Devience in Sports

On November 8 and 10, 2016 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed the different types of deviance both on and off the field that many professional athletes face. In class we defined deviance as an act/person that differs from the norm, especially behavior or attitudes that differ from acceptable social standards. Some examples of deviance in our society include:

Fighting is often seen as a tradition in the NHL

• Use of illegal drugs
• Violent crimes
• Stealing/robbing

Examples of deviance in sport include:

• Fighting
• Bounty hunting
• Academic cheating
• PED use
• Gambling
• Illegal recruiting practices

Both sets of examples listed above parallel each other as most of the problems in society tend to carry over into sports. Because of the similarities trying to study deviance in sport becomes more difficult mainly because what is seen as deviant outside of sport may be acceptable within some sports like fighting in hockey. Fighting in society can get you charged with assault among other crimes but in hockey fighting is seen as a momentum swing from one team to another and is completely accepted by players, fans, and the league, although is still penalized within the game via fighting penalties. With hockey being the only team sport where fighting is accepted that doesn't mean that aggression and violence doesn't occur in the other sports like football, rugby, and boxing, especially in football and boxing where aggression is encouraged.

According to an article titled Sports and Deviant Behavior by Tim Delaney  we as a society in America love to see violence in sport whether it is fights in the NHL or big hits in the NFL because they are seen as a part of the game and could be considered a grey area. Americans seem to be desensitized to violent crimes because of how exposed we are to violence from media news coverage on TV that focuses mainly on violent crimes and less on positive stories. The athletes on the field aren't the only aggressive ones in the stadiums, fans are very likely to engage with opposing fans in verbal and physical abuse. Examples described in the article include a First Round World Cup game in Moscow where Japan defeated Russia, fans went on a rampage and beat five students from Japan while two other fans were killed. One of the most recent acts of violence due to fans of a sporting event occurred after game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final in Vancouver as the Canucks lost to the Boston Bruins, Canucks fans erupted in anger and started to riot overturning cars and looting local businesses.

Angered fans set cars on fire after Vancouver lost in the Finals.

Deviance not only occurs with athletes on the field but off other field as well with recent incidences involving Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice to name a couple. Such incidences include drunk driving, and domestic violence charges even murder. To read Tim Delaney's full article click here.