Do sports have an effect on the behavior tendencies of young males? This study was performed to gain knowledge on the effects that certain sports have on male adolescents. I wanted to try and prove through observation of local athletes that sports such as football and soccer have a higher impact on aggressive male behavior patterns than do sports such as cross country running or tennis. Sports such as football and soccer have a higher tendency for opponent interaction than does cross-country or tennis. This type of opponent interaction promotes physical aggression, anger, and hostility at higher levels than sports that have less contact among athletes. Through these observations of practices, and classroom activity, I was able to gain the knowledge to prove my hypothesis true.
The process I followed as a researcher was to observe four individuals (one from each sport) in a practice for each of the listed sports, and to observe the individuals from each sport in their classroom setting for a period or two. The four males I chose to focus on from each team (one from each team) are all of the same socio-economical background where both parents work, have average to above average income, and are from a stable family background. All males were either sophomores, or juniors in high school. All athletes were of similar grade point average and class standing. I knew this seemed like a small sample, but due to the nature of the study being done, it seemed sufficient in numbers.
This research is organized on the observation of the behaviors of each athlete in each given setting. The behaviors observed would be discussed in the order of: social behaviors, psychosexual behaviors, intellectual behaviors, and physical behaviors. I will discuss what types of dialogue I heard in each setting that pertains to each different behavior being observed. I will note any out-of-the-ordinary behaviors witnessed by these individuals in each setting. I will first look at each athlete in their practice setting then in the classroom setting, and relate their actions to the behaviors being observed.
The Practice Setting
In the practice setting, the social context of behaviors is more prevalent than in the game setting. Athletes in each sport were able to talk and socialize at some points of the practice. For the participants of football and basketball, this occurred more on the sidelines when they weren't actively involved in the practice. Though the athletes were supposed to use that time to watch and learn new drills or skills, they more often than not used that time to interact socially with another teammate.
On the other hand, the participants in cross-country and tennis were able to actively practice their sport and carry on a social conversation. There really is no standing around on sidelines in either of these sports, as compared to the previous two. Maybe this is why the social interaction was able to take place during the practice of the skills, or drills they were working on. Cross-country athletes could run and talk about their daily events, as well as the tennis player could carry on a conversation about their school day to a teammate while they held a match to hone their skills. There was much more social interaction during the practice for the cross-country runner and the tennis player, than the football and basketball player.
Most of the conversations were much the same. Conversations over their daily school events such as classes, homework, girls, upcoming social events, games or meets all were among the most common topics. Often the conversations had little to do with what they were supposed to be focused on at that time. This may lead to the notion that sports can be seen as therapeutic for the adolescent athlete. It appeared that not only can sports be physically active, but also there is some social interaction between teammates that may help develop new friendships and relieve stress and tension while promoting emotional well being in adolescents.
The two males that were involved in football and soccer appeared to be more of the “macho” type personality. Their behaviors in the practice setting reinforced this stereotypical behavior. Each of the two was very physically aggressive during their practices. They each had goals of causing pain to another person, even if that person was a member of their team. The gender role of being male was definitely evident in the practice setting.
For the tennis player and cross-country runner, the gender role was not quite as evident, as for the football and soccer players. These two participants were aggressive in each of their sport, but in a different way. The competition between them and teammates was not as big of an issue for the tennis player and runner. In fact in many cases, there was more encouragement from participants to their team members in cross-country and tennis than in football and soccer. This made them seem somewhat nurturing, and less “macho”. This may due to these sports being less of a team sport and more of an individual sport. The football and soccer males are part of a team that competes as a team to reach a common goal, to win a game. The tennis player and soccer player compete individually for wins that can total up to reach a team victory over the opposing team. In other words, they could theoretically win as individuals, but lose as a team, whereas in football or soccer it is either a win or lose situation.
