effect on the sportsmen during the game. Under the spur of the win-or-lose ideas dragged into the mass media, fans may not notice the excessive violence in the field. Adding to the excitement of the spectators with the bright and witty comments, the mass media curtains the tragic consequences of the violence in the field. Such is the cost of introducing sports into the popular culture.
Conclusion
In spite of the fact that there have been numerous attempts both to justify sports violence and to prohibit the outbursts of violence in the field, it is obvious that sports violence cannot be stopped at present. Inflamed by the mass media which makes the scandalous sportsmen even more popular, sports violence is still storming. Only introducing the new standards and ideas of sports, it will be possible to change the situation.
Works Cited
Terry, Peter C and John J. Jackson. The Determinants and Control of
Violence in Sports. Quest, 1985: 37. Print.