Here is the final installment of my work, "Violence and Aggression in Sports."
Thanks to all who have been following along, I hope you have enjoyed this in-depth look at a disturbing trend.
Aggression or sportsmanship can be learned and reinforced in many different ways. Multiple reasons, rather than a single one, influence such behaviors.
Young athletes need positive, appropriate, and constructive role models to teach and reinforce sportsmanship and moral reasoning (Nucci & Young-Shim, 2005).
The coach is perhaps the most significant person influencing the amount of aggressive or sportsmanlike behaviors displayed in the competitive sport context (Conan, 1980; Cratty, 1983; King, 1990; Terry & Jackson 1985).
Smith (1983) reported that nine percent of hockey players (N=166) between the ages of 12 to 13 perceived their coaches as approving of hockey violence. The role of referees has also been identified as a significant factor affecting athletes' subsequent behaviors (Lefebve, Leith, & Bredemeier, 1980).
Failure of referees to correct an athlete’s aggressive behavior may reinforce and increase the probabilit...
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