Sport is considered a universal marvel, evolving from a pure form of leisure to today considered a fundamental element of the “social and cultural fabric. .. focused on social issues, generating economic growth and changing perceptions of the modern world.” Even if the development of sport has proven capable of tackling various social constraints, the concern linked to violence has constantly played a major role and has given rise to multiple controversies over the years. The following essay will discuss the relationship between violence in contact sport and its impact on its participants, the audience, and the transferability of spectator violence in games. At the same time, I will discuss concerns about other factors. such as masculinity, health and societal issues, hence violence in sport, with the related theories and understanding of how they contribute to this concept. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay “Participants in sports, by the simple act of participating in them, have accepted the inevitability of rough contact. Maguire emphasizes that violence is an integral part of sport and says violent behavior, aggression and threats are "natural and an integral part of human conduct." Similarly, Shields (1999) believes: "Violence and intimidation have become accepted strategies in some sports, particularly in high contact sports, such as football, ice hockey or rugby." However, other experts such as; Kerr (2002) emphasizes that there is “a fine line between intimidation tactics and violence that can result in serious physical and psychological harm,” even putting life at risk. Nevertheless, these participants cannot control the injuries sustained by the movement that violates the formal rule of the sport. A prime example of this act is an incident that occurred in the National Hockey League, when a player; Niklas Kornwall left another player; Martin Havlat “unconscious following controversial hit in first period” resulting in concussion, according to NHL.com. Although this could be considered a brief accident, as Havlat was unconscious for a minute, a long-term injury could have occurred. Another example occurred in 2003, when football player Bill Romanowski attacked and injured one of his teammates, Marcus Williams, during a melee. "Williams was forced to retire after Romanowski confronted Williams after a play, ripped off his helmet and crushed his eye socket with a punch." Paul Theroux in "Being a Man" simply illustrates such an act as that of a "manly man showing no emotion but only aggression towards his opponent", he elaborates "the aggressiveness and competitiveness supported by the spectators and the public ...attract more consideration and improve the game's ratings", and/as savagery becomes the game's unavoidable focus. Despite this, critics argue that violence in sports is a decent method to vent the hostility. But, at the same time, Maguire's approach that violence in games allows competitors to free themselves from aggression is a flawed basic assumption. What he means is that if these competitors could not be interested in games, they would discover different ways of expressing their outrage and hostility, such as murder and assault. He further adds: "Not everyone on the planet is a fierce individual and themost competitors do not play their game to release their anger; they play either for money or affection for entertainment.” Therefore, it explains what kind of brutality is worth it in games. It states: “Borderline violence” includes practices that abuse the official principles of the game, but which are recognized by both players and fans as a true part of the game itself. Such behavior – a fight in ice hockey or an intentional foul in football – is almost never subject to legal procedures and will usually be handled by sanctions imposed by referees, league administrators or referees of the teams. matches. “Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is linked to hatred, jealousy, boasting, disregard for all rules and the sadistic pleasure of witnessing violence... and the growing concern over sporting violence has now become insignificant to "Our times, because sports spectators and fans themselves love aggression, it improves television ratings and thus apparently brings a sense of celebration to the game." Widely discussed in his book Media, Sports & Society, Wenner exploits the way whose violence in sport has become acceptable because spectators, like fans, thrive on match aggression. Due to spectators and fans now encouraging violence and aggression, participants "perceive other teams as enemies promoting hostility towards the 'enemy' group and the hostility now extends to the fans, to geographic locations, ethnicities and so-called social class.” Although Wenner's argument is somewhat extreme, since there is no statistical data to prove it, he is right that spectators love aggression. For example, William Morris Endeavor, owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship – a fighting league that incorporates mixed martial arts, states that "in recent years, the UFC has attracted considerable attention", although some perceive this as a “human cockfight”. received extremely high marks. Much of the UFC's success comes from its wild, bloodthirsty fans and over-the-top spectators. In this game, spectators are continually shown emphasizing the violence and power that one participant can wield against the other! UFC fans enjoy violence in the sport. Wenner also specifies: there is a bloodlust among individuals which manifests itself in horde scenes. Individuals feel safer tolerating brutality when in groups of other bystanders. “A group of spectators who attend an organized event that they know will be violent are much more likely to accept violence and chaos than bystanders on the street who witness a violent crime.” However, spectators have a major influence in encouraging violence in sport. , have you ever considered that a spectator himself becomes the target of sporting violence? Kerr (1999) suggests that attacks on spectators or officials are very rare. However, Tenebaum et al (2000) conducted research and cited studies on aggressive acts. Rainey, (1994); Rainey and Hardy, (1999); Wann, Carlson, and Schrader (1999) addressed hostility directed toward officials and spectators. Rainey and Hardy's study shows that 5.6% of rugby referees reported being assaulted and 3.9% of spectators were targets of aggressive behavior from players and fans from time to time. But that still doesn't stop viewers from enjoying the nastiness from the comfort oftheir seat. It is pitiful to consider that our society has reached a point