An Exploration of State and Trait Anger, Anger Expression and Perfectionism in Collegiate Springboard Divers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between the
dimensions of perfectionism and various aspects of anger, such as state,
trait, and the expression of anger, for collegiate springboard divers.
The role of gender was also investigated. Forty women and 19 men were
administered the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2; Spielberger,
1999) and the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (F-MPS; Frost,
Marten, Lahart, & Rosenblate, 1990). Data analysis showed no significant
differences between genders for any scales or subscales of anger or perfectionism.
State anger and its subscales were not significantly correlated with any
subscales of perfectionism. Anger expression scales were not found to
be significantly correlated with the subscales of perfectionism. Only
trait anger, and the subscale trait anger/ angry reaction, were found
to have significant relationships with the concern over mistakes dimension
of perfectionism. The perfectionism personal standards subscale was also
correlated with trait anger/ angry reaction.

Introduction

Many athletes strive to reach the highest levels of competition possible.
Competitors dream of the perfect game, performance, or skill execution
required of sport. Much time is invested into practice, conditioning,
and competition to provide athletes the best opportunity for a quality
experience. With such emphasis placed on attaining so difficult a goal,
resulting failures are to some extent inevitable. Individuals who exhibit
qualities characteristic of the construct “perfectionism”
may be significantly affected by these failures. How people experience
and react to failure is directly associated with the level and type of
perfectionism possessed. Those who demonstrate more adaptive perfectionistic
reactions to failures are more likely to express positive, or success
oriented, thoughts about sport. Those whose reactions align with maladaptive
perfectionism likely will exhibit negative, or failure oriented, behaviors
following failure in sport (Frost & Henderson, 1991; Hamachek, 1978).

The most common components present in the various definitions of perfectionism
are the engagement of actions and behaviors that lead to the setting of
exceptionally high standards for the purpose of being the best in a chosen
endeavor. These actions are often accompanied by highly self-critical
evaluations by the perfectionist (Burns, 1980; Frost, Marten, Lahart,
& Rosenblate, 1990; Hill, Zrull, & Turlington, 1997; Lombardi,
Florentino, & Lombardi, 1998).

Hamachek (1978) has characterized perfectionism as either normal (adaptive)
or neurotic (maladaptive). According to him, adaptive perfectionists are
those who set extremely high personal standards, are highly motivated
to do their best on every task attempted, experience pleasure while working
hard, and are able to recognize weaknesses which enable the individuals
to perceive themselves as successful, even when those high standards are
not met. In contrast, maladaptive perfectionists are characterized as
those who set unrealistic and inflexible goals, are driven by an intense
fear of failure, are extremely self-critical, and are unable to experience
satisfaction from accomplishments.

To measure perfectionism, a number of scales have been constructed (Anshel
& Eom, 2002; Burns, 1980; Garner, Olmstead, & Polivy, 1983; Randolph
& Dykman, 1998), two of which have been used the most consistently:
The Hewitt and Flett Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (HF-MPS; Hewitt
& Flett, 1991) and the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale
(F-MPS; Frost, Marten, Lahart, & Rosenblate, 1990). The HF-MPS measures
three dimensions of perfectionism: Self-oriented perfectionism, other-oriented
perfectionism, and socially prescribed perfectionism. The F-MPS examines
an overall perfectionism score, and six independent dimensions of perfectionism:
Concern over mistakes, personal standards, doubts about actions, parental
expectations, parental criticism, and organization.

Perfectionists, maladaptive and adaptive, require that certain standards
for themselves, others, and situations be met. When results are not perceived
to be adequate by the perfectionist, an emotional response may be elicited.
One such emotion is anger (Saboonchi & Lundh, 2003). Anger can be
described as a state emotion, or as a trait personality characteristic.
Spielberger, Jacobs, Russell, and Crane (1983) have conceptualized state
anger as the experience of negative feelings similar to being annoyed
or irritated, or to a greater extent, filled with rage. During this experience,
the autonomic nervous system can become aroused to different degrees depending
on the situation. Spielberger et al. describe trait anger as how frequently
state anger is experienced.

