Aggression is all the rage

Men are becoming more aggressive in the sporting arena, according to a new report. Up to 77% of all men believe modern-day
society is "more aggressive today than it was 10 years ago".
s professional sport becomes more competitive, scenes of fistic!ffs and tantr!ms are becoming a reg!lar occ!rrence on the
bac" pages of the newspapers. #he li"es of $ric %antona and &ohn Mc$nroe are '!st as famo!s for their o!tb!rsts of aggression as
their phenomenal sporting talents.
() thin" we need a ret!rn to the conventions of sportsmanship ( says *+M ,ionic editor -hil +ilton , (throw in .oy /eane,
le0 +iggins and 1oran )vanisevic and yo!2ve got yo!rself a tag wrestling team3. Unfort!nately, the report claims average sportsmen
are em!lating their heroes, with 45% of men saying they play to win.
6!t of the 5000 men 7!estioned nationwide for the 8ports .age 8!rvey, commissioned by *+M ,ionic Maga9ine, 7:%
admitted to having a heated arg!ment playing a physical contact sport. nd more than half of those 7!estioned said they had been
involved in violent e0changes.
,!t perhaps more worringingly, the aggression is spilling over from football and r!gby pitches. Up to 5;% of men said they
had been involved in a row on the tennis co!rt, while <4% admitted to "swimming pool rage". %ric"et and golf have always been
regarded as gentlemen2s games, played in serene conditions in the best possible spirit. ,!t =1 1race wo!ld be t!rning in his grave
if he "new <4% of men e0perienced "cric"et rage" on the field. nd <;% said they let their anger get the better of them on the golf
co!rse.
#he report says one in 10 of all sporting arg!ments leads to violence - one in five in contact sports.
ltho!gh a ma'ority of men 7!estioned attrib!ted the increase in male aggression to "a more stressf!l society", ;>% of those
7!estioned believe men "get away with being aggressive".
+owever, despite all the tal" of sports rage, :?% of the men believed violence was an !nacceptable part of sport. ") thin" we
need a ret!rn to the conventions of sportsmanship - appla!ding the opposing side and sha"ing hands with a victorio!s opponent,"
said -hil +ilton, editor of *+M ,ionic. "#here is an old-world charm to these practices, admittedly, b!t they did "eep competitors
o!t of cas!alty."
Science and
Technology
+!man aggression
Key thoughts....

=hat are the ca!ses of aggression@

+ow and why sho!ld we attac" others and defend

o!rselves@

re sports and games an effective channel for aggression@

+ow does technology change the nat!re of warfare@

Lesson objective
#o consider whether sport promotes or disco!rages aggression
#o develop !nderstanding of the essay writing s"ills needed to
s!cceed in the e0am
Success criteria
The best work will:

Identify examples of aggression in sport

Justify examples with a reason

Complete notes on a section of essay

Aggression in Sport

ggression is often displayed in sport and sometimes

boils over into !nmitigated displays of violence

6ften implicitly or e0plicitly advocated by spectators,

coaches etc. and cite reasonable provocation or
'!stification

M!ch media attention is placed on displays of aggression,

!s!ally with (high moral gro!nd3
Think of a sport you play or are familiar
with...

=hat are the r!les regarding physical contact or violence in

yo!r sport@

+ow do yo! feel if these r!les are bro"en@

=hat happens if a player brea"s one of these r!les@

+ow often does this happen in yo!r chosen sport@

Starter
Do certain sports lend themselves to
more aggressive behaviour?

=hich sports are nat!rally more aggressive@ =hy might

this be@

re there any sports where aggression wo!ld be co!nter-

prod!ctive@

=hat do we mean by the term a (good sport3@

Aggression in sport
=atch the e0tract and consider the following 7!estions
httpABBwww.yo!t!be.comBwatch@vChaor)-1D6oEfeat!reCrelated

=hy do coaches defend their players when they can clearly see
that aggression is co!nter-prod!ctive@

=hat role does the media play in perpet!ating s!ch aggression@

)s aggression in sport a good or bad thing@

Aggression in Sport

=hy do players resort to aggression and violent

cond!ct when they "now they will be penalised@
$.g. .oy /eane F<001G H)3d waited long eno!gh. ) hit
him fIIIing hard. #he ball was there F) thin"G. #a"e
that, yo! cIII. ) didn3t wait for Mr $lleray to show the
card. ) t!rned and wal"ed to the dressing roomJ
Aggression in Sport

