Cause and Effect

Why Student Athletes Have Become Violently Competitive?

Like father, like son, some say. During a boy's junior high basketball game, Johnny deliberately trips an opponent to get the upper hand on a defensive situation. He receives a foul, and shouts, snickers, and obscenities can be heard from the crowd. What has made little Johnny and his teammates become so fiercely competitive?

Recently the news has seen an increase in violence in school sports, from parents! It's true, parents becoming as involved and excited in school sports as to curse at officials, other players, and even physically start fighting. In one incident of a Boston suburb, a father beat another father to death over a kids' pick up hockey game (Rosentraub 1999). Actions like these have branded children with violence in competition. Children have come to see it as a way to resolve differences, gain status, and become a ferocious and respected player.

After the game Johnny's Dad will likely tell him he played good and the officials had made a bogus call on the foul. This is an example of how situations like these can become praises for rough housing. Johnny now thinks his father likes him to be a rough tough dude. Johnny will likely be seen getting unnecessarily physical in competitive situations. This may leak into other situations as well. The next time Johnny has a confrontation in school or on personal levels, he will likely respond with violence.

Although parents may not intentionally guide their children towards these primitive actions, it ends up being the case when parents sport such behaviors. Many parents don't realize that even though a child sometimes seems difficult or unresponsive, they are actually listening if someone is talking. Most kids' ultimate goal is to please their parents, and when the parent puts a lot ...