An exploration of perfectionism and anger by Hewitt and Flett (1991)
was one of the first to examine how these constructs may be related. Using
data from 91 university students, the study concluded that self-oriented
and socially prescribed perfectionism were correlated with anger, with
socially prescribed perfectionism being more strongly related. These results
were inconsistent with Saboonchi and Lundh (2003) who found that in a
randomly selected sample of adult men and women with a mean age of 37
years, self-oriented perfectionism had a weak correlation with anger,
but other-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism had no significant
relationship. This study concluded that anger in perfectionists was manifested
more so because of high goals not being achieved, than by any perception
regarding treatment by others. The age difference in the samples may have
confounded these results, as evidenced by another study (Hewitt et al.,
2002) using children which resulted in dissimilar conclusions. Unlike
earlier research, this study found no correlation between self-oriented
perfectionism and anger, but did indicate a relationship between socially
prescribed perfectionism and aspects of anger. This type of perfectionism
was shown to be positively correlated with outward expressions of anger
and negatively correlated with actions indicative of anger suppression.
This lack of a relationship between self-oriented perfectionism and anger
may be explained by children not holding themselves as accountable for
their actions as an adult might, and instead, lashing out at others who
are perceived to be placing unfair perfectionistic demands upon them.

The results of these studies, albeit somewhat inconclusive, do provide
evidence that socially prescribed perfectionism may have a slightly stronger
relationship with anger than with other dimensions of perfectionism. This
interesting association has seemingly been unexplored within the realm
of sport, despite consistent findings of perfectionism in athletes (Owens
& Slade, 1987) and an association between poor performances precluded
by high goal setting and anger (Fazackerley, Lane, & Mahoney, 2004).

Recently researchers began to examine perfectionism, anger, and sport
collectively. Valance and Dunn (2002a), using their newly developed sport-specific
version of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (Frost, Marten,
Lahart, & Rosenblate, 1990), found that with adolescent ice hockey
players, trait anger was highly correlated with the subscales concern
over mistakes and perceived coach pressure. Perceived coach pressure,
a subscale of the sport oriented version of the F-MPS, is similar to the
parental expectations subscale of the F-MPS. The results of this study
demonstrated a significant relationship between maladaptive perfectionism
and trait anger. A follow up study examining state anger and perfectionism
implemented a situation criticality variable. Youth ice hockey players
were measured for perfectionism and state anger in two scenarios which
had different degrees of criticality to the outcome of the competition.
The results indicated that maladaptive perfectionists had higher state
anger and experienced greater levels of anger following mistakes than
adaptive perfectionists during competition, particularly during a critical
time period. The study also concluded that situation criticality, or the
extent to which a situation within a competition is perceived as critical
to the outcome, was positively correlated with emotional responses during
competition (Vallance & Dunn, 2002b).

An aesthetic sport such as springboard diving has innate characteristics
that focus on attaining perfectly executed performances. As a subjectively
scored athletic event, there is a set “perfect” score, for
which divers aim. It is plausible to believe that this standard may draw
competitors in this sport towards perfectionistic thoughts and behaviors,
which in turn may lead to situations conducive to experiencing greater
levels of anger and anger expression. If an athlete who experiences anger
consistently while engaged in sport can become more aware of how that
anger may be stemming from maladaptive perfectionism, a greater understanding
regarding the ensuing dysfunctional beliefs and actions may be attained.
This may lead to a greater control over anger, more appropriate expressions
of anger, and potentially, performances that are less affected by experiences
of anger.

Statement of Purpose

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
the concern over mistakes and personal standards dimensions of perfectionism
with the various scales and subscales of anger, as measured by the State-Trait
Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2; Spielberger, 1999). Secondary purposes
were to: a) examine how the parental criticism and parental expectations
subscales of perfectionism relate to state anger, trait anger, and anger
expression, and b) to explore how gender relates to the perfectionism-anger
relationships.

Methodology

Participants

Fifty-nine springboard divers, 19 men and 40 women, from varsity collegiate
teams throughout the United States participated in this study. The divers’
ages ranged from 18-26 years, had competed the previous two years, and
had a minimum of two years competitive experience. Competitive experience
was operationally defined as a minimum of six United States Diving sanctioned
meets or six NCAA Collegiate meets per year.

Instrumentations

The Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (Frost, Marten, Lahart,
& Rosenblate, 1990) was used to assess the dimensions of perfectionism.
This scale consists of 35 items that use a five-point Likert scale ranging
from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 5 (Strongly agree). The scale measures overall
perfectionism and six independent dimensions of perfectionism. The subscales
are concern over mistakes (CM), personal standards (PS), parental expectations
(PE), parental criticism (PC), doubts about actions (DA), and organization
(ORG). The CM subscale measures the extent to which an individual reacts
negatively to one’s own mistakes. PS measures the extent to which
a person sets high standards. The PE subscales indicates the strength
of an individual’s perceptions regarding his or her parents’
setting of high standards for the individual. PC is a measure of how a
person perceives criticism from his or her parents regarding their performances.
The subscales DA and ORG measure how satisfied or dissatisfied an individual
is with a performance or project, and how important order and neatness
is to an individual, respectively. For greater interpretation of the scores,
a directional scale was added by the primary investigator of this study.
This seven-point Likert scale measures how an individual feels perfectionism
affects his or her performance. Overall internal reliability for F-MPS
has been reported at .90 (Parker & Adkins, 1995) and has been concurrently
validated by Frost et al. with the HF-MPS (Hewitt & Flett, 1991) and
the Burns Perfectionism Scale (Burns, 1980). Frost et al. also demonstrated
a Cronbach’s alpha of .91 for this scale.

