Violence In Sports Essay

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Recommended: The effect of violence in sport

Brett Higgins
Mr. Wallace
Sports and Society – 5A
1/14/2014
Violence and Bullying in Sports Affect our Society
“It’s the most perfect feeling in the world to know you’ve hit a guy just right, that you’ve maximized the physical pain he can feel…. You feel the life just go out of him. You’ve taken all this man’s energy and just dominated him.” said Michael Strahan, NFL player, 2007. Violence and bullying in sports affect our society in a negative way. Michael Strahan’s quote is an example of how violence can affect us through sports. Violence in sports, bullying in sports, and society acting upon these actions can affect our society.
Violence in sports affects our society. What is violence you may ask. It is the use of excessive physical force, which causes or has obvious potential to cause harm or destruction. Violence in sports is not limited to men. When women do violence in sport, it may be seen as a sign of commitment or skill, but it’s not seen as proof of femininity. But athletes learn to use violence as a strategy, even though it may cause pain or injury. Violence in sports is not new to our society, but the violence of the spectators has increased. There are many types of violence. Mike Smith, a respected Canadian sociologist, identified four categories of violence in sports. First category is brutal body contact. These are the most commonly seen, blocking on the field, tackling a runner, or anything of similarity. This is nothing illegal or criminal, and doesn’t need punishment because of the action. Many coaches in different sports encourage this type of violence. The second Smith states is borderline violence. This category often violates the rules of the game, but is accepted by many players and coaches. Fines are no...

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...ed another man who told him that the issue was minor. This case is a example on how spectators can get into a game and become unnecessary violent.
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Research shows it relates to three general factors. First is just the action in the sport. In football and hockey, for example, are more violent so the spectators will react upon that. If it would be golf or swimming there wouldn’t be a big uproar compared to other sports.
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Bullying constantly affects our society. What is bullying you may ask. It is defined as a conscious willful, deliberate and repeated hostile activity marked by an imbalance of power, intent to harm, and/or a threat of aggression. Severe bullying can lead to a feeling of terror on the part of the person being bullied. Whether it’s from parents, players, or coaches’ disrespectful behavior has been a growing concern in our gyms, rinks, and stadiums.

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