where individuals enjoy witnessing violent aggression and do not consider its repercussions. Author of “Sport Matters”; Eric Dunning explains how violence in sport has largely impacted certain aspects of our society, firstly through the excessive violent behavior of crowds at sporting events as well as some of the riots that have taken place. One model he gives was during a Monday Night Football game between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets in 1977. Dunning describes that riots broke out during the game because of loud, drunken fans and that the game was invaded several times. Two supporters died, while around thirty spectators were taken to hospital. Dunning said "the Foxboro police chief claimed to have witnessed 'even worse' incidents." Individuals may wonder what makes fans so aggressive and what causes these riots? Dunning suggests the most common reason for fans' aggressive behavior is support for their teams, or cultural or ethnic differences between countries. When a team loses, fans often get out of control or when an unfair decision has been made by the referee, this can also cause fans to act accordingly. A great example of this type of act is the very recent 2017 semi-final between India and Sri Lanka, where fans started throwing firecrackers and bottles on the field! the game finally had to, after being interrupted several times, be postponed. While it wasn't revealed who the fans were supporting, it shows how far they can go to support their teams, including through riots or similar events. Exceptionally exposed mass sports, for example, football, ice skating, boxing and so on, have articulated a macho emphasis. Our society promotes the ideology of “masculine” and “macho”. Impacts include: societal issues, children's perspectives, domestic violence, etc. An example of the impact of violence in sport on the growing children of our society. Author and psychology professor Daniel L, in Wann's article on "Aggression in Sports," states that "parents of children involved in sports often behave aggressively in sports environments." Violence and aggression likely become the most significant factors due to the competitive nature of the sport and every parent's desire to see their child succeed. Helping your child achieve is ideal, however, when parents behave aggressively, it can have an immense impact on both the child and the relationship between them. Masculinity is presented as a desired characteristic through violence in sport and athletes who crave a sense of masculinity turn to them. sexual violence. There have been several cases where athletes have also turned to illegal activities, other than sexual assault and violence, and caused fatal harm – all to facilitate their assault. For example, many athletes such as; Kobe Bryant, Mike Tyson and former NFL player Darren Sharper were accused of assault; "He drugged and raped two women in California and is suspected of doing the same to other women in Arizona, Nevada and Louisiana, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office." Likewise, this is the case when former wrestler Chris Benoit killed his family and then committed suicide. This was an unfortunate event believed to have been caused by steroid misuse. However, we havelater discovered that this had been accelerated by mental problems due to various blackouts, according to the blog "Historic Mysteries" which focuses one of its articles on the life of Chris Benoît. In the article "The Concussion Time Bomb", author Steve Maich describes that "in rare cases, victims may suffer from post-concussion syndrome in which symptoms refuse to subside or return with a vengeance when patients exercise physically.” In Benoit's case, the fainting spells he suffered while wrestling caused him to return with retaliation against himself and his family, causing fatal injuries. Don McPherson, former professional football player and current executive director of the Sports Leadership Institute, examines the association between sexual brutality and sports: He states that: "Early in life, most boys hear the insult 'you throw like a girl » ». In the sporting context, this is considered an insult because it attacks masculinity in an attempt to motivate or degrade them. It educates and prevents chauvinistic and misanthropic attitudes and until it is addressed, sport will continue to be a breeding ground for masculinity and misogyny. Athletes are taught to view their bodies as machines and weapons with which to destroy their rivals, which often leads them to resort to brutality against their own bodies. Sex, violence and power in sport, writer Mike Messner (1994) explains: "how violence in sport can cause real long-term damage". Like what happened with Chris Benoit, multiple attacks during matches can cause harm that sometimes cannot be resolved. Even today, many cultures and media still praise violence in sport despite the large number of serious incidents that have occurred over the years. Athletes are trained and taught to play regardless of pain and their ability to defy it, creating a rather masculine and extreme personality, and although most athletes "wear their injuries with pride", any athlete playing through pain can therefore compromise your health. , serious damage may be caused. Sport has largely grown as a global phenomenon connecting a diversity of individuals. Through the development of new games, media has become intriguing and inclusive, clearly illustrating the concept of globalization. However, even though sport addresses many social and environmental factors, the involvement of violence in sport has become a growing concern and has given rise to many negative questions about the consequences faced by participants, the society and the world in general. Keep in mind: This is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The inclusiveness of violence on one hand serves the purposes of enjoyment for viewers and audiences, but on the other hand it highlights issues such as: excessive emphasis on masculinity , health problems, the inevitability of injuries and other factors. The sport has experienced and will continue to grow, and it must bring about changes in people's views on violence and whether to continue to accept it or bring about a change by adding limits to the extent to which violence can be involved in a game.ReferencesAbdal-Haqq, I. (1989) Violence in sport. 2nd ed., Washington, DC: ERIC Clearinghouse.Britannica Blog. 2006. Violence and sport - Ugly but useful?. ONLINE Available at: http://blogs.britannica.com/2006/12/violence-and-sports-ugly-but-useful. Accessed December 19, 2018 Dunning, E. (2000). Sport matters; 2018