The Problem With Deviance In Sports
There has been a long-lasting issue in sports at every level, and that is the negative deviance that takes place on and off the field. For many, sports are an integral part of life and give kids new opportunities that would otherwise not be accessible to them. It teaches them values, discipline, teamwork, and how to be charitable toward their community. In a way, sports are supposed to be the ideal representation of our culture and a microcosm of society, but in many ways, it also reflects the downfall and corruption of the individual.
What Constitutes Deviance In Sports?
Unfortunately, many kids and professional athletes alike succumb to peer pressure and negligent behavior. This deviant behavior runs rampant through all sports and includes, but is not limited to violence, cheating, gambling, drug-related activities and use of performance-enhancing drugs, criminal behavior, and academic misconduct. This misconduct is not just committed by athletes, but also by coaches, administrators, parents, spectators, team owners, and agents, each one doing whatever it takes to get to the top.
Negative deviance in sports has become so prevalent that it has created an entirely new branch of academic study, aptly named “Deviance in Sports.” This new branch tries to identify the cause and effect of this deviant behavior and its connection to sports. Currently, the consensus results from the confusing nature of sports, where one is taught the ethical values of sportsmanship while also being told to do “whatever it takes to win.” Along with this, athletes are also often given special treatment, and misbehavior is overlooked, in exchange for performance on the field, leading to athletes having a sense of invincibility and entitlement. Together, this makes an unethical and often
dangerous combination.
As a result, these athletes end up expelled, suspended, harming themselves or others, jailed, or worse.
It Starts Young
Misconduct in professional sports is highly publicized, and we have all heard the stories. However, there are thousands of unreported stories across the nation that involve amateur athletes taking risks on and off the field, and committing misconduct of all levels. These accounts of misconduct range from performance-enhancing supplements, violently engaging with referees, guns, and other recorded crimes.
This begs the questions of how much of a positive influence the image of sports really has on a young athlete.
Recent studies show that bad behavior is prevalent throughout sports, especially among high school athletes, particularly in high-contact sports.
According to statistics compiled in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, and published in the American Sociological Review, using more than 6,000 males students from 120 schools, football players were 40 percent more likely to be in a confrontation than non-athletes. This statistic changes when you look at individual sports. Athletes from high-contact sports, such as wrestling, are 45 percent more likely to be in a fight, compared to tennis players, who are 35 percent less likely to be in an altercation.
So, the question is why?
What makes individual athletes and specific sports, who are supposed to be role models in sports that are supposed to have a positive influence on the athlete, commit acts of violence and other forms of misconduct?
This Is Where Game Changer Steps In
*Graph Taken From ESPN
We have made it our mission to combat these deviant behaviors early before they begin. Considering the majority of professional athletes have been playing their sport since they were kids, and deviance occurs at all levels, we have made it our mission to educate and mentor young athletes to steer them away from the confusing rhetoric they
may otherwise be hearing.
By providing young athletes, and youth in general with new role models, the next generation will have higher standards to live up to than the media is currently portraying.
Over the past few decades, deviance in sports has become a real problem. In 2014, ArrestNation.com found that over 67% of all college arrests were college football players. This is a staggering statistic considering the college football players made up only 14.7% of student-athlete populations. A study completed by ESPN’s Outside the Lines found that off-field criminal behavior was not uncommon, as shown in a graph presented in the study:
Examples of Negative Deviance In Highschool & College Sports
2019
In 2019, Arizona Cardinal's cornerback, Patrick Peterson, was suspended for six
games after violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy.
2017
In February of 2017, Baker Mayfield, quarterback for the Cleveland Browns also
ran into trouble when he ran from the cops after a drunken encounter when they
tried to confront Mayfield about an earlier, violent incident. He was then subdued
and arrested for public intoxication, resisting arrest, and fleeing.
2014
In September 2014, a running back for the Washington Redskins was arrested
for child abuse.
2016
Larry Tunsil posted a video of himself in a gas mask bong, resulting with him
being dropped and in the 2016 draft and a probable $12 million salary.
2017
NFL tight end, Kellen Winslow II, was arrested in 2017 on charges of burglary, kidnapping, and a total of three counts of rape (one of a 17-year-old girl in 2003), not all stemming from the same instance. Winslow was placed on house arrest
after posting a $2 million bail. In early 2019, his bail was revoked after committing two separate acts of lewd behavior.
2008
NHL player, Sean Avery made disparaging remarks in 2008, which the league
saw as "conduct detrimental to the league or the game of hockey." Avery was
subsequently suspended for six games.
1999
In 1999 two NFL players were charged with murder, and six were charged with
sexual assault or physical assault and/or battery, one player was arrested on
drug and weapons charges and another was charged with breaking and entering
with an intent to harm.
2018
In November 2018, Kareem Hunt, running back for the Cleveland Browns, was
caught on film by TMZ having a violent altercation with a woman at a hotel. He
was then suspended for eight games in the 2019 season for violating the
league's personal conduct policy. The head coach came out in defense of Hunt,
claiming "mistakes happen" an act of defending a player's deviant behavior that
is all too common in sports. Hunt has yet to apologize to the victim personally.
2014
Ray Rice, running back for the Ravens, was suspended for two games in
February 2014 for assaulting his then-fiance in an elevator. It wasn't until after
public outcry for the light punishment and video that surfaced of the incident that
he was suspended indefinitely.
2015
Former NFL player, Darren Sharper, plead guilty in 2015 to multiple sexualassaults in a total of three states.
2019
In 2019, Dion Jordan was suspended for ten games after testing positive for
performance-enhancing drugs, or what Jordan says was Adderall, and violating
the league's drug policy.
2019
In early 2019, Patriots owner Robert Kraft was charged with two misdemeanor
charges of "soliciting another to commit prostitution" after allegedly being recorded in a day spa where women were being trafficked.
2008
NHL player, Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself with a gun that he was not
licensed to carry.
So What Do All These Athletes Have In Common?
They were all professional athletes who were arrested for or penalized for misconduct off the field. Some of them include being arrested for drunk driving, drug possession, murder, or attempted/conspiracy to commit murder.
There are examples throughout professional sports of negative deviance, some violent, others not, including fights (including with firearms), sexual assault and attempted rape, and domestic violence.
No matter the sport, no matter the team, there is a terrible pattern occurring in sports of misconduct, negative deviance, and the idea that money can make you invincible.