Hazing in Sport: Impacts and Prevention Strategies

Introduction

Sport is a full field of activities that focus on competition among individuals or groups of people. The motivation behind the race is fixed on targeted gifts or awards. The teams involved in sports are visionary of achieving different awards through excellent performance. The performance of units is determined through the list of achievements recorded alongside the individual identified teams. Games involve the participation and support of teammates incorporation with the fans. The fans are the baseline for the foundation of sports groups or clubs. The achievements or failures of a team directly affect the fans. The role that the fans play in sports is merely linked to cheering. However, the primary purpose for the existence of fans in sports activities is a cohesion of specific teams. The news headlines on hazing in sports have risen concerns based on the reactions among coaches, players, clubs, institutions, and nations at large. The assumptions and beliefs in the exertion of physicality during team training misspell the understanding of team spirits and tough training sessions. The reception of hazing in sport concerning its definition, advantages, demerits, sports application and the affected groups of people is discussed.

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The division of hazing in sport into sub-titles enhances the formulation of understanding the concept. The categorization of the study case into more straightforward and easily understood topics increases the chances of individuals in gaining knowledge. The myths connected to the analysis and evaluation of hazing in sports has resulted in sports failure across the globe. Sportspersons suffer at the expense of the beliefs inhibited in training grounds and sporting activities.  The foundation to the understanding of hazing begins from analyzing the environments surrounded by sports. The response to a particular question facilitates the progress of the analysis. The issues are listed but not limited to;

• What is hazing?
• How does sportsperson benefit or suffer from hazing? 
• What are the techniques used to improve the issue at hand?
• Who exposes hazing among sports personnel?
• The classification of different types of hazing

The accuracy in responses to the concerns aids in guiding the research on hazing. The in-depth results on the research related to hazing in sports is an achievement to a wide variety of individuals ranging from sports personnel’s to sports clubs, academies, and coaches.

Every year Athletes, footballers, hockey players, rugby teams among many other sports register to participate in competitive sports tournaments and leagues in no avail. However, before the actual game day, the teams focus on training with the objective of preparations. During training new techniques are developed, and physical testing also is adopted. The experienced players have a norm and belief in team spirit based on the past performances across different competitions. The opinions on team doctrines lead to the subjection of team players into excessive physical training that results into injuries other that progressiveness in the performances among players (Van Raalte, 2007). The unfortunate and overuse of energies in preparation impacts the active participation of individuals in actual games meant for award recipients. Despite the injuries and struggles in tournaments, teams are unified under the umbrella of unity and greatness. The dreams in achieving the tournament awards push teams in excessive training and application of unique and technical techniques. The results in connection to the methods applied in pieces of training impacts negatively the physicality of players. Knowledgeable players’ campaign against the harsh treatments subjected to them with the aim of maintaining their health status in comparison of their present situation. The possible involvement of team players in activities that humiliates and abuses the physiques of individual participants is dubbed hazing. The events are linked to sporting activities, especially during preparations for serious league competitions against oppositions without their consents — the act by which coaches and sports departments torture clubs is also defined as hazing in sports.

Hazing Activities in Sports

Fields (2010) emphasizes the generalization of hazing in the sport to unknown and unmentioned activities yields null analysis or comparison of sporting activities. The list of events that are channeled to hazing in the game is named but not limited to harassments, use of drugs during competitions, subjection to disgusting meals, improper dressing codes, severe punishments from team heads and property mismanagement. The article offers the opportunity of discussing the rogue activities subjected to the heroes and heroines of sports — clubs and academies that issue payments to players for participating in competitions fall in the trap of mismanaging and mishandling player in the training grounds or even during matches. An activity such as forcing players into muddy training grounds or even cold and dirty waters as a way of improving their physical fitness or punishments is rendered as a hazing activity. The move of coaches in collaboration to the technical benches influences the moods and attitudes of players in whatever kinds of environments. The act of limiting the rights of a player by treating the healthcare of the sports personnel’s by directing the individuals into muddy grounds is identified as a hazing activity.

Moreover, the use of drugs and substance among teammates with the thoughts and wishes of boosting their energies during completions is an activity that affects the healthcare of players. The addiction to the use of energy boosting substances is a hazing activity that is not allowed in sports. Individuals who are associated with drugs ought to receive fines and bans from participation in sports activities.

The harassment of players by team managers or fellow players is an abusive act in sports. The activity is a hazing behavior that demoralizes the active and joyful involvement of teammates in sporting activities. Team bosses should learn better ways of dealing with team failures and challenges when performance among teams deteriorates. The aspect of harassing and mishandling of players is not the best solution in controlling the leadership within a club. Players are motivated through good relationships among teammates and the management board. However, many trainees are reported to the subjection of illegal and ill-motivated activities such as beating and denial of payments to players in cases where the performance records reduce in the named teams.  Hazing in sports is showcased through linking activities like harassments and mishandling of players.  The newly recruited or signed players in different sporting events and organizations are a living testimony of harassments in groups. The levels of players mishandling are on the increase among groups and fear bestowed upon the affected prevents them from talking about the issues — the managers and fellow teammates who value their principles and wants to take advantages of the silence in oppressing the new players. The harassments are observed from training grounds to competitive competitions.

Food is an essential requirement for human beings. The well-functioning of the human body relies on the kinds of food subjected to the body. As a team, it is the sole responsibilities of the sponsors, coaches and the staff of the available units to provide quality foodstuffs to players during tournaments. The quality meals offered to players participating in different games motivates the players and at long last influence their dominant performance in sports activities. In some occasions, players file cases in courts demanding for compensational rights of quality foods or health maintenance as a result of subjection to disgusting meals. The rise in levels of issuing players with poor quality meals is a hazing activity that affects the welfare of individuals. Teammates are a family that deserves good treatments concerning what they eat and drink. On the other side, overfeeding of players is also not encouraged among clubs and sports academies because the act leads to eating disorders like obesity. The provision of meals among sports participants should take the path that never destroys or undermines the health statuses of individual participants. Hazing is observed when the rights of players are violated through offering disgusting meals and expecting performance and achievements among teams involved in sporting games.

