Chapter 8: Deviance in Sports Flashcards
(37 cards)
what is a norm?
a shared expectation that people use to identify what is acceptable and unacceptable in a social world
what is deviance?
occurs when a person’s ideas, traits, or actions fall outside of the normal range of acceptance in society
what are formal norms? give an example.
- official expectations in written rules or laws
- enforced by “officials”
ex) a basketball fouling their opponent
what are informal norms? give an example.
- customs or unwritten, shared understandings of how a person is expected to think, appear, and act in a social world
ex) Colin Kaepernick kneeling to the flag was not following informal norms
what is formal deviance?
- violation of an official rule or low
- administered by people with authority
what is informal deviance?
- violation of an unwritten custom or shared understanding
- punishment administered by observers/peers
what are the 4 challenged that occur when studying deviance in sport?
- types and causes of deviance are so diverse that no single theory can explain them all
- actions accepted in sports may be deviant in other aspects of society
- deviance in sport often involves overconformity rather than underconformity
- sports use new science and technology and norms have not developed around it
what are the 2 approaches used to study deviance?
- absolutist approach
2. constructionist approach
what is the absolutist approach?
- assumes social norms are based on essential principals and has an unchanging foundation
- believe that deviance is caused by weak/distorted characteristics of an individual
- in order to control deviance, more rules are required
what is the constructionist approach?
- assumes deviance occurs when a person falls outside of the social boundaries
- based on a combination of cultural, interactionist, and structural theories
what are the 6 points emphasized in the constructionist approach?
- norms are socially constructed as people interact with each other
- deviance is socially constructed based on what is socially accepted
- normative boundaries and social acceptance is influence by people in power
- most ideals fall into the range of acceptance, anything outside is under/overconformity
- deviant underconformity is a rejection of social norms and anarchy is the social condition that exists when underconformity leads to chaos
- deviant overconformity is an uncritical acceptance of social norms with failure to recognize limits to actions and fascism is the social condition that exists when there is unlimited obedience to leaders
what is deviant underconformity? give an example.
consists of ideas, traits, and actions that reject social norms, or the ignorance about their existence
ex) bar fighting, sexual assault
what is anarchy?
the social condition that exists what underconformity leads to chaos/disorder
what is deviant overconformity? give an example.
- consists of ideas, traits, and actions that indicate uncritical acceptance of norms
- an uncritical acceptance of norms and failure to recognize limits/boundaries
ex) playing through injury
what is fascism?
the social condition that exists when overconformity is based on unlimited obedience to norms or to commands of leaders
what is an ethic?
an interrelated set of norms or standards used to guide and evaluate ideas, traits, and actions in a social world
what are the 4 general norms of the sport ethic?
- athletes are dedicated to “the game” above all other things
- athletes strive for distinction, to be at their max potential
- athletes accept risks and play through pain
- athletes accept no obstacles in the pursuit of success in sports
what is the culture of risk?
the acceptance of the uncertainty, danger, and consequences of their actions
why is deviant overconformity praised while underconformity is condemned?
- deviant overconformity is entertaining to watch and emphasized the importance of sport values (dedication, hard work, achievement)
- deviant underconformity threatens the sports values
what is hubris?
pride-driven arrogance and an inflated sense of self-importance that causes one to feel superior to others
what are the 4 steps that lead to hubris among athletes?
- they bond together in ways that encourage and normalize overconformity
- collective overconformity creates a sense of specialness, separating athletes from the community while inspiring fans
- unique experiences causes athletes to feel entitled
- athletes see people outside sport culture as incapable of understanding them and their lives
why is most research on deviance in sports based on underconformity vs. overconformity?
- overconformity challenges the great sport myth
- hard to collect data for overconformity because people do not want to talk about the things they do as overconformity
what are 3 reasons of why deviance has increased?
- constant addition of new rules causes more ways of deviance
- surveillance technologies increases the detection of violations
- status and financial rewards are higher so there is more incentive to cheat
what are 4 reasons for why cheating, corruption and harassment occurs in sport organizations?
- sport governing bodies are self-policing
- officials face conflict of interest because they serve at the pleasure of people in power
- people in power lack experience that allows them to administer the system of rule enforcement
- officials have been groomed for their positions
