Violence in Sports

Introduction

Violence in sports occurs when either rules of games are broken by the players, or when injuries and harms are caused by them to their co-players. This essay discusses on this particular topic, which is a major cause of concern in modern sports.

Sports and Violence

Violence in sports raises significant questions on the morality of the games that are played, and also the effects of such violence on other individuals, especially children. While sports are considered to build character of individuals and teach them about team spirits, acts of violence calls the need for more organized sports in practice (SPORTS: WHEN WINNING IS THE ONLY THING, CAN VIOLENCE BE FAR AWAY? n.d.). It can be realized that when children are mass followers of sports, violence in sports can affect them drastically, also encouraging them towards similar acts in their personal lives.

According to the Catharsis hypothesis or drive discharge model, aggression in sport can lead to hostile acts resulting from sudden uncontrolled impulses occurring among individuals. Aggression here is a behaviour and not an attitude that can result in violence in sports. Another theory, social learning theory, has been based on the interactions that take place between different individuals. It focuses on the fact that the external environment may be responsible in creating situations where an individual may react aggressively on the field. From these theories, it can be said that violence in sports have certain causes behind which are generally associated with sudden disruption of the normal environment of the games.

Effects of Violence in Sports and the Media

While violence in sports tends to injure opponents or players in a game, it has been obtained however that the media plays a significant role in publicising the issue in a more aggravated manner to the world. This in turn often results in a continuation of the violence that takes place on the field, to outside of the game as well. Hence, increasing hostility can be seen in such cases, affecting the players and their relationships, as well as the morality of sports.

Conclusion

From the above study, it can be concluded that violence in sports is a matter of concern as it not only causes harms to the players, but also affects the morality of sports and reflects negative influences of viewers of sports, especially children.