%oaches often want players to display more (aggression3 in

their play K what they act!ally mean, in psychological
terms, is they want to see more assertive behavio!rs

Assertive behavio!rs reflect behavio!rs that are physically

vocifero!s, b!t do not contravene r!les nor do they have the
intent to harm, rather they are aimed at imposing influence
and dominance
Aggression in Sport

8ome assertive behavio!rs

are tolerated by officials in
sports s!ch as the (+a"a3-
the provocative display
performed by the LM (all blac"s3
r!gby team
httpABBwww.yo!t!be.comBwatch@vC:e1%s$N1;O>

6ther behavio!rs that are violent b!t are neither assertive

Faim to infl!enceBdominateG nor aggressive Fintent to harmG
are not tolerated e.g., bad lang!age, e7!ipment ab!se
Types of Aggression
B
1. No intent to harm
. !egitimate force
". #nusual effort and
energy expenditure
Hostile aggression
A
1. Intent to harm
. $oal to win
". No anger
Source: Silva (1980)
C
1. Intent to harm
. $oal to harm
". #nusual effort and
energy expenditure
Assertive behaviour
Instrumental
aggression
Types of Aggression
Assertive behaviour
1. No intent to harm
. !egitimate force
". #nusual effort and
energy expenditure
Hostile aggression
1. Intent to harm
. $oal to harm
". #nusual effort and
energy expenditure
Instrumental
aggression
1. Intent to harm
. $oal to win
". No anger
Source: Silva (1980)
Definitions

Collective aggressionA Piolent, !nified behavio!rs

displayed by a gro!p or crowd of people with intent to
ca!se harm or in'!ry to another gro!p or individ!al

Crowd violenceA form of collective aggression among

sports s!pporters or fans

HooliganismA %rowd violence often among fans or

s!pporters of association football teams in $!rope
Definitions
1. Collective aggressionA
2. Crowd violenceA
3. HooliganismA
C. %iolent& unified beha'iours displayed by a group or crowd
of people with intent to cause harm or in(ury to another group
or indi'idual
). * form of collecti'e aggression among sports supporters or
fans
*. Crowd 'iolence often among fans or supporters of
association football teams in +urope
So is sport a positive outlet for aggression or
does it cause it?
Its an outlet for aggression It causes aggression

-layers vent aggressive feelings

so the spectators don3t have to

Qisplaying s!pport for a

partic!lar player or cl!b can be
seen as aggressive b!t is
!ltimately harmless

ggression is restrained by a
shared acceptance of a code of
sportsmanship

*ans may copy aggressive

behavio!r displayed on the pitch

ggressive and even violent

behavio!r often appears to go
!np!nished

%l!b loyalty can lead to violent

clashes before and after games

#he (showbi93 element in sport

has eroded the traditional code of
sportsmanship
Have a go at an exam question
Sport at the highest level seems to be all about winners and
losers.
Qisc!ss whether highly competitive sport brings o!t the worst in
those who ta"e part.
Ro! might considerA

*ootball violence on and off the pitch

8ports where there is no physical contact between players

=hat we might mean by sportsmanship

Q. 1a !ead te"ts A and #........
$%&'T

()&D('*( (+$LA&' L&'K
Discuss hether highl! com"etitive s"ort brings out the
orst in those ho ta#e "art.
ead the example from your teacher and
compare it with your own response! do either

8how an awareness of how aggression can be displayed

and how it might be channelled

)ncl!de well chosen e0amples of act!al behavio!r in 1 or

more sports that s!pport and contradict the arg!ment

*inish with a convincing concl!sion

8how a clear appreciation of the val!e of following the

r!les and behaving in a (sporting3 fashion
"une #$%$&&, more young people played sport- there .ould
be less violence in society.
#o what e0tent do yo! agree that ta"ing part in sport
red!ces aggressive behavio!r@
Ro! might considerA

the characteristics of different sports

the part aggression plays in sport

the val!es represented in sport (30 marks)

eview

.ead one of yo!r classmates answers, !sing the info on

the last slide try to give them s!ggestions as to how to
improve their response