AUSTIN - Ice hockey teams that play with more violence are less likely to win, according to a landmark study on professional sports violence conducted by the Texas Youth Commission's John D. Walker, M.D., and Illinois State University Health, Physical Education & Recreation Professor Steven T. McCaw, Ph.D.
Dr. Walker, prevention specialist for Texas' juvenile corrections agency, just returned from Zurich, Switzerland, where he presented the research to an international audience of leaders in professional sport at the invitation of the 1998 Ice Hockey World Championship International Symposium on Medicine and Science in Ice Hockey.
The violence prevention research provides new evidence of both statistical and practical significance. At the highest level of competition, teams playing with more violence are not more likely to win; in fact, the opposite is true. In a study of 1,462 recorded penalties from all 18 Stanley Cup Championship Final Series from 1980 to 1997, teams playing with less violence were more likely to win and averaged more than seven more shots on goal per game than teams that played with more violence. Over the course of a seven-game series, this would provide an additional 53 more shots on goal – more than a whole extra game's worth of shots on goal - to teams playing with less violence.
The researchers also found that losing teams demonstrated more violent player behavior early in the game, suggesting that violence was not due to the frustration of losing, but rather due to an intentional strategy possibly based on the mistaken belief that violent behavior contributes to winning.
Ice hockey has become the fastest growing sport in many parts of the world. Although European ice hockey has evolved into a highly refined game, based on skill and finesse, the North American version of the sport is still based heavily on violence. Catastrophic and disabling injuries are being reported with increasing frequency. These injuries are in many cases caused by violent player behavior which, the researchers pointed out, may be supported by coaches who cling to the belief that such behavior contributes to winning.
In a recent issue of Sky Magazine dedicated to "The Magnitude of Sport", Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jonathan Yardley wrote "There is much to be learned about a culture from those persons whom it places upon pedestals, whom it admires and emulates, whom it calls heroes."
Professional athletes are powerful role models for American youth. Many authorities have looked to sport programs as a way of reducing juvenile delinquency. Youth sports are deeply rooted in our social and cultural heritage. A recent study estimated that almost half of 34 million American adolescents participated in non-school sports. In terms of attendance at sports events, corporate sponsorship of athletics, licensed sports product sales, and media coverage on television and radio, the magnitude of sport in our society has never been so dominant and pervasive - and its impact is growing.
One of the most disturbing trends in American sports is the increasing frequency and severity of violence. Many authorities in the field of violence prevention believe that the increasing acceptance of violence in sports creates a cultural climate that "spills over" and translates into greater violence in society.
Dr. Walker said, "Old myths die hard. North American teams that play with more violence continue to lose in international competition against European teams that play with more finesse."
He said, "There is a temptation experienced by all players and coaches when in a game situation to rely on the "crutch" of cheating (both violent and nonviolent) to make up for inadequate preparation and practice. And while the players and coaches who develop a habit of leaning on this "crutch" may have temporary short-term success from time to time, in the long-run, there is no short-cut to success."
"The reliance on the "crutch" of cheating only serves to weaken a team because the hard work of preparation and practice – which is the only true foundation for success in the long-run – is never done," Dr. Walker said.
"Coaches at the highest level of competition may wish to adjust their team policies and recruiting practices in order to benefit from the plausible strategic advantage of reducing violent player behavior," Dr. Walker said.