The State Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (Spielberger, 1999) was
used to measure trait anger, state anger, and anger expression. The STAXI-2
is a 57-item scale which uses four-point Likert scales. The first part
of the STAXI-2 is the state anger (SANG) scale. It consists of fifteen
items measuring how intensely an individual experiences anger during either
the testing period, or a time or situation specified by the test administrator.
For this study, the individuals were directed to indicate how he or she
generally feels during a competition or practice. The Likert scale for
the state anger scale ranges from 1 (Not at all) to 4 (Very much so).
The state anger scale consists of three subscales: state anger / feeling
angry (SANGF), state anger / feel like expressing anger verbally (SANGV),
and state anger / feel like expressing anger physically (SANGP). The second
part of the STAXI-2 is the trait anger (TANG) scale. This scale consists
of ten items measuring an individual’s proneness to experience angry
feelings. The Likert scale for this measure ranges from 1 (Almost never)
to 4 (Almost always). Two subscales are used to comprise the TANG scale:
Trait anger / angry temperament (TANGT) and trait anger / angry reaction
(TANGR). The final part of this inventory measures the ways in which an
individual expresses and controls anger. These scales consist of 32 items
using the same Likert scale as the TANG scale. The following scales make
up this final part of the STAXI-2: The anger expression-out (AX-O) scale,
the anger expression-in (AX-I) scale, the anger control-out (AC-O) scale,
the anger control-in (AC-I) scale, and the anger expression index (AX).
Like the F-MPS, and additional seven-point Likert directional scale was
added to measure how an individual feels anger positively or negatively
affects performance. The three primary components of the STAXI-2 have
been concurrently validated by Spielberger with various subscales of the
Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (Buss & Durkee, 1957), Minnesota Multiphasic
Personality Inventory (Hathaway & McKinley, 1967), Spielberger’s
(1979) State-Trait Personality Inventory (as cited in Spielberger, 1999)
and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1975).

Procedures

A packet containing a cover letter, the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism
Scale, the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2, informed consent
forms, directions for the administration of the surveys, and a self-addressed
stamped envelope, was sent to university teams. The letter included a
rationale for the study and the possible benefits to springboard diving,
in addition to information on the length of time necessary to complete
the scales. A requested return date was also noted in the cover letter.
The informed consent form addressed issues regarding an assurance of confidentiality
and anonymity. The information in the packet was to be read by those administering
the scales.

The diving programs were contacted by either phone or email prior to
receiving the surveys. The scales were administered primarily in the practice
facilities for each team. Data were also collected at a diving competition
from those individuals who met the prerequisites. In this case, the packets
were distributed at a pre-competition meeting and were to be returned
as soon as possible. Most were returned by mail several weeks later.

A reminder email was sent two weeks prior to the return date. Packets
were mailed a second time to those programs who had requested an additional
packet. Collection ceased soon after the deadline had passed.

Results

Multiple Pearson’s Correlation analyses were conducted to examine
the relationships between: a) the F-MPS subscales CM and PS with all scales
and subscales of the STAXI-2, and b) the F-MPS subscales PE, PE, DA, and
ORG with the STAXI-2 scales SANG, TANG, and the AX Index. Because there
were 35 correlations examined and 10 independent t-tests analyzed, the
alpha level was adjusted to p < .01.

The subscale CM resulted in two significant correlations. TANG showed
a weak, positive relationship (r = .374, r2 = .140, p < .01), while
TANGR (r = .490, r2 = .240, p < .01) demonstrated a moderate, positive
relationship. No other scales or subscales of the STAXI-2 were found to
be significantly correlated with CM, and only one other scale approached
significance; AX-I (r = .310, r2 = .096, p = .019). Results for all correlations
for CM are shown in Tables 1, 2, and 3.

For the F-MPS subscale PS and the STAXI-2 scales and subscales, only
one significant correlation surfaced. TANGR was found to have a weak,
positive relationship with PS (r = .408, r2 = .166, p < .01). Two other
STAXI-2 scales approached significance: TANG (r = .307, r2 = .094, p =
.019) and AC-I (r = .310, r2 = .096, p = .018). The correlations for PS
are shown in Tables 1, 2, and 3.

