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Deviance in Sport

Coakley, J. (2004). Sports in society:

Issues and Controversies. 8th ed. New

York: McGraw- Hill.

Deviance in Sport

 Defining Deviance in Sport

 Studying Deviance in Sport

 Deviance Among Athletes

 Deviant Overconformity in Sports

 Implications of Deviance in Sport

Defining and Studying

Deviance in Sport

 Three primary approaches

• Functionalist Theory
• Conflict Theory
• Interactionist and Critical Theories

Functionalist Theory

 Deviance disrupts shared values

 Deviance-failure to conform

• Departure from cultural ideals  Failure to learn and internalize cultural beliefs and norms  Conflicts and strains within society
• Sport’s cultural ideals and norms  Improving skills, reaching goals, commitment  Deviance results from rejecting sport norms
• Problems with Functionalist Theory

Interactionist and

Critical Theories

 Deviance is based on social processes and

power relations

 Deviance-ideas, behaviors and characteristics

outside of the normally accepted range

 Continuum of deviance:

• Underconformity-ignoring or rejecting norms
• Overconformity-unquestioned acceptance
• Normal range of acceptance falls between underconformity and overconformity

 Calls attention to Sport Ethic

Sport Ethic

 Norms accepted as the dominant criteria for

defining an athlete

• An athlete makes sacrifices for the game
• An athlete strives for distinction
• An athlete accepts risks and plays through pain
• An athlete accepts no limits in the pursuit of possibilities

Deviant Overconformity

 Common characteristics of overconformers

• Low self-esteem
• Eager for acceptance
• Chance for achievement and establishing oneself

 Group demands and memberships

Deviant Overconformity

 Linkage between deviant overconformity to the

sport ethic and deviant underconformity within

society

• Binge drinking, group crimes, harassment, coercing other to engage in deviant behavior

 Controlling deviant overconformity

• Deviant overconformity is often advantageous for coaches, parents, sponsors, owners, etc.
• Control requires a commitment to the establishment of acceptable limits

Deviance Beyond the Athlete

 Coaches

 School and Sport Team Administrators

 Sport Team Owners

 Judges and officials

 Team managers and staff

 Media promoters and commentators

 Agents

 Parents

 Spectators

Performance-Enhancing

Substances

 Expression of overcommitment to the sport ethic

 Difficult to define and ban

 Legal (aspirin) and illegal (heroin) substances  Natural or synthetic  Harmless or dangerous  Physical changes, psychological changes, or both

 International Olympic Committee (IOC) definition

 Professional Sport Leagues, NCAA, High Schools

 Endless game of “hide and seek”

Controlling Deviant

Overconformity

 Recommendations

• Examine the nature of elite and high performance sports
• Rules and regulations
• Educational programs
• Code of ethics

Deviance in Sport

 Definitions of deviance in sport

• No one theory can explain deviance

 Deviance in sport vs. deviance in society

 Overconformity

• Sport ethic

 Performance-enhancing substances

• Drug testing

 Controlling deviant overconformity