Lesson Objectives:

• To understand violence and violence in sports

• To discuss examples of violence in sports
• To determine causes of violence in sports
• To identify solutions to violence in sports.
Understanding VIOLENCE
• An act committed with deliberate or perceived intention of
hurting another person
• An act or state whereby pain, fear or degradation is
inflicted on a person by another.
• Action or state of omission/commission
• Feelings: hurt, pained, low/down, afraid, shamed,
terrified, anger
violence, aggression, intimidation Violence is the
use of excessive physical force, which causes or has
the potential to cause harm or destruction
We often think of violence as illegal when it is
connected to underconformity of societal rules and
norms. However, when violence occurs in connection
with enforcement of norms in society, such as
protecting people or property, it is often approved.
ie apprehending and punishing a burglar
• Similarly, when soldiers, police and athletes use violence
in pursuit of victory it is often seen as acceptable to the
situation.
• In the case of sports, violence can be perceived to be
accepted by the majority or rejected as a consequence of
sporting norms (ie smashing through a pack in football breaking
another players ribs is condoned and supported by both teams as
a part of the game)
• These norms may vary from sport to sport depending on
the culture in which they exist as well as the governing
rules of the sport eg touching umpires prohibited in some sports
condoned in others
Aggression Vs. Assertion…
• CONTROLLED AGGRESSION (Assertion) is a
fundamental part of sport.
• However, when it spills over into an uncontrolled
situation serious injury can occur.
• Violence on the streets= Criminal Offence
• Violence in sport= sometimes endorsed or partially
penalised.
 Violence in Sport: A History…
• After 1850, however, sport
became more associated with fair
play and sportsmanship- why?
• Games were not taken to seriously
in the schools, taking part was
more important.
• Physicality Vs. Gentlemanly
conduct?
• Sports were played to the letter of
• Sport and violence have always the law- the Victorians thrived
gone hand-in-hand historically- upon the rigidity of rules and sport
examples?
was no different.
• Remember our work on surviving
ethnic sports?
• Mob football is still characterised
by violence and brutality today!
Violence in Sport: Today…
• Gamesmanship is now
• Times have changed! commonplace!
• Amateurish attitudes
have begun to be
squeezed out of sport.
• Stakes are high- money
is the main aim and
stadia become like
“Cauldrons” for
performers.
Some Key Terms…
• Sportsmanship: Fair play throughout sport.

• Gamesmanship: Stretching the rules to gain an

unfair advantage.

• Deviance: (in sport) Seriously breaking the rules

and norms (of sport)
 Violence by Participants…
 This can be categorised and explained in the following terms…

• Cheating: A  Health:  Legality:  Role

blatant Causes
infringement of
Against the Modelling:
injury and laws of the
the rules and Elite sports
physical land and is
codes and a performers have
more
disregard of the damage, a responsibility
noticeable in
can be life to young
values of sport. sport through
threatening punishments. people.
The possible causes of violence by
players… Importance of
The result

Emotional Nature of the

Intensity game

Crowd Causes of Provocation

Behaviour
Violence…

Disappointment
Weapons and
Frustration

De-Humanised
view
Of the
opposition
 TECHNOLOGY:
Video playback to
assess
and adjudicate on
Unfair play.

RULE CHANGES:
Combat the ways
GREATER NUMBERS/
players
MORE AUTHORITY:
And coaches try to
Referees, umpires
swerve
And linesmen.
Possible The rules i.e.
Rugby ELV’s
solutions
To the
problem…

EDUCATION: MORE SERVERE

NGB’s and clubs to PENALTIES:
instil Penalty tries, sin bins,
Ethos of fair play in Yellow cards, bans,
performers Lifetime bans etc
 Violence by Spectators…
“Peace, peace is what I
seek and public calm;
endless extinction of
unhappy hates”.
Mathew Arnold, 1985

• Aggressive acts and rebellious behaviour at sporting

events is not new.
• “Hooliganism exemplifies to perfection the difficulty
of disentangling what is new from what is old in social
history”
 Spectator Violence: A History…
• The problem was around in pre-industrial days and
throughout Victorian England.
• Hooligan, a fictitious Irish immigrant family at the time of
immigration into the UK gave us the term
“Hooligans/Hooliganism”.
• Hooliganism raised its head in the 1960’s in connection
with the violent behaviour of predominantly white,
urban, unskilled males at football matches…
 Ritual
importance
Of the event
Copied
Alcohol or
Violence on
Drugs
Pitch

Racism and Pre-match

“Religion” Hype

Causes of
Poor provision
For spectators Crowd Controversy

Violence

The score or Chanting and

result Abuse

Limited outlets Diminished

For stress Responsibility
Activity by a
Minority of
Violent
criminals
Case Study: Heysel 1985…
• 39 Spectators (31 Juventus fans) were
crushed to death trying to escape a
charge by Liverpool fans.
• 250 Others were injured.
• All in front of a worldwide TV
audience.
• Italian PM Bettino Craxi said the UK
was “A country submerged in
disgrace by the criminal actions of
violent and irresponsible groups.
• Liverpool were banned from Europe
for 5 years.
Case Study: Hillsborough 1989…
• This had nothing to do with
hooliganism, but a
miscalculation and
irresponsible policing and
overcrowding.
• 95 people died after
hundreds were channelled
into an already overcrowded
section of the stadium.
• Resultant reports led to
more seating at games and
less standing room.
 Promotion of
sport as
“Family
Entertainment”

Responsible
Improve Facilities
Media Coverage

Solutions to
the problem Use of CCTV to
Control of subdue
Alcohol
Of violence by Violence and
supporters… hooliganism
(Football)

Liason between
police Tougher
Across the deterrents
country i.e. Severe
Wigan Vs. punishments
Milwall.
Separation of
Fans