For all other correlations examined, only one was found to be significant
at the alpha level of p < .01. PE was found to have a weak, positive
relationship with TANG (r = .397, r2 = .158, p < .01) as shown in Table
4.

To examine the differences between genders for the F-MPS subscales CM,
PS, PE and PC, four two-tailed independent t-tests were utilized. These
independent t-tests, along with all others used in this study, had an
alpha level adjusted to p < .01. Results show no significant differences
between men and women for the above constructs. See Table 5.

Three one-tailed independent t-tests revealed no significant differences
between genders on SANG, AX-I, and AX-O. See Table 6.

For the STAXI-2 scale TANG, a two-tailed independent t-test again resulted
in no significant differences between genders. See Table 7.

The directional scales added to the F-MPS and the STAXI-2 surveys also
resulted in no significant differences between genders. See Table 8.

To examine the differences between the correlations specified in the
hypotheses, a Fisher’s zr transformation was utilized. However,
only a single transformation contained at least one significant correlation,
thus essentially nullifying any significant results for all others, of
which there were none. The one Fisher’s zr transformation that did
contain a significant relationship, CM and PS for TANG, also resulted
in a non-significant difference between correlations.

Discussion

The data analysis on the relationship between the perfectionism subscales
and SANG resulted in unexpected outcomes. Individuals who score highly
on the CM subscale have an increased focus on errors (Frost, Marten, Lahart,
& Rosenblate, 1990) and have a greater desire to self-present positively
to others (Hamachek, 1978). Because athletes fitting this criterion are
less able to remove negative athletic related images from his or her mind
(Frost & Henderson, 1991) it was hypothesized that SANG would be positively
correlated with CM. Additionally, Hewitt and Flett (1991) found a correlation
between socially prescribed perfectionism and a measure of anger, which
although not specified, appeared to be more closely related to state anger.
Socially prescribed perfectionism has been found to be significantly correlated
with CM (Frost, Heimberg, Holt, Mattia, & Neubauer, 1993) but unexpectedly,
CM was not found to have a significant relationship with SANG for the
current study despite its correlation with AX-I approaching significance
(r = .310, r2 = .094, p = .019). This may lead to the conclusion that
those who score highly on CM may experience angry feelings, but perhaps
not during diving practice or competition, as only the SANG scale of the
STAXI-2 (Speilberger, 1999) inquires about emotions coinciding with the
diving experience.

Examining the subscales of SANG, and the relationships present with the
CM and PS subscales of perfectionism, resulted in additional counter-intuitive
findings. Vallance and Dunn (2002b) found that maladaptive perfectionists,
or those who’s CM score was high, had significant correlations with
SANGF and SANGV. The current study’s hypothesis proved to be incorrect,
in that CM did not have a significantly stronger correlation with these
subscales than did PS. In fact, PS had a stronger correlation with SANGF,
although none of these correlations were significant at p < .01.

The final SANG subscale, SANGP, also resulted in relationships with PS
and CM that were not significant. It was presumed that participating in
a sport in which the participant is under water and out of view immediately
following a performance, in addition to having the opportunity to leave
the immediate vicinity of the competitive venue during a competition or
practice, would increase the incidence of a diver’s desire to express
anger in a physical manner. Examples of these expressions might be hitting
walls under water, clenching fists or other muscles, or slamming lockers.
However, this proved not to be the case, and may be due to the fact that
two of the five items of the STAXI-2 (Spielberger, 1999) which measure
SANGP describe acting violent toward “somebody.” The participants
of this study may have interpreted “somebody” as someone else
in the practice or competition setting. In springboard diving, this is
not socially acceptable, as it may be in a few other sports, and would
potentially result in greater negative consequences.

TANG, and its subscale TANGR, were found to have the greatest number
of significant correlations. TANGR was significantly correlated with both
CM and PS, with CM having a stronger relationship. These results were
not unexpected as it follows logic that those who are most concerned with
how they appear to others naturally might experience greater levels of
anger in frustrating situations, or following a negative evaluation. However,
it was unexpected that CM had a significant relationship with TANG, but
PS did not. Hewitt and Flett’s (1991) self-oriented dimension of
perfectionism, which is significantly correlated with PS, has been found
to be positively correlated with TANG, but socially prescribed perfectionism,
which correlates with CM, was not (Saboonchi & Lundh, 2003). Because
of these previous findings, it was believed that PS would have a stronger
relationship with TANG than CM. However, results of this study showed
the opposite. These findings demonstrate some support the premise that
springboard divers who are more concerned about mistakes and how a performance
is evaluated may experience a greater frequency of angry emotions than
those who are more concerned with eclipsing self-imposed standards.

