Deter Juvenile Delinquency Utilizing Interscholastic Sports

Format

Individual Presentation

Presenters

Drew Zwald, Georgia Southern UniversityFollow

First Presenter's Institution

Georgia Southern University

Second Presenter's Institution

Georgia Southern University

Third Presenter's Institution

Georgia Southern University

Fourth Presenter's Institution

NA

Fifth Presenter's Institution

NA

Location

Verelst

Strand #1

Safety & Violence Prevention

Strand #2

Mental & Physical Health

Relevance

The Following strands coincide with the proposed presentation:

SAFETY & VIOLENCE PREVENTION

The after school program experience, summer school and other extracurricular programs will be discussed and critically evaluated to show both support and non support for how interscholastic sport help deter juvenile delinquency.

MENTAL & PHYSICAL HEALTH Physical and mental wellness from the experience of interscholastic sport as well as various theories on mental improvement from sport will be will be discussed.

Brief Program Description

The relationship between interscholastic sport and juvenile delinquency has been a topic of discussion for many years. One reason cited by educators, sociologists, and parents for including sports programs in educational and community settings is their potential for diminishing delinquency (Donnelly, 1981). However, several sociologists have presented an alternative view. For example, Tappan (1949) has stated that sport is no deterrent to delinquency, providing evidence that if a child is prone to law violations, it will probably take more than sport to effectively stop the pattern of law violations. The purpose of this presentation is to examine both the positive and negative effects of interscholastic sport on juvenile delinquency, with the notion of further discussion for new ideas and mindsets.

Summary

Interscholastic athletics have been viewed as both a positive and negative influence to juvenile delinquency. There is considerable amount of evidence that supports the notion that athletes are less likely than non-athletes to engage in delinquent behavior. Explanations for this finding come from numerous theories, i.e., the deterrence hypothesis and the rehabilitation hypothesis. Other explanations may come from the differential association theory, social control theory, and the labeling theory. In contrast, research has also revealed interscholastic athletics and delinquency to be positive related. From theories such as machoism, to the notion that winning is everything, athletes are more likely to abuse others, abuse themselves from drug, alcohol and performance enhancement substance abuse and conform to delinquent norms. Although interscholastic athletics create settings that are devoid of delinquent consequences, they maintain thrills, excitement and challenges that are present in delinquent acts. The purpose of this presentation is to examine both the positive and negative effects of interscholastic sport on juvenile delinquency, with the notion of further discussion for new ideas and mindsets.

Evidence

Interscholastic athletics have been viewed as an antidote to delinquency (Segrave & Hastad, 1984). Athletes often reinforce this view through testimonies claiming that if it were not for sport, they would have become involved in drugs and crime (Shields & Bredemier, 1995; Coakley, 2002). However, several sociologists have presented an alternative view. For example, Tappan (1949) stated that athletics is no deterrent to delinquency, providing evidence that if a child is prone to law violations, it will probably take more than sports to effectively stop the pattern of law violations. There is considerable empirical evidence that athletes are less likely than non-athletes to engage in delinquent behavior (Donnelly, 1981; Segrave & Hastad, 1984). Research has shown a negative association between participation in interscholastic athletics and delinquent behavior (Buhrman, 1977; Segrave, 1983).

Miracle and Rees (1994) and Coakley (2002) assert that interscholastic sport in today’s society legitimizes the macho image in males. This type of image reinforces a different set of values developed by early twentieth educators, i.e., respect for authority, sportsmanship, character, and pride (Miracle & Rees, 1994). These “macho” values could have heavy influences on delinquency in juveniles. For example, in the sport of football, being able to inflict and endure physical pain is a badge of honor. As Foley (1990) postulates: “Players who consistently inflicted outstanding hits were called animals, studs, bulls, horses, or gorillas. A stud was a superior physical specimen that fearlessly dished out and took hits, which enjoyed physical contact, who could dominate other players physically. Players idolized a “real stud,” because he seemed fearless and indomitable on the field” (Foley, 1990). Many athletes who participate in certain sports like football may perceive this orientation as normal or appropriate. Therefore, sports may intensify serious forms of non-sport violence, including violence against women and children and other forms of physical assault (Theberge, 1989)

Biographical Sketch

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Alan Drew Zwald, Ph.D

School of Health and Kinesiology

College of Health and Human Sciences

Georgia Southern University

Drew Zwald is the Director of Coaching Education and Professor in the School of Health and Kinesiology at Georgia Southern University. He is the Past President of the National Council for Accreditation of Coaching Education. His teaching and research focuses on administration, pedagogy and coaching education. He has published articles, book chapters and manuals, awarded grants and presented over 100 research papers at international, national, regional or state conferences. Under his direction the Georgia Southern University Coaching Education Program was recognized by the National Council for Accreditation of Coaching Education as the second college or university in the United States to offer an accredited coaching education program. He coached various sports for thirteen years at the interscholastic and collegiate levels.

Daniel R. Czech, Ph.D

School of Health and Kinesiology

College of Health and Human Sciences

Georgia Southern University

Dr. Dan Czech is an associate professor in the Department of Health and Kinesiology at Georgia Southern University. His primary teaching responsibilities include teaching the sport and exercise psychology courses within the department. He also assists in physical activity department.

In 1996, Dan signed a contract with Major League Baseball to be an envoy ambassador. Daniel has assisted in the development of baseball and has conducted numerous baseball and sport psychology clinics inSouth Africa,Zimbabwe,Zaire,Austria,Denmark,Germany, theUkraine, theRepublicofGeorgia, theBahamas,Trinidad and Tobago,Sweden,FinlandandGreat Britain. Dan was the mental coach for the 2000 College World Series Finalist Tennessee Volunteers. He is also a mental consultant for numerous professional football and baseball players in the National Football League and Major League Baseball respectively.

His research interests include the effects of optimism and pessimism on sport and exercise performance, coping in sport, the cultural/social aspects of sport and exercise, and the use of prayer as a mental enhancement technique. He has been published in numerous scholarly journals, has produced 2 book chapters, and had just finished his first book geared toward athletes and sexual addiction.

Dr. Hal Wilson

School of Health and Kinesiology

College of Health and Human Sciences

Georgia Southern University

Dr. Hal Wilson has served in the #2 ranked, online master's degree in coaching as an Assistant Professor of Coaching Education at Georgia Southern University since 2014. USA Basketball, the US Soccer Foundation, and the National Forum on Character Education are among the groups to invite Wilson to speak at their events. A strong believer in service, Wilson serves on the Editorial Board of The International Journal of Kinesiology in Higher Education, as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for foster children in the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit, and as the Head Varsity Girls Basketball Coach at Bulloch Academy. He is passionate about the positive potential of sports and seeks to encourage and empower coaches and administrators to positively impact their players through holistic, athlete-centered coaching and their local communities through service and engagement.

Keyword Descriptors

Positive, negative, interscholastic sport, juvenile delinquency.

Presentation Year

2018

Start Date

3-7-2018 11:15 AM

End Date

3-7-2018 12:30 PM

Recommended Citation

Zwald, Drew, "Deter Juvenile Delinquency Utilizing Interscholastic Sports" (2018). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 78.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2018/2018/78