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Violence in sports

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Violence in sports can result in chaotic brawls, both by athletes and spectators. They may involve beer bottles, sinks from stadiums, improvised stabbing utensils, stadium seats, and whatever else may be found on hand.

In sports which are inherently violent, violence which goes beyond what is permitted by the rules sometimes occurs.

Competitive sports, such as football, basketball, and baseball may involve aggressive tactics, but actual violence is considered to fall outside the boundaries of good sportsmanship. Contact sports such as American football, ice hockey, rugby football, boxing, wrestling, and water polo involve certain levels of physical violence, but include restrictions and penalties for excessive and dangerous acts of force. Violence in sports may include threats, or physical harm and may be carried out by athletes, coaches, fans, spectators, or the parents of young athletes.

George Orwell once made the observation, "Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence: in other words it is war minus the shooting."[1]

Causes

"Intermittent explosive disorder" may be a cause of violence. Some athletes may be genetically predisposed to violence or (particularly in male athlete cases) have unusually high testosterone levels. Animal behaviour ethology studies may also lend a clue, as athletes may resort to violence to establish territory.

Violence in sports involves intentional aggressive Competitive sports, such as football, soccer, and baseball may involve aggressive tactics, but actual violence in sports falls outside the borders of good sportsmanship. Contact sports such as American football, ice hockey, rugby union/league, boxing, wrestling, and water polo involve certain levels of physical violence, but include restrictions and penalties for excessive and dangerous acts of force. Violence in sports may include threats, verbal abuse, or physical harm and may be carried out by athletes, coaches, fans, spectators, or the parents of young athletes. The sporting arena has also been used as a platform for countries to settle their disputes in front of the world's media.

Types of violence

Violence by Athletes

Athletes sometimes resort to violence, in hopes of injuring and intimidating opponents. Such incidents may be part of a strategy developed by coaches or players. An example of a pre-arranged strategy is the 99-call used by the British Lions Rugby Union team in their 1974 tour of South Africa, as a pre-arranged all-out attack on the South African team if one of the South African players was deemed to have committed a violent infraction that had gone unpunished by the home referees. Upon hearing the team captain Willie John McBride's call of '99', each player would find the nearest opponent and attack him. This was based on the (correct) assumption that the referee would not dare to send off all the Lions if they all resorted simultaneously to violence. Another example is Duke college basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski's decision to put in a walk-on scrub at the beginning of a game against Wake Forest Demon Deacons in order to harass star point guard Chris Paul.

In boxing, unruly or extremely violent behaviour by one of the contestants often results in the fighter breaking the rules being penalized with points taken off, or, in extreme cases, disqualification. Outlawed tactics in boxing include hitting the opponent on the back of the head, under the belly, during clinching, and to the back. Other tactics that are outlawed, but less seen, are pushing an opponent extremely hard to the floor, or hitting repeatedly after the round has ended. The most notorious incident involved Mike Tyson biting off part of opponent Evander Holyfield's ear during a 1997 match.

Fan violence

Fans of the Minnesota Golden Gophers riot in the Dinkytown neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota after the Gophers won the 2003 Frozen Four
File:1984 World Series Riot.jpg
Famous picture from the 1984 World Series

In both the stands and the streets, fans may resort to violence to express loyalty to a team, to release frustration with a team’s performance, or to intimidate opponents. Violence may also be related to nationalism or as an outlet for underlying social tensions. It is often alcohol-related. (See also: List of violent spectator incidents in sports) Violence by supporters of sports teams dates back to Roman times, when supporters of chariot racing teams were frequently involved in major riots. A notable example of this is the Nika riots of 532.

Montreal Canadiens fans rioted on March 17, 1955, after Maurice Richard received a suspension.

The actions of English football hooligans and firms in the 1980s caused English teams to be banned from European competition for six years after the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985. Although the level of football-related violence was significantly reduced in England after this event, in the recent Euro 2004 tournament, England were publicly warned that any violence by supporters at matches could result in the team's expulsion from the tournament. Many known hooligans were prevented from travelling to the tournament in Portugal. There was a collective sigh of relief from security experts in the USA when England failed to qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Alan Rothenberg (chairman of the World Cup organising committee in the United States in 1994) said:

There were three countries in the world whose presence would have created logistical and security problems, so we're very pleased they won't be coming: Iraq, Iran and England.

Parental violence

The parents of athletes occasionally become violent. Some taunt or hit coaches, players, and other parents. Others bully their own children, lashing out as punishment or misguided encouragement. In 2000, hockey dad Thomas Junta of Reading, Massachusetts, was watching his 10 year old son at a summer ice hockey practice. Concerned about aggressive play, he yelled at coach Michael Costin of Lynnfield, Massachusetts. A fight ensued, spilling into the hallway. Junta, who was 100 pounds (45 kg) heavier, repeatedly punched Costin in the face, while holding him down with a knee to the chest. Junta's sons begged him to stop and another adult broke up the fight, but Costin died. Junta was later handed a six-to-10-year sentence for manslaughter.

Christophe Fauviau, the father of 2 promising French teenaged tennis players, pleaded guilty in court in 2006 to spiking the drinks of 27 of the parents of their opponents, over a three year period, with an anti-anxiety drug that causes drowsiness. One of the victims fell asleep at the wheel of his car after the match, crashed, and died from his injuries. Fauviau received an 8 year prison sentence.[1]

Ritual violence

High school, college, and even professional sports teams often include initiation ceremonies (known as hazing in the USA) as a rite of passage. A 1999 study by Alfred University and the NCAA found that approximately four out of five college US athletes (250,000 per year) experienced hazing.[2] Half were required to take part in alcohol-related initiations, while two-thirds were subjected to humiliation rituals.