The perfectionism subscales examining perceptions of parents also resulted
in interesting findings. TANG was found to be significantly correlated
with PE, however PC was not. It appears that within the springboard diving
community, anger may be experienced in greater frequency by those who
perceive parents as having extremely high standards imposed on him or
her, than by those who perceive parents as overly critical for not meeting
certain standards. Perhaps this is due to other emotions being elicited
by those with overly critical parents, such as sadness, apathy, or resignation.
More research is needed in this area for a greater understanding of this
dynamic.

Examining gender in the context of perfectionism, anger, and springboard
diving also brought about interesting findings. Based on previous literature
(Anshel, & Eom, 2002; Flett, Hewitt, Endler, & Tassone, 1995;
Frost, Heimberg, Holt, Mattia, & Neubauer, 1993; Gotwals, Dunn, &
Wayment, 2003; Saboonchi, & Lundh, 2003) it was believed that perfectionism
would not be significantly different between genders. The results of this
study supported conclusions drawn in earlier research regarding the similarities
between how men and women experience perfectionism. What was surprising
were the differences between genders for the various scales and subscales
of anger.

Results for TANG and gender were consistent with the findings of Spielberger’s
(1999) investigation. There were no significant differences between gender
and the two subscales of TANG. This was also true for SANG and its subscales,
despite Spielberger’s findings demonstrating significantly higher
scores for men than women on each construct. In addition to Spielberger
(1999), Forgays, Forgays, and Spielberger (1997) revealed results supporting
the belief that men and women experience anger differently.

One possible explanation for the incongruence of SANG scores between
the current study and those cited above is that for Spielberger’s
(1999) study, survey items were to address the participant’s state
at the time of the test administration in a controlled setting. The participants
used in this study were asked to recall and indicate how he or she generally
felt during a competition or practice. It is possible that while diving,
similar state anger emotions may be elicited between genders, regardless
of how state anger is experienced in a more controlled setting.

With regard to anger expression, it was hypothesized that women would
score significantly higher on the AX-I scale, and men would score significantly
higher on the AX-O scale. Results showed neither to be supported, with
women actually scoring slightly higher on AX-O. It is less surprising
that AX-I scores were not significantly different, as Spielberger (1999)
had similar results. However, the assumption in this case was based on
previous findings that women experience shame with greater frequency,
and that shame is positively correlated with AX-I (Lutwak, Panish, Ferrari,
& Razzino, 2001). It was thought that being an elite athlete on display
in an individual sport such as diving, may have lead to increased instances
of shame if the athlete were to perform poorly. If this were the case,
women may experience shame with greater frequency than men, thus leading
to a greater propensity for experiencing and suppressing anger, as measured
by the AX-I scale. It appears, though, that participating in springboard
diving is not sufficient enough to alter the extent to which men and women
typically experience and suppress angry feelings.

Interestingly, women did score higher on AX-O, although not significantly.
These results refute the findings of Spielberger (1999) that men scored
significantly higher than women on this scale, and are even more noteworthy
when juxtaposed with Forgays, Forgays, and Spielberger’s (1997)
conclusion that the outward expression of anger is a more distinctive
and significant event for women than men. It is possible that the lack
of significant differences within this sample may be due to the disparity
in the number of men and women participants, but greater research is needed
regarding the uniqueness of the similarities between genders for these
typically asymmetric constructs.

Overall, findings in this study produced unexpected results. The similarities
between genders prompts the need for future research on how springboard
divers differ with samples derived from other sport populations. The relatively
small number of participants and the difference in the number of men and
women who participated may have affected these findings. Having only 59
participants may have decreased the power for the correlations and independent
t-tests to such an extent, that few correlations and independent t-tests
resulted in significance. Despite this possibility, it may be that there
is an aspect of springboard diving that either draws in a certain type
of individual to participate, or fosters similar personality characteristics
through participation.

The lack of variability in this sample decreases the ability of the results
of study to be generalizable to individuals who participate in other sports.
Because of this, differences between team and individual sports should
be examined in future studies. There appears to be a very small amount
of research examining perfectionism and anger in an athletic setting and
comparisons between team and individual sport participants has not been
a focus. With social evaluation and individualized standards, cornerstones
of the dimensions of perfectionism, varying greatly between team and individual
sports, anger and perfectionism may prove to be experienced very differently
through participation in diverse settings. More research of this kind
may lead to a greater understanding of how the perfectionism-anger dynamic
is uniquely experienced in springboard diving.

Although not specifically scrutinized in the current study, there did
appear to be differences in scores between the normal population and springboard
divers. Greater research is needed comparing the relationships of anger
and perfectionism between these groups. Understanding how these populations
differ on these constructs may shed light on the presence of conditions
that lead to the formation of relationships between the various dimensions
observed in this study.

