HLSC 1812

“The body is in the social world, but the social world

is also in the body.” - Bourdieu (1990)
Rewind for a minute…

Race and ethnicity in sport

Words matter…
Violence, Aggression and Intimidation

Violence:
“the use of excessive physical force, which cases or has the potential to cause
harm or destruction”

Aggression:
“verbal or physical actions grounded in an intent to dominate, control, or do
harm to another person.”

Intimidation:
“words, gestures, and actions that threaten violence or aggression.”
Violence, Aggression and Intimidation

An old story…
Blood sports
Ancient Greeks & Roman Empire
Mayas & Aztecs
Medieval tournaments
Practice for war
Folk games
Few rules (high injury and death rates)
Other “sporting” activities: bearbaiting, cock fighting, dog fighting
Violence, Aggression and Intimidation

An old story…
As part of socio-cultural evolution, sports and activities have become more
rule-governed
Increased safety
Decreased violence, aggression and intimidation
Not an automatic or linear process
There are social forces that try to maintain violence in sport (commercialization,
professionalization).
Violence, Aggression and Intimidation

Categories of Violence
Brutal body contact
Physical practices; common, accepted and encouraged; Includes hits, tackles,
bodychecking

Borderline violence
Violate the rules of games/sports, but still part of the norm…they are expected
“brush back” pitches in baseball, elbows and knees in soccer/basketball, fighting in hockey.

Quasi-criminal violence & Criminal Violence

Violate the rules and the informal norms.
Cheap shots, sucker punches…if severe enough athletes are criminally charged (criminal violence)
Violence as “Deviant” Overconformity

Violence is a norm in many sports and it reflects our values as well.

Physicality is valued
Violence, Aggression and Intimidation are explicit and implicit parts of most
sports. Injurious acts viewed as necessary parts of sport.

“Hockey is the only team sport in the world that actually

encourages fighting. I have no idea why we let it go on. The
game itself is so fast, so exciting, so much fun to watch, why do
we have to turn ice red so often?”
-Wayne Gretzky (1990)

WHY?
Violence as “Deviant” Overconformity
“crisis of masculinity” (Kimmel, 1987), organized sports became increasingly
important as “a primary masculinity-validating experience” (Dubbert, 1979: 164).
Sport was a male-created homosocial cultural sphere which provided (white,
middle- and upperclass) men with psychological separation from the perceived
“feminization” of society, while also providing dramatic symbolic “proof” of the
natural superiority of men over women (Messner, 1988). (from Messner, 1990).

fear of “loss of male power and privilege” (Messner, 1990)

“one of the key elements in the elevation of the male-body-as-superior is the use
(or threat) of violence.” (from Messner, 1990)
We still use this to say “men are just better at sports”.
Violence, Aggression, Intimidation
Socialization begins early, normalized (bracketed morality)
And so violence, aggression and intimidation are common in many sports
(even ones that don’t involve physical contact). We justify this using value
statements:
Sacrifice, Perseverance, Toughness, Team player, Commitment, Rhetoric of violence
That’s how the game is mean to be played!

This applies not only to professional/elite sport but to

Youth sport (“sports-related violence occurs among youth athletes of all ages and in a variety of
sports”)
Female sport
Parasport (e.g., Murderball): “the hit isn’t real until you bend steel”
Norms and Values
Violence in youth sport: an Example of the normalization and value
associated with violence in sport
Bodychecking in youth hockey

“If you don’t like fighting, go into the kitchen and make a cup of tea.”
(Don Cherry)
V.A.I. have been commercialized
Because profits can be made from our values and norms
In other words, money can be made from the fact that we like (or love?)
violence, aggression and intimidation.
Hockey highlights: fights
Hockey Rules: refusal to ban fighting from the game
Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em videos
NFL football

But violence is not immune to broader forces of commercialization and

capitalism
Fighting is decreasing in NHL and elite developmental leagues (Ontario Hockey
League)…but not without resistance.
What does this have to do with health?
Injury risk in sport
Sprains, strains
Contusions
Broken bones
Paralysis
Concussions
Long term cognitive impairment: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) (?)
Mental Health
Long term movement impairment
Food for thought: Fans and violence
When we watch violent sports, what does it say about our values and
norms?
What does it say/mean that we enjoy and reward people for destroying
themselves?
People (fans) want violence, but without consequence…