Notable events

The most notable event in modern sport-related violence was the Heysel Stadium disaster, when 39 people died when a wall collapsed under pressure of Juventus supporters fleeing from 'football hooligans' supporting Liverpool F.C.

In the 6th century, rivalry between supporters of the Blue and Green chariot-racing teams in Constantinople, led to 30,000 deaths in the week of the Nika riots in 532.

Other notable events include

  • In 1951, Heisman trophy candidate Johnny Bright, from Drake University, was slugged by Wilbanks Smith, from Oklahoma A&M, during an A&M home football game. Bright suffered a broken jaw in what many view as a racially motivated attack.
  • In 1972, Ohio State University was leading the University of Minnesota 50-44 with 36 seconds left to play in the basketball game. Ohio State's Luke Witte was fouled hard going to the basket. Minnesota’s Corky Taylor punched the dazed Witte in the head and kneed him in the groin. Gopher reserve Ron Behagen then stomped Witte on the neck and head. Witte was taken off the court on a stretcher and booed by Minnesota fans. [2]
  • In 1975, cyclist Eddy Merckx was viciously punched by a spectator as he climbed the Puy-de-Dome in the Tour de France. Merckx, who had won the Tour de France five times previously and at the time was in the leader's yellow jersey, finished the stage barely able to breathe, and went on to finish the tour in second place overall.
  • Blood in the water water polo semi-final match between Hungary and Soviet Union at the 1956 Summer Olympics was stopped to diffuse a possible riot by the fans when a Russian player punched Hungary's Ervin Zador.
  • Kermit Washington's punch of Rudy Tomjanovich during an NBA game.
  • Tonya Harding's attack on Nancy Kerrigan.
  • Mike Tyson biting Evander Holyfield's ear during their rematch.
  • Adrian Dodson biting Alain Bonnamie's mouth during a Commonwealth title fight.
  • On January 25, 1995, Manchester United striker Éric Cantona assaulted a fan during a game against Crystal Palace after said fan hurled racial slurs towards him. Cantona was banned for the remainder of the FA Premier League season.
  • On January 19, 2001, basketball player Elnes Harold Bolling of the Racing de Gualeguaychú (Argentina) team became incensed after a foul on him was called by referee Fabián Blumenblat. Bolling, who had just served a suspension for fighting, punched Blumenblat, knocking him unconscious. Blumenblat suffered a shattered jaw and orbital bone and underwent immediate surgery to save the sight in his left eye. The Virgin Islands-born Bolling, who had become a naturalized Argentine at some unknown time, was banned for life from the league and faced a prison sentence of a month to a year. His present whereabouts are unknown.
  • On October 14, 2006, the Miami Hurricanes and the Florida International University Golden Panthers brawled after a PAT. The brawl engulfed the entire field of play. FIU's Chris Smith wrestled Miami holder Matt Perrelli to the ground and punched him. While Perrelli was still on the ground, FIU's Marshall McDuffie, Jr. kicked Perrelli in his helmet. Miami's Derrick Morse jumped on top of McDuffie, and the benches emptied. The climax of the fight saw one player use his helmet as a weapon, and an injured FIU player swinging crutches menacingly. Miami's Carlos Armour was a prominent figure in the fight when he lifted an FIU player completely off the ground and slammed him to the grass. The fight lasted five minutes, and it took the officials longer to sort out the penalties. In all, 13 players were ejected from the game (8 from FIU and 5 from Miami), and 31 players would later draw suspensions for their involvement in the fracas (18 from FIU, 13 from Miami). For more details, see Miami-FIU brawl.
  • On 16 December, 2006 the NBA's leading scorer, Carmelo Anthony was involved in a large brawl in which ten players from the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets (including Anthony) were ejected.

Prevention

Specialists in preventing sports violence have recommended:

  • emphasizing sportsmanship among young players.
  • promoting positive sports role models.
  • banning or restricting the consumption of alcohol.
  • imposing tougher penalties for athletes who cause or aggravate an altercation.
  • banning unruly spectators from stadiums.
  • prosecuting both athletes and non-athletes in the criminal courts.

Some critics suggest that sport psychology professionals could also counsel athletes, but coaches, parents and athletes may balk at accusations of emotional damage.

While the availability of alcohol at sporting venues is often cited as a key reason for provoking violence, most clubs would be very reluctant to stop selling alcohol at matches because it may discourage some fans from attending, and profit from its sale can be considerable. Most clubs restrict the quantity of alcohol that can be purchased by fans and stop selling alcohol at some point before the end of the match. These restrictions may or may not be mandated by the liquor control board of the jurisdiction. Also, any alcohol will normally be sold in a plastic cup to prevent an unruly spectator from easily using the container as a missile. Since the Taylor Report in the early 1990s, alcohol may not now be consumed within view of the pitch in UK football stadiums.

In most sports, officials or referees impose penalties when athletes step outside the bounds of normal competitive play. Formal sporting organizations, such as the NHL, NBA, UEFA, sometimes impose suspensions, expulsions or fines.

References

  1. ^ Orwell, George (1950). "The Sporting Spirit". Shooting an Elephant. New York: Harcourt, Brace, & Co. p. 153.
  2. ^ <http://www.10000takes.com/hall_of_shame/>

See also

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