Finally, research that has a deeper focus on the trait anger-perfectionism
dynamic is needed. This study found the strongest and greatest number
of correlations between these dimensions, and understanding why this is
the case could prove to be useful. Perfectionism is also a trait characteristic
and examining the development of these qualities, and the ties between
them, could lead to greater insight into how they may be fostered or discouraged.

Table 1
Correlations for the F-MPS subscales Concern Over Mistake (CM) and Personal
Standards (PS) and the STAXI-2 scale State Anger (SANG) and subscales
State Anger / Feeling Angry (SANGF), State Anger / Feel Like Expressing
Anger Verbally (SANGV), and State Anger / Feel Like Expressing Anger Physically
(SANGP)

 

SANG SANGF SANGV SANGP
CM .189 .139 .217 .120
PS .209 .202 .160 .210

Table 2
Correlations for the F-MPS subscales Concern Over Mistake (CM) and Personal
Standards (PS) and the STAXI-2 scale Trait Anger (TANG) and subscales
Trait Anger / Angry Temperament (TANGT) and Trait Anger / Angry Reaction
(TANGR)

TANG TANGT TANGR
CM .374** .187 .490**
PS .307* .123 .408**

**Correlation is significant at the .01 level (two-tailed)
*Correlation is significant at the .05 level (two-tailed)

Table 3
Correlations for the F-MPS subscales Concern Over Mistakes (CM) and Personal
Standards (PS) and the STAXI-2 scales Anger Control-In (AC-I), Anger Control-Out
(AC-O), Anger Expression-In (AX-I), and Anger Expression-Out (AX-O)

 

AC-I AC-O AX-I AX-O
CM -.092 -.177 .310* .135
PS .310* .113 .234 .136

*Correlation is significant at the .05 level (two-tailed)

Table 4
Correlations for the F-MPS subscales Parental Criticism (PC), Parental
Expectations (PE), Doubts About Actions (DA), and Organization (ORG) and
the STAXI-2 scales State Anger (SANG), Trait Anger (TANG), and the Anger
Expression Index (AX)

 

PC PE DA ORG
SANG .178 .159 .035 -.078
TANG .274* .397** .165 .031
AX .179 .176 .030 -.054

**Correlation is significant at the .01 level (two-tailed)
*Correlation is significant at the .05 level (two-tailed)

Table 5
Results for independent t-tests for gender on the F-MPS subscales Concern
Over Mistakes (CM), Personal Standards (PS), Parental Expectations (PE),
and Parental Criticism (PC)

Subscale Gender (Number) Mean Standard Deviation Sig.(2-tailed)
CM Men (19)Women (40) 24.7923.33 9.076.57 .483
PS Men (19)Women (40) 26.6825.03 5.575.07 .260
PE Men (19)Women (40) 13.7914.65 4.383.98 .455
PC Men (19)Women (40) 6.958.20 3.923.09 .188

Table 6
Results for independent t-tests for gender on the STAXI-2 scales State
Anger (SANG), Anger Expression-In (AX-I), and Anger Expression-Out (AX-O)

Scale Gender (Number) Mean Standard Deviation Sig. (1-tailed)
SANG Men (19)Women (40) 26.8924.40 8.778.10 .286
AX-I Men (19)Women (40) 17.8917.26 4.563.44 .554
AX-O Men (19)Women (40) 14.4214.56 3.664.22 .900

Table 7
Results for independent t-test for gender on the STAXI-2 scale Trait Anger
(TANG)

Scale Gender (Number) Mean Standard Deviation Sig. (2-tailed)
TANG Men (18)Women (40) 17.2817.25 4.744.67 .983

Table 8
Results for independent t-tests for gender on the directional scales added
to the F-MPS (PERDIRECT) and the STAXI-2 (ANGDIRECT)

Scale Gender (Number) Mean Standard Deviation Sig. (2-tailed)
PERDIRECT Men (18)Women (38) 1.33.76 1.331.73 .223
ANGDIRECT Men (18)Women (39) -.28-.62 1.021.31 .339

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2015-03-27T11:32:30-05:00March 4th, 2006|Sports Coaching, Sports Management, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off on An Exploration of State and Trait Anger, Anger Expression and Perfectionism in Collegiate Springboard Divers

Age Requirement in Professional Sport

Introduction

Young athletes should be able to turn pro so that they can make money.
This allows them to take care of themselves and their families. In October
2005, 15 year old golfer Michelle Wie turned pro Young basketball players
who have recently made the direct leap from high school to the NBA include
LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Korleone Young, and DeSagana Diop.. These
athletes were all able to take early advantage of their talents. Their
exceptional abilities enabled them to jump from high school directly to
the professional ranks, and to enjoy monetary gains through which they
could better their lives and the lives of their families.

