Dr. Lynn M. Jamieson
Background
Addressing the subject of how to avoid conflicts in sport, particularly among participants, is a bold task to undertake. There are so many ways that have been reported where conflicts exist, that it is often too easy to presume that sport itself is rife with these conflicts and therefore should be addressed with an exaggerated amount of control to handle the sport problems that arise. This paper addresses what mechanisms should be addressed to avoid many of these conflicts, and notes that the ultimate value of sport participation is in promoting health and wellness, and quite often, serving as an instrument of intervention and peace.
Two Youth hockey plays engage in “Lockerboxing.” An age old tradition in Hoskey.
Types of Conflicts
There are many types of conflicts. As Orr and Jamieson (2020) (1) point out, conflicts arise among teammates, rival players and teams, between officials and players, fans, supervisors, volunteers, and many others. These conflicts may result in fights, intimidation, coercion, hazing, vandalism, mob action, verbal and physical abuse, and criminal behavior. Once an incident occurs and is analyzed and resolved, it is often noted that such actions could have been prevented. While it is inevitable that sport participation may result in exposure to violence, it is also recognized that the majority of experiences are positive and noteworthy. Conflicts arise in every sport at every level in any country, as noted by the article “Managing Conflict in Malaysia” (1).
The very nature of sport involvement and its network of players, coaches, officials, fans, and family consists of thousands of interactions through practices, games, and social interactions. These interactions should be anticipated and players, coaches, officials, parents or guardians, volunteers, fans, and organizers must operate consistently to learn what is expected, what the code of conduct entails, and what the system will be to resolve the conflict. All who participate should know how to report a conflict, or if one occurs, how it is to be handled. The National Alliance of Youth Sports (nays.org) organization has made great progress in providing participating communities with all the materials needed to address a consistent message about how to organize properly, and how to address within team conflicts.
Two players on the same team attack each other.
Second, the types of conflicts outside of the player realm but within the sport environment must be addressed through an aggressive effort to educate every segment of the sport environment, and the message needs to be consistent throughout the process of providing sport experiences. To this end, two major points of progress have been made: first, the establishment of the National Alliance of Youth Sports under its founder Fred Engh, and the development of a National Youth Sport Policy through the Department of Health and Human Services. While these are admirable efforts and finally poised to influence how we deal with youth sports, we also must take into account that sport violence is a much broader issue involving people of all ages, occupations, and backgrounds; therefore, more policy development is surely needed to provide a consistent message to mitigate sport violence at all skill levels, for all people, in all circumstances. In order to do this, we must recognize that the very acts defined as sport violence permeate our whole society, and as such represent a social issue. Our awareness of this issue is the responsibility of every citizen regardless of occupation, and this awareness coupled with organizational action will go a long way to curtail violent acts in sport. The following suggestions are made in order to suggest that sport violence may be simply mitigated by planning ahead and enforcing consistent standards in the sport environment. The suggestions center around preventive measures, consequential action during a sport experience, and systematic approaches to conflict resolution.
Prevention
The first strategy in prevent conflict is to conduct adequate advance planning for all events. This includes appropriate procedural guidelines for risk management including safety and security, facility care and maintenance, and program implementation. One area, for example, addressing potential hazards that can cause injury, if properly handled, can prevent injuries and annoyances over unkempt facilities. Another area, guidelines for participant conduct, if properly shared, will reduce the number of instances that arise because there are insufficient ways to address conflict when it occurs. An example of the breakdown of facility and program guidelines occurred in the well reported conflict between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons at the Palace Arena (2). Fans who had been drinking heavily and not warned or supervised by facility security personnel became embroiled in a player conflict that erupted due to fans being located so close to the playing court and the player entering the seating area. In the postmortem following widespread reporting of the incident, it was apparent that there were no security personnel assigned to the seating area, and therefore, fans were able to misbehave and not be ousted. Better facility planning and security assignments may have resulted in less conflict and better resolution of player misbehavior. In fact, since the “Malice at the Palace”, the NBA instituted new rules for player and fan conduct and security oversight that improved the overall experience for players and fans alike.
Consequential Action
The second strategy involves establishing direct and meaningful consequences to actions that precede potential violence. Sound codes of conduct that depict what will happen once the code is violated should be published, shared, and posted. When issues arise, prompt enforcement of code violations, taking into account fairness and equity for those involved, should take place. When people know that there are consequences to violent actions, situations are usually vastly reduced.
Systems of Conflict Resolution
In addition to properly planned and prepared facilities and events, and the existence of sound policies that address all aspects of participation in sport, there needs to be a sound system of handling actions that respect the rights of individuals involved. If a conflict ensues, this system provides for a violator and victim to be heard according to due process, so that facts regarding the incident are collected in detail and a hearing is held to consider what consequences, if any, need to be applied. Many conflicts may be resolved within a sport organization by detailing facts and holding hearings to weigh actions. In addition, serious criminal offenses will be referred to law enforcement authorities for civil action. It is very interesting to note that in many professional sports facilities, there are holding cells that unruly fans are sent to during a game, and then they are released after the game is over, unless law enforcement measures require movement to a civil judicial process.
Staying on Top of Conflict
Regardless of the type of system selected, every sport program needs to address a way to reduce conflicts through proactive processes such as preparation for sport involvement, handling conflicts when they occur in violation of a conduct code, and ultimately providing a system for conflict resolution in matters that involve further investigation.
Of course, while conflict occurs in sport, the topic for another article will appear that identifies the role of sports in conflict resolution and peace-making. It is well to close by indicating that while sport has very visible issues with conflict, it also has many more benefits than problems. The point of this article is to indicate that conflict can be managed, and issues may be resolved as long as sport organizations address fundamental organizational management.
References
(1) Orr, T. J. & Jamieson, L. M. (2020). Sport and Violence: A Critical Examination of Sport. Champaign-Urbana, IL: Sagamore/Venture.
(2) Yusof, A., Omar-Fauzee, M. S., Abdullah, M. N. H., & Shah, P. M. (2009). Managing conflict in Malaysian sports organizations. International Bulletin of Business Administration, 1451-243X (4), (http://www.eurojournals.com/IBBA.htm).
(3) Abrams, J. (2012). The Malice at the Palace. Grantland Press Archives.