Deviance and Violence In Sports
One of the greatest things in the world is sports. Sports can bring the community
together, enhance relationships between teammates and the sport itself, and it can even generate
revenue to help pay the athletes, fund events for non-profit organizations, and help the
community. Individuals who participate in sports always aspire to be the best athlete in their
respective sport and they hope the sport helps them to grow as an individual. The competition in
sports these days have become more interesting and global due to the marketing aspect and due
to players going on their own social media accounts to vlog about their days. When athletes are
kids, they do not have a lot to worry about. For instance, a student-athlete would go to school,
then go to practice, and go home and repeat the same schedule the next day. When student-
athletes are just beginning to play, they do not have a lot to think about in regard to
responsibilities outside of the sport or classroom. One of aspects of sports that helps student-
athletes, is the ability for students to use sports to help reduce any stress or pressure they may
feel but in the same way, sports can bring on stress because they want to do well (Benefits of
Sports for Adolescents, n.d.).
When student-athletes make their way to the professional level of their sport, they find
themselves having to follow rules and policies of the team just like when they were in college,
high school, and more often than not, middle school. Off the field behavior and conduct becomes
more publicized at the professional level because of the access the media and fans have.
Anything that is done can be magnified to the extent whether good or bad. In the case of
professional football such as The National Football League, the name of the game is violence
and can be a “brutal contact” sport (Coakley, 2015, p. 163). Violence in the National Football
League and in all other levels of football is something fans expect, and the players are aware of
it. However, when it comes to violence outside of the sport, players have to understand they put
themselves, their brand, the team, and the other parties involved at risk. In the National Football
League, there was a player by the name of Deshaun Watson who was accused of sexual
misconduct and harassment. Although he was not convicted, the police and other stakeholders
were still involved (Nason, 2023). This type of violence is seen as criminal violence (Coakley,
2015). This case against Deshaun Watson brought a lot of media coverage to his former team,
the victims involved, and to his current team. Nason (2023) provides insight on how social media
has made the public more aware of this situation because of some of the hashtags that were
involved. In addition, social media, allowed for users to spread information faster and the
information can become taken out of context (Nason, 2023).
The mental and physical well-being of the victims in the alleged violent case can be long
lasting and have an effect that can alter their behavior and everyday activities (Forsdike et al,
2022). In addition, Forsdike et al, (2022) explains that violence against women and sport has
been a topic of discussion for a while and will continue to be a popular and uncomfortable topic.
It can be observed and assumed that violent contact sports can promote a level of hostility and
dominant behavior through strength over the opposing sex (Forsdike et al., 2022). Nason (2023)
also expresses the same sentiment in regard to men and their power as it relates to violence.
When men’s dominance is displayed through social media, other men would take it as a joke or
dismiss it but it can become a huge problem if not addressed. Men can express their manhood
through virtual platforms, and it is misogynistic and it shows privilege (Nason, 2023). Galatians
5:14 says “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” and this scripture is critical because if we
do not love ourselves, we will treat others with disrespect such as domestic violence, sexual
assault, and more.
References
Benefits of sports for adolescents. (n.d.).
https://www.muhealth.org/conditions-treatments/pediatrics/adolescent-medicine/benefits-
of-sports#:~:text=Sports%20teach%20teamwork%20and%20problem,at%20work%20or
%20at%20home.
Coakley, J. (2015). Sports in society: Issues and Controversies.
Forsdike, K., O’Sullivan, G., & Hooker, L. (2022). Major sports events and domestic violence: A
systematic review. Health & Social Care in the Community, 30(6).
https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.14028
Nason, J. (2023). “Putting his Off-Field issues aside. . .”: Exploring online sport fan community
response to allegations against Deshaun Watson. Communication & Sport, 12(3), 379–
396. https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795231169041