The NFL age requirement bars young football players from turning pro
right after high school. This NFL rule withstood court challenge in 2004.
The NFL and NCAA claim that the NFL age requirement protects young athletes
by shielding them from physical injury and requiring them to mature emotionally
and receive an education before entering the world of professional sports.
In fact, the NFL and NCAA are capitalizing on young athletes’ entertainment
value and turning a profit for three years, without compensating the “performers”.

The higher courts should not treat the NFL age requirement as a valid
eligibility requirement under U.S. labor law. Rather, they should side
with the lower court, which found that this age requirement violates antitrust
law. The NFL and NCAA are the only game in town for young football players.
As the case of Maurice Clarett demonstrates, a football player who is
shut out of the NCAA and NFL is effectively prevented from pursuing a
career as a professional football player. It would be one thing for the
NFL to establish eligibility requirements that really were in the best
interests of young players and the sport of football. However, the current
age requirement exists solely so that two powerful sports organizations,
the NCAA and the NFL may benefit. . The NFL benefits because they have
used the collegiate ranks as a free farm system to develop future prospects
for the league. During this developmental period for the collegiate athlete,
the NCAA capitalizes on marketing the rising stars potential to make it
big in the NFL. Given these financial interests, it appears that the NCAA
and NFL have set age requirements in order to prevent young athletes from
profiting financially from their talents until they have served as an
unpaid source of marketable entertainment source for the NCAA and NFL.

Age requirements in professional football do not benefit young athletes,
nor do they improve the sport itself. They exist solely so that two powerful
and profitable athletic organizations can turn a profit, at the expense
of the athletes, the very individuals the NCAA was established to protect.
NFL age eligibility requirements should be struck down.

The NFL Eligibility Requirements

NFL rule requires a player to either be out of high school for three
years or have finished three college football seasons before joining the
league. (Lupica, M. 2004) The NFL is the only major professional sport
that prohibits the drafting of players who have not completed three college
seasons or who are not three years removed from high school graduation
(Gehring, 2004; Nieporent 2004). The NFL claims that this rule is in the
athlete’s best interest. The NFL argues that this rule protects player’s
physical safety. However, the NFL and the NCAA benefit by capitalizing
on amateur athletes

The NCAA Eligibility Requirements

The NCAA rule book states that once an individual declares themselves
eligible for draft status, they automatically loss loose amateur status
in the particular sport.

Other Sports Eligibility

Before the National Basketball Association collective bargaining agreement
of 2005, the minimum drafting age for the NBA was 18 years old. The LPGA,
NHL and PGA have a waiver option for athletes who are younger than 18,
which enables athletes an opportunity to turn pro before the age of 18
if they fulfill certain requirements. They have a minimum age requirement
of 18 years. Major League Baseball requires athletes to be 16 years of
age to tryout for farm teams. Tennis has been more lenient about teen
players, although they limit the number of events they can enter. FIFA
and the U.S. National Soccer team do not any have specific age requirements
for their athletes. (USA Today 2003)

Who Should Enforce Age Requirements

Organizations have justified why age requirements are necessary in professional
sports. These young athletes gain enormous notoriety due to media portraying
them as superhuman. When negative incidents occur, the media is there
to cover the athletes’ story. The people operating professional
sports assume one way to avert problems is to have age requirements. In
the past, many talented high school athletes made the jump to professional
ranks for monetary gain. Athletes such as Tara Lipinski, Lebron James,
and Oscar de La Hoya possess physical talents that supersede their social
and emotional maturity. (Toronto Star, 2005) One assumption about these
public figures is that they have been given too much, too young. When
problems arise, such as the Kobe Bryant or Mike Tyson rape cases, one
may question their perception of reality. These talented young athletes
have been forced to rely on the recognition gained from their athletic
talents, which leads them to perceive a false sense of reality. It is
also argued that the rapid jump from high school to the professional level
creates athletes that lack self control and who think they are invincible.
The Kobe Bryant rape case or one of the many Mike Tyson cases and accusations
are only a few examples of a young athlete with enormous star potential
that flailed under these false pretenses. The NFL states that having an
age requirement would help to prevent inappropriate situations for promising
young athletes due to lack of social development and maturity.