Types of Hazing in Sports

There are three types of hazing recognized in sports. The classification is based upon different approaches but with similar targets of identifications. The definition earlier issued on hazing as any activity which influences the behavior of an individual positively releases the basis for its classification. The existing types of hazing identified in sports are the subtle, harassment and bodily harm hazing.

Subtle Hazing

Subtle hazing is the violation of individuals encountered through the examination of actions subjected to the sports personnels. The measures were taken by team managers or coaches in training team players but in the end run results into the ridicule, embarrassment, and humiliation of individuals is ranked as subtle hazing. In other descriptions, subtle hazing is the discriminated actions taken by people in influencing the attitudes of a targeted group of individuals. The behaviors are directed and controlled by organizations responsible for the protection of human wants. Subtle hazing has a standardized method or retrenching the mishandled individuals through the viewing of past rules and regulation connected to human rights protections. The activities in sports that may be linked to subtle hazing include calling funny names to individuals, ostracizing individuals within a team, denial of privileges to specific players and holding of grudges among teammates.

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Harassment Hazing

The type of activities incurred under this section of description is self-explanatory from the speck. However, for clarification purposes, the harassment hazing in sports is any action that causes discomfort or physical harm among players of given sports. The effects can result from multiple sources, but when it comes to games, the harassment hazing originates from forceful and unlawful incorporation of activities that lead to injuries. A practical example of the harassment hazing in sports is a case related to an injured player subjected to participate in a competitive tournament minus considering the health status. The affected persons are such scenarios end up attracting other injuries before the identified ones. Crow (2002 states that, “Coaches have the choices to drop out injured players out of squads, but sometimes, the trainers knowingly involve injured player in competitive games with the objective of destroying their careers.”  Verbal abuse can fall as prey under the harassment hazing in sports. The act of ridiculing sports personnel based on their physical appearances and the clothes they wear causes some source of discomfort among athletes, footballers or even rugby players. The harassment hazing is controllable and avoidable through appreciation, acceptance, and care of players. 

Bodily Harm Hazing

According to Rees (2010), the most offensive actions in sports are related to the bodily harm hazing. Bodily harm hazing is any activity carried out by an individual in exposing the private parts of players during the actual gaming periods. Sports experts may term it as sexual harassment of players. The urge or intentions in touching the private body parts of sports personnel is disallowed especially during matches.  Players from either side are encouraged to remain disciplined throughout the entire gaming periods minus offending the sexual rights of individuals. In sports, the bodily harm hazing is witnessed when opponents thrive in unclothing fellow players as a means of causing tension and discomfort among the targeted individuals. The removal of cloth in the presence of large masses of supporters discourages and lowers the self-esteem of players. The aspect of unclothing players causes harassment and embarrassments of player, and as a result, the participation of individuals in sports activities is demoralized.

Effects of Hazing in sports

The overall effects associated with hazing in sports are identified from the descriptive natures of the different types of hazing. Nonetheless, the article selectively defines the challenges faced by the sports people exposed to hazing activities. The actions experienced by individuals in deprival of certain rights causes different impacts in the lives of players. The self-esteem of players is lowered due to the harassments faced in the sporting activities (Peluso, 2006). The moral of participating in sport is reduced due to the fear of exposure to hazing activities and actions among players. The reduced participation of individuals in sports affects the ministries of sports and culture in the organizing of events.

Moreover, the depression observed among the affected individuals increasing to greater heights. The stress caused as a result of subjection of individuals to hazing actions may eventually lead to death, fear being the source — the explanations based on how hazing influence depression among people is linked to how people talk or think about themselves especially after facing an embarrassing moment in a group of people.  Hazing in sports reduces the interest of individuals in associating to sporting activities irrespective of the awards detached to the competitions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the approaches in the studies of hazing in sports may differ from one person to the other. However, the techniques that enhance improvement or reduction of hazing in sports are developed from a similar foundation. Campaigns against hazing activities are one way of fighting harassment among people participating in sports activities. The battles are aimed at creating awareness of the types of hazing actions available and the measures of controlling such operations. Creation of awareness on hazing provides equal chances among individuals in analyzing and evaluating behaviors of people taking part in sports activities.

Further, the formulation of anti-hazing organization bodies is a way that can better the experiences observed in sports. The targeted bodies would ensure the creating and monitoring of regulation with effect to hazing. The promotion of peaceful co-existence of people in different geographical mix-ups assists in the fight of harassing individuals through the bond of love, peace, and unity. The lessons learned from the article supports the fight against hazing in sports through the promotion of healthy human behaviors.

References

• Crow, R. B., & Rosner, S. R. (2002). Institutional and Organization Liability for Hazing in Intercollegiate and Professional Team Sports. John’s L. Rev., 76, 87.
• Fields, S. K., Collins, C. L., & Comstock, R. D. (2010). Violence in youth sports: hazing, brawling, and foul play. British journal of sports medicine, 44(1), 32-37.
• Peluso, A. R. (2006). Hazing in sports: the effects and legal ramifications. The Sports Journal, 9(1).
• Rees, C. R. (2010). Bullying and hazing/initiation in schools: How sports and physical education can be part of the problem and part of the solution. New Zealand Physical Educator, 43(1), 24.
• Van Raalte, J. L., Cornelius, A. E., Linder, D. E., & Brewer, B. W. (2007). The relationship between hazing and team cohesion. Journal of Spos Behavior, 30(4), 491.