They are familiar scenes: sports fans turning on each other in acts of violence, and mobs of sports fans flooding onto the field or out into the streets. Is there something inherent in the competitive sport setting that produces this frequently dangerous behavior? Written in an engaging style, this volume addresses the question by exploring the wide range of influences at work, from a social psychological perspective. Topics range from a focus on the personality traits that predispose individuals to act aggressively, to a wider concern with who riots, why they riot, and situations that favor the occurrence of sports riots. Research on the equally disturbing phenomenon of crowd panics explores the underlying causes and peculiar behavior of people caught in the panics.
Aggression is influenced and exacerbated by multiple factors: troublemakers who incite others to aggress, influence by the media, differing cultural backgrounds, blind obedience, and attempts by individuals to emulate unworthy personal heroes. Less obvious factors such as temperature, noise, and color also exert important effects on interpersonal aggression, and drugs such as alcohol and steroids further inflame the possibilities for violence. Russell examines all these factors in his international and interdisciplinary presentation of the best and most recent findings in the study of sports aggression, and provides a series of proposals intended to prevent or minimize the severity of riots and panics. Additionally, he explores the relationship between aggression and what is probably the most revered concept in sports: competition. Scholars, students, and sports savvy fans will find this book of interest.
Industry Reviews
"A worthy addition to the literature. Recommended."--Choice
"A worthy addition to the literature. Recommended."--Choice
"While readers are being exposed to a great amount of great amount of social psychological theory and research, the material [in this book] is presented in a far more inviting fashion than what is found in a typical social psychology text. To elaborate, Russell's writing style is extraordinarily clear in a unique manner. Those with no background in social psychology will be able to come away from this text with a fairly solid knowledge base to build on...[This]
is a great text that is sure to please social psychologists, aggression scholars, students of psychology, those interested in athletics, and laypeople alike."--PsycCritiques
"...a comprehensive survey of the most recent and important research in the study of sports aggression, is both international and interdisciplinary in scope, and includes coverage of a variety of initiatives that are being, or have been, developed to prevent or minimize the severity of riots and panics...For all those wanting a broad overview of aggression in and surrounding sport, Russell's text is a valuable reference book for regular
consultation."--Idrottsforum.org
