Violence In Hockey

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorCollege, Undergraduate July 2001

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Violence In Hockey With the increase in society taking a stance against violence, the sport of hockey has become an area where some feel that violent acts such as checking, fighting, and overall body contact occur too frequently and should be eliminated. Lately, NHL officials have lowered toleration to these acts, by issuing heftier fines and suspensions, but not enough to make a huge difference. Many fear that this violence is negatively affecting the youth of America and is contradicting the teachings of good sportsmanship that is encouraged by today's amateur coaches. However, players, and most people close to the game, are in opposition of these feelings and believe that violence is a vital part of the sport and its history. So I pose the question: Should violence in Hockey be banished? My feeling is NO.

Before thinking about the obvious pros and cons of violence in hockey, think about what it would be like to be in the skates of a fighter in hockey.

The six-theory method designed by John Schneider, is designed help explain how a fighter might feel and what choices he has to make.

According to Mr. Schneider, the reasons that so much violence is occurring in sports is due to these six theories: "The violence in sport mirrors violence found in society, violence occurring as the result of economic incentives, the influence of crowd behavior on player violence, genetic causation for player aggression, and psychological stress and player violence" (Lapchick 230). Of Schneider's six theories, I feel that three are important in explaining my research. They are: the theories of sport mirroring society, violence as a result of economic incentive, and the influence of the crowd behavior.

The first theory, the theory of sport mirroring society, explains that the same reactions of everyday humans...