WJEC Deviance

1. Contemporary Influences Affecting
Provision, Choice, Participation and
Performance in Physical Activity
Section B
Examined by one 20 mark question
from a choice of 2

2. Socio-cultural and economic
factors that affect opportunity,
participation, provision, attitudes
and values
Deviance in Sport

3. Lesson Obs:
1. Define and explain the terms gamesmanship
and sportsmanship with examples
2. Explain the contract to compete giving the 3
components of morality in sport it upholds
3. Explain the terms positive, negative and
relative deviance giving examples in a
sporting context
4. Name 4 possible causes of deviance in
today’s society

4. “If you can meet with triumph and disasters and treat the two imposters
just the same”. Rudyard Kipling – Wimbledon statue
Batting on a sticky wicket
Being on the ropes
The final hurdle
Our culture puts sport on a
pedestal and our sporting heroes
are influential role models.
Millions watch sport on the TV –
Olympics, World Cup,
Premiership matches, F1
But sometimes are sporting heroes let us down….

5. Twitter

6. When we enter in
to a sporting
situation we enter
in to an unwritten
moral contract with
the others
involved.
(Pledged verbally at the
Olympics)

7. Contract to compete
An unwritten code
governing how to strive to
play fairly, within the rules
Sportsmanship
Conforming to the rules, spirit and
etiquette of a sport
Based on the C to C we expect
performers to:
1. Try their best
2. Show sportsmanship
3. Respect rules and officials
The spirit of the
contest Concept based on a deep
UK culture – the Victorian
ideas of fair play,
amateurism, athleticism,
respect for opponent,
taking part not winning etc

8. Fair play
Character
Sportsmanship
Three components of morality in
sport
Allowing all participants an
equal chance – acting towards
other performers in an honest,
straightforward, dignified
manner – assumes respect of
team mates, opponents and
officials
Refers to values and habits that
determine the way a person
reacts to fears, challenges, failures
and success – typically seen as
polite behaviours – helping an
opponent up, shaking hands

9. Overtime a more
negative ethic has
invaded sport
involving for example:
1. prize money,
2. Gamesmanship
3. The idea that
winning is
everything
4. The use of drugs
Gamesmanship – bending the rules – often seen as time wasting in some
sports
1. Pressure to win increased in modern
times – pressures can lead to deviant
behaviour
2. Sometimes performer lacks morals or
ethical restraints that might govern
their behaviour
3. Pressure increase as the importance of
the occasion increases
4. Will also increase with age potentially
Some pressures are external –
outside control of performer –
demands from sponsors, the
intrusion of media, expectations
of organisers/crowd, demand
from coach/team mates

10. Functional actions in sport – within the contract to compete:
1. Returning the ball to the opposition after an
injury break
2. Clapping the opposition after losing
3. ‘walking’ in cricket
4. Clapping the opposition’s century
5. Exhausting yourself in the attempt to win
6. Lending the opposition a player if they are
short
7. Admitting fouls

11. Dysfunctional actions in sport
1. Arguing with the referee
2. Appealing for a throw when you know it’s not
yours
3. Deliberately fouling to prevent good performance
4. Diving in a game to gain a foul
5. Tying laces to get a rest
6. Using drugs
Reasons why this behaviour is contrary to the contract to compete:
•Acts of violence is outside the rules of the activity and outside the characteristics,
etiquette and ethics of the activity
•In general violence will deprive the victim of free and fair opportunity to win
•Violence is often against the law
•Some games will allow violence if mutually agreed, accepted limits, and in some
sports within the rules – e.g. boxing

12. Deviance
Dysfunctional actions in sport
From Latin – De (from) via (way)

13. Deviance could be:
Voluntary e.g.
performer
decide
Co-operative e.g.
the performer
decides to take
drugs because all his
friends are doing so
Enforced e.g. a
former East German
swimmer took drugs
because her coach
gave them to her

14. Deviance:
behaviour that falls
outside the norms
with in society or
outside what is
deemed to be
acceptable
Also behaviour of
spectators,
managers, coaches
and officials
Behaviour of
players
Breaking the laws
of sport
v
breaking the laws
of society
Sport can be seen as a
subsection of social behaviour

15. Types of deviance
Sports sociologist Jay Coakley (1992) considered 3 types of behaviour:
Positive deviance:
Behaviour that is
outside the norm but
with no intention to
harm or break rules –
overconforming to
what is expected
Normal
Negative deviance:
Behaviour that goes
against the norm and
has a detrimental
effect on individuals
and on society in
general –
underconforming to
what is expected
Normal distribution for this behaviour

16. Positive deviance:
Behaviour that is
outside the norm but
with no intention to
harm or break rules –
overconforming to
what is expected
E.g.
oAn individual who trains or plays so hard they
injure themselves
oBehaviour that can lead to a disruption of normal
life
oPlay when they are injured
Deviance but their actions are for positive reasons:
They are striving to win or to improve within the
ethical guidelines of the activity
Although deviant can be seen in a positive light
Could argue that a player who is striving to win within the rules and etiquette of the
sport and who accidently and without intent injures another player is also exhibiting
positive deviance

17. Negative deviance:
Behaviour that goes
against the norm and
has a detrimental
effect on individuals
and on society in
general –
underconforming to
what is expected
Behaves in a way that knowingly and
intentionally breaks the rules and ethics
of sport
e.g.
Using performance enhancing drugs
Cheating within a contest – deliberately
fouling another player
Being bribed to influence the outcome
of a match (e.g. Pakistan cricket scandal)
Fan violence or hooliganism
Illegal betting on the outcome of a
contest
Financial irregularities in the
transferring of players
Player violence
Gamesmanship e.g. diving in football,
sledging in cricket

18. Relative deviance:
Deviant behaviour that is
not acceptable in wider
society but may be deemed
to acceptable by those
involved in a sub-culture
Some behaviour
acceptable in sport
but not in wider
society? e.g. use of fists in
rugby (hidden in
scrum or
otherwise
Players deem this
acceptable as
long as violence
doesn’t breach an
unwritten limit
BUT gouging
& biting
completely
off limits
Sport often likes
to deal with
things in house
But police less
and less willing to
turn a blind eye

19. Deviance
and the
contract to
compete
Whether or not the behaviour is viewed within a
sporting context is determined by whether or
not it breaks the contract to compete.

20. Don’t strive to win
or try to loose –
negative deviance
Not trying to win
fairly – cheating or
unacceptable
physical contact e.g.
biting –
negative deviance
Expected to allow
opponent fair and
free change to win –
taking drugs or
bribing an official
does not allow this –
negative deviance
Using tactics,
strategies and skills
that you use to stop
an opponent within
the expectations of
the activity –
Relative deviance

21. Concept of relative deviance and the contract to compete are closely linked
Concept increasingly
challenge but the
media and society in
general
Both imply that
somehow sport
exists within its
own moral
subculture

22. Rewards of winning so
great that a large
number of individuals
may be prepared to
cross the line. (May be
particularly true of
positive deviance)
Causes of
deviant
behaviour
Individual lacks
moral restraint to
keep to code of
conduct
Individuals may value
winning above the
loss of respect or
punishment that may
occur
Deviant behaviour may be
becoming less socially
unacceptable and cause less
negative comment than in
the past
NGBs may feel less able to punish due
to power of commercial interests or fear
of being taken to court by performer
who they punish

23. Is deviance more prevalent in some
sports than others?
• Common feature in
some sports e.g.
cycling, athletics
• No sport is
immune –
‘bloodgate’ scandal
in rugby

24. Lesson Obs:
1. Define and explain the terms gamesmanship
and sportsmanship with examples
2. Explain the contract to compete giving the 3
components of morality in sport it upholds
3. Explain the terms positive, negative and
relative deviance giving examples in a
sporting context
4. Name 4 possible causes of deviance in
today’s society

25. Lesson Obs:
1. Describe at least 3 causes of hooliganism and
3 methods used to combat it
2. Explain the impact of hooliganism and player
violence has on those involved, on sport and
on wider society
3. Explain why violence between players may
occur and how it is dealt with by
managers/coaching staff/NGBs

26. Violence in sport
Violence
between
players
Violence
among
spectators

27. Two ways this generally occurs:
A spontaneous outburst
A premeditated and planned action
Cause of violence between players:
Most violence occurs as an aggressive act – refer to sport psychology notes
In summary, aggressive behaviour may be caused by:
•Innate
•Frustration
•Loss of identity (follow the actions of the crowd)
•Social learning – imitating others
Within some teams they have a well-known characters (enforcers), whose role it is
to physically intimidate the opposition or to act in retaliation on behalf of others
Drugs,
gamesmanship taken too far,
hyping-up, presence of
spectators, unacceptable
aggression,
acts against the law

28. Dealing with
violence
between
players
Responsibility of individual
performers, team managers or
coaches and the NGBs
An NGB may take a range of actions:
•Ensuring that match officials and their
decisions are supported when dealing with
violent behaviour of players
•Punishing players post match
•Being prepared to use post-match video
evidence
•Upholding players with a good disciplinary
record as role models
•Using ‘fair play’ awards to reward clubs with
good disciplinary records
•Training officials in player management and
how to defuse situations between players
NGBs keen to diminish
violence – so sport’s
reputation is not damaged
NGBs like to deal with
violence themselves but
more involvement from
legal system evident

29. Important that leaders, managers,, coaches, captains set a
good example and set the tone for their teams as they have a
great responsibility for player conduct.
To ensure good player behaviour they could:
Set a good example themselves before and during contests
Establish a clear code of conduct and expectations
Criticise or punish players who fail to meet the code of conduct; play
substitutes in their place
Praise or promote those players who set a good example
Where possible, ensure that players who have a low flash point are kept
away from high stress situations
Stress appropriate behaviour in team talks
Understand each individual player’s level of arousal and try to avoid
overarousal
Train players to manage their own level of arousal
Avoid an attitude of winning at all costs.

30. Hooliganism

31. Hooliganism: anti-social or aggressive/violent
behaviour by people in a group of spectators
Suggested causes:
• Fans drink too much alcohol
• Local derby/high tension
between rival fans
• Pre-match media hype
• Poor officiating
• Diminished responsibility
within a large
crowd/depersonalisation
• The team being supported is
losing
• Poor crowd control/poor
policing – crowd confinement
• Religion
Solutions:
• Control alcohol sales
• All seater stadiums
• Improve policing (numbers
increase)/segregation of fans
• Stewards
• Increase family concept
• CCTV
• Penalties/bans
• More responsible media
reporting
• Kick racism out of football
campaign

32. Hooliganism - Causes
Ritualised behaviour –
expression of masculinity
– a rite of passage
……..may be some
explanation but goes
beyond this
A form of tribal
behaviour?
Membership granted if
prove yourself. Group
perceive protecting
their local area/patch
……Not always locals,
supporters of fans in
other sports don’t do
this
Tension on pitch – violence
between players – or poor
ref decision can all trigger
passionate fans
………………………may be but
doesn’t affect all fans or in
all sports
An outlet for young
working class males – feel
restricted by the constraints
of an increasingly ‘safe’
society
………counterargument –
not all hooligans are
working class, not all young
men feel need to engage in
this behaviour
Some football
groups infiltrated by
extreme political
groups
…….true of a
minority but cannot
account for all
Change in fan base from just
working class to include
middle class
(bourgeoisification) and
increased unemployment,
loss of trad W/C jobs,
boredom – a reaction to this?
…..may be but although
balance has changed…all
hooligans not working class

33. Hooliganism - Causes
Ritualised behaviour –
expression of masculinity
– a rite of passage
……..may be some
explanation but goes
beyond this
A form of tribal
behaviour?
Membership granted if
prove yourself. Group
perceive protecting
their local area/patch
……Not always locals,
supporters of fans in
other sports don’t do
this
Tension on pitch – violence
between players – or poor
ref decision can all trigger
passionate fans
………………………may be but
doesn’t affect all fans or in
all sports
An outlet for young
working class males – feel
restricted by the constraints
of an increasingly ‘safe’
society
………counterargument –
not all hooligans are
working class, not all young
men feel need to engage in
this behaviour
Some football
groups infiltrated by
extreme political
groups
…….true of a
minority but cannot
account for all
Change in fan base from just
working class to include
middle class
(bourgeoisification) and
increased unemployment,
loss of trad W/C jobs,
boredom – a reaction to this?
…..may be but although
balance has changed…all
hooligans not working class
Close rivalry between fans –
local derbies can inflame
fans passion – particularly
when sensationalised by
media
…….may be but other sports
have rivalries and some of
these fans sit together to
enjoy the match
ULTIMATELY……..
Impossible to identify
just one cause
Seen as multi-causal –
each reason adds to
over overall
understanding

34. Effectofviolenceonindividuals,
sportandwidersociety
1. Violence brings a sport in to disrepute
2. Damages ability to encourage children, young people and families
to participate
3. Parents will not allow their children to be involved in a sport
where their well-being will be put at risk
4. A similar reaction is going to happen if poor behaviour occurs at
local matches
Effects:
 Fan violence leads to poor treatment of legitimate fans and
supporters
 i.e. held in grounds until home fans gone, herded through
streets with suspicion and distrust (particularly abroad)
 Career ending tackles as a result of deliberate fouls
 Individual players may miss chance for international recognition if
team restricted from playing in some competitions
 Huge cost – FA/Club pays some – local police pay rest – tax money
spent on this instead of other issues
Reputation of country damaged – poor behaviour abroad can effect
national morale effect of achieving international success (just as
easily as the lift this can bring)

35. Strategiestocombat
hooliganism:
Prevention of known
hooligans travelling to
matches – banning
orders – having to
report to police stations
during match time
Control of alcohol – bans in
grounds, on terraces,
local pubs shut
Segregation of fans –
travelling and within
grounds
All-seater stadiums – better
control of movement
within ground and
control of ticket sales
Improved levels of police
and stewards (and
training)
CCTV with face-recognition
software
Sharing police intelligence/UK
officers travel abroad to share
knowledge
Not allowing players to make
gestures to crowd or take any
action
Responding to poor behaviour by
banning or removal from
competitions, fines, playing
matches away or behind closed
doors
Use by FA of high profile role
models to appeal for better
supporter behaviour (‘Kick racism
out of football’)

36. Lesson Obs:
1. Describe at least 3 causes of hooliganism and
3 methods used to combat it
2. Explain the impact of hooliganism and player
violence has on those involved, on sport and
on wider society
3. Explain why violence between players may
occur and how it is dealt with by
managers/coaching staff/NGBs