The Causes of Spectator Violence in Sports - Term Paper Example

The causes of spectator violence in sports Spectator violence is now common in many sporting events. The rival teams engage in violence acts that leave people dead or severely injured. There are factors that contribute to spectator violence that the article will discuss. The craze that comes with an individuals passion for the game and their team leads the people to perform poorly after a loss thus causing violence. Rules and regulations that govern a game are often not put into consideration by the spectators after a loss in the competition. Patriotism also influences the decision of viewers to become violent during a match. Key Words Spectators Violence Games/Sports Stadium Stands/Seats Literature Review There was a recent arrest of spectators in an NFL game in Oakland. Twelve of the spectators were arrested while two of the spectators got shot in the stadiums parking lot (Nash, and Zullo, 2010). There were many others about eighty spectators that were rejected to enter the arena by the security officers (ABC, 2009). These are awful statistics regarding spectators at any sporting activity. The game was an exhibition football match, and it contained this much violence (Coakley, 2009). The statistics prove that there would be a worse form of violence when the football game is competitive (ABC, 2004). Robert Klemko goes into details into providing the reasons why there is much violence in the NFL games. Andrei S. Markovits, who is a professor of sociology at the University of Michigan, says the spectator violence derives from proximity (Torres, 2014). He argues that civil wars are known to have many casualties compared to non-civil wars (James, 2013). Alcohol consumption leads to the spectators having a mindset that causes the violence. Mark Ganis says the violence that happens in the sporting events reflect the kind of society we have at the moment. The behavior of the fanatics reflects their personality of not being able to accept losses (Barry, 2010). Sporting events like the Olympics ensures security is top notch during the games. Violence is, however, unavoidable sometimes, and this reflects how the society like breaking laws and do not follow simple instructions (TSM, 2011). The force in the events tends to be viral as one simple adverse action at a game is adapted by other fans at different games (Madensen & Eck, 2008). The action the security at the games offer is crucial in determining how the other fans will react in case of a loss of the team they love. The simple negative action from a stand in the games makes the other people, followers of the crime cause chaos and violence (Angle, 2015). Don Forsyth, a professor who has many articles on fan behavior, regards this move as an idiotic move by the spectators (NSW Department of Sport and Recreation, 2006). Most of the spectators that cause violence in games are the ones that have a price out of the games (Maguire and Jarvie, 2002). Ken Reed says the fans tailgate and drink much alcohol to get the experience the other fans are having at the stands. The events have been sites for deaths and the genuine fans no longer feel safe going to the games (Russell, 2008). Methodology There are different factors that contribute to spectator violence in stadiums and sporting arenas. Understanding the problems that cause violence in sporting arenas will be helpful in determining the best kind of solution for the problem. The characteristics of events and venues differ from one to another. It is important to identify the type of venue and event one is dealing with to know the factors that affect and cause violence in the area. Local analysis of the site is critical in helping to determine the kind of violence likely to experience at the venue. The violence that involves the entertainers and the spectators have attribution to the performance proximity. The entertainers are at risk of getting abuse from spectators if they are close to the stands. The proximity triggers the fans to act in violence whenever they get upset by the players or by their moves in the field (Nash, and Zullo, 2010). The fans can also throw bottles to the pitch when the game is going on and distract the players. Increasing noise levels is considered as a violent act as the aggression confuses the players on the pitch. Fans throw insults to the players, and it is a problem for the whole event. Sitting arrangements at the stadium should be done properly as they are also a source of violence between the spectators and the athletes. Empty seats can encourage the fans to start bonfires in the spaces they see and cause a commotion to the whole field. It is important if a stadium has individual seats as these are helpful in reducing the number of violence, according to studies. The sitting areas where the fans are required to stand generate much abuse from the fans. Stampede is possible for this type of sitting arrangement. Movement of the fans towards the railing of the stadium or the empty seats creates aggression in the fans. There are certain games and certain areas that experience violence more than the others. It is statistics that indicate the sporting events and the stadiums that have a history of spectator violence (Coakley, 2009). The violence in these areas should not go without being addressed otherwise the act will continue and become a routine. The weather also is part of the blame for spectator violence as statistics show some areas with increased temperatures triggering violence in stadiums. The male viewers are more likely to engage in spectator violence in comparison to the female sports fans. Events and games that have a promotion as family events tend to be peaceful. Events that have young male fans are notorious for causing violent behaviors in the stadium and outside the stadium or the event. Hyped events that are significant in deciding champions of a game have an association with violence. Aggressive fans go to such events and can create much commotion and violence in case their team loses the game. Young fans do not know how to control their emotion over the loss of a match. Availability of alcohol in the stadiums is another factor that leads to spectator violence in the stadiums and other sporting event location (ABC, 2009). The planners and the security details have to come up with plans and decisions that would not affect the game if they decide to sell alcohol at the venue. The violence personality in the youth increases with their increase in alcohol consumption. Crowding in sporting events is a factor that increases the chances of violence in the stadiums. Crowding reduces the mobility in the stadium while increases the chances of physical touch between the spectators. The wait time to access and leave the stadium also increases, thus anxiety among the fans also increase. Results The proximity of the fans near the stadium has led them to distract the players in different ways. The fans can result in throwing bottles or any other objects available to the actors on the pitch. The fans that are close to the stand can even trip a player and cause the opposing team a game. The consequences of such actions are massive. Baseball pitch and the hockey arenas are notorious for having such fans. The noise from the fans at the sporting event distracts the security officers from noticing any violent act that goes on the stands (NSW Department of Sport and Recreation, 2006). The officers assume the noise from the stands is those of fans cheering their team, but on rare occasions, it is due to spectators fighting or causing a commotion in the pitch. The seating arrangements of the people sitting on the festival seats cause much movement and thus it is prone to spectator violence. The movement of the fans causes agitation, and physical contacts can make some of the fans to react in a negative way. There are arenas and stadiums that are notorious for spectator violence. The youths who go to the games in these areas look for the simplest thing to create violence and cause disturbances (ABC, 2004). The security team at such events should consider the matter and ensure that violence is not part of the reputation of their stadiums. The effect of a rise in temperature in stadiums is anxiety among the fans who are attending the game. Fear leads to agitation and violence within the spectators. Cold weather also leads to the fans drinking much alcohol to get warm. A lot of drinking leads to violence within the fans. There is an adverse reaction to the building of new stadiums by the residence of the areas in fear of their property being destroyed in case of violence. The communities that reside in certain areas are dangerous, and the contractor for stadiums should look at these demographics before building a stadium. Games that are family oriented have the young parents on their best behavior, and they do not cause violence as much as when they attend the events without their children (Angle, 2015). Studies at the Australian Grand Prix had no results of violence in the game, as it was a family affair. Anxiety increases in games as the season comes to an end and the games that involve with determining the champions for that season have an increased rate of violence. Many people visit the emergency room during these decisive games as studies show. The poor performance of ones favorite team can lead to the drunken fans fighting their opponents after losing a game. The alcohol intake at the games causes the fans to lose self-control, especially in crowded stadiums (Torres, 2014). The shoving and moving of people in crowded areas of the stadium make it easy to start a fight that may result in chaos and violence across the entire arena. Discussion The athletes’ field should be kept at a distance away from the spectators to prevent the spectators from distracting the players while performing. The designs of the stadiums should have a safe distance of the pitch from the stands. The violence that contains the spectators tripping the athletes or throwing things into the stadium will be curbed by this act. The noise levels from the spectators during a game are due to instruments that produce trumpet like noises. Instruments like the vuvuzela should be kept away from the stadium to reduce the noise levels. It enables the officers in charge to keep track and be aware in case of any violence in the stadiums stands. The seats at the stadium should have an arrangement in such a way that all the front seats get occupied as you go up the stadium (Barry, 2010). The setting of the stadium should have seats that are individuals instead of the open positions that trigger violence by people hopping from one place to another. The organizers should ensure the seats allocations are appropriate to the reduction of violence in the stadium. There are stadiums that have a bad reputation of condoning violence in the stands and the stadium area. The status leads to a reduction of ticket sales thus the organizers of the games should ensure no such occurrence in the stadium. The temperature rise or fall leads to the fans behaving in uncouth way. The stadium should install heat regulators in the stadium to ensure the people are comfortable while enjoying the game. It will provide no agitation or excessive drinking of alcohol that causes the fans to behave in a violent way (James, 2013). Crowd demographics is one of the major issues when it comes to dealing with violence in stadiums and other sporting events. The youth should be kept in control by the security officers by ensuring the alcohol consumption is maintained in check at the stadium. The people should have the maximum limit for drinking at the games for everyones safety (Maguire and Jarvie, 2002). Crowd control is also crucial as it ensures no stampede or agitation of spectators who get nervous after waiting a while to enter or leave the stadium. Conclusion Spectator violence has been common in many sporting events over the years. The spectators do not receive enough punishment for their acts hence the continuing behavior in major sporting events. The organizers and the security that gets involved with any sporting event should put in place severe punishment for the offenders to enable them act better during the events. References ABC News. (2009). NRL hands life bans to fans after crowd violence. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/19/2546598.htm ABC News. (2004). Probe launched into Cairns AFL brawl. ABC News Journal. Angle, S. (2015). Causes of increasing spectator violence in international games. Retrieved from www.essayforums.com Barry, J. V. (2010). Spectator violence part 1: Professional sporting events. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. Print Coakley, J. (2009). "Violence in Sports." Sports in Society. New York: McGraw-Hill. James, M. (2013). Sports Law. New York: Palgrave Macmillan Madensen, T. & Eck, J. (2008). Spectator violence in stadiums: Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Problem-Specific Guides Series no. 54. Community Orientated Policing Services: US Department of Justice. Retrieved from http://www.popcenter.org/problems/PDFs/spectator_violence.pdf Maguire, J and Jarvie, G. (2002). Sport Worlds. Human Kinetics Nash, B and Zullo, A. (2010). Baseball Hall of Shame. New York: Simon & Schuster. NSW Department of Sport and Recreation. (2006). Sport rage prevention: A kit for club Committees. Sydney: NSW Government. Print Russell, G. (2008). Aggression in the sports world: A social psychological perspective. New York: Oxford University Press. Print Torres, C.R. (2014). The Bloomsbury Companion to the Philosophy of Sport. London: A & C Black Publishers. TSM. (2011). Causes of Violence in Sports. Article by the Toronto News Media. Read More