The government has set standards for minors to be employed only with
written parental consent under the age of 16. Should guidelines be set
by the government to control eligibility requirements for employment in
professional sports? Legislation has already stepped in to regulate drug
testing for steroids in baseball. Legislative control of drugs in baseball
has occurred because the government felt not enough has been done to regulate
steroid use in professional sports. They state that the problem lies with
the organizations controlling the sport professions. (Guthrie, 2004; Talev,
M. 2005)

The Problems with Age Requirements

The focus continues to benefit the organization. Little benefit has been
seen outside the organization. A few athletically gifted players who do
not have the academic abilities required to play in college have less
chances to play professionally. The age requirement would force young
stud athletes to wait a year or two before being drafted or trying out
for a professional team. Another issue with age requirements is the role
of the unethical agent looking to capitalize on the abandoned year of
an unfortunate athlete looking to capitalize on their talents. (Williams,
2001)

Players not able to Cash in on their Talents

The biggest area of concern for the college athlete is the potential
for a career-ending injury occurring before they are able to cash in on
the monetary value of their talents. The possibility of being hurt while
playing in minor leagues or college is of great concern. The athletes
do not make enough money in the minor leagues, and if they have a career
ending injury they may be unable to support themselves and their family
because they have no other training to fall back on. Also, financial compensation
for their injury may not be made available to them. In a collegiate athlete’s
case, no money is paid to financially sustain themselves or their families.
The NCAA continues to ignore the student athletes, who’se careers
areis cut short by injury, barring them from possible professional monetary
gains. (Huma, 2002; Hayden, 2001)

Literature Review

The Labor Law

The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 is the law that governs interstate
commerce. This includes the labor relationships between professional athletes
and teams (Bohlander, G., & Snell, S.2001; Resnick). Section 7 of
the National Labor Relations Act states: “Employees have the right
to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to
bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and
to engage in concerted activities, for the purpose of collective bargaining
or other mutual aid or protection, and shall also have the right to refrain
from any or all such activities except to the extent that such right may
be affected by an agreement requiring membership in labor organization
as a condition of employment.” (Bohlander, G., & Snell, S. 2001;
Resnick 2005)

Child entertainment laws in many of the states throughout the United
States require that the minimum age for minors to have work permits and
letters of release is 16 years of age. Out of 50 states, only four have
labor laws that specifically state that anyone under the age of 18 needs
a work permit. 31 states have laws that regulate minors working for entertainment
purposes, of those, 24 of these states have required an age limit for
minors to possess work permits.

Government Age Standards for Agriculture Employment

The U.S. government has set guidelines for the minimum age standards
for agriculture employment. Children under the age of 12 may work depending
on the prescribed conditions of the harvest. (Child Labor Requirements
1984) Employment is allowed if they are working at their permanent residence
under parental or guardian approval. “Twelve and thirteen year olds
may be employed with a written consent by the parental consent or a farm
where the minor’s parent or person standing in place of the parent
is also employed.” (Child Labor Requirements 1984) Fourteen year
olds seeking employment may be employed if they work around school hours
and are in no agricultural hazard declared by the Secretary of Labor.
(Child Labor Requirements 1984; Siddiqi, Faraaz; Patrinos, H.A.1997) Sixteen
years of age is the minimum age requirement for agricultural employment.
Sixteen year olds may work around school hours unless employed by their
parent or person standing in as their parent. (Child Labor Requirements
1984) The minor may work in any agricultural hazardous condition declared
by the Secretary of Labor. (Siddiqi, Faraaz; Patrinos, H.A.1997)

Written law by the Secretary of Labor enables minors to perform manual
labor for wages. These laws set guidelines that allow minors to be employed
and perform physical labor for pay. Laws are set according to age for
minors to perform physical labor for pay. Professional sports are just
as physically demanding as manual labor, yet young athletes, unlike young
laborers the same age are not able to capitalize on their work. A talented
15 year old that plays golf well may not play professionally because of
the organizational standards. These same minors are unable to capitalize
on their athletic abilities despite the fact that it is within the confine
of the law. Corporate institutions have the ability to control and direct
minors through stages that allow minors to develop into professional athletes.
For example, the NFL uses the NCAA system to determine who is best qualified
for the professional ranks. The NCAA is the organization that sets rules
and restrictions of what athletes can and cannot do. (Huma, 2002)

Definition of Professional Sports

The difference between amateur and professional athletes is that professional
athletes receive payment for their employment, where amateurs do not.
(Bohlander, G., & Snell, S. 2001) The system of professional sports
is a high performance work system. Athletes are placed in unique performance
systems that hone their skills, which enable them to achieve higher playing
levels. As athletes hone their skill and continue performing at a high
level, the organization builds their business from the success gained
by their sports teams.

The NCAA

The NCAA is a governing body that oversees amateur athletic participation
in its member colleges and universities. Its original purpose was to maintain
educational integrity for athletes and to protect their interests regarding
injuries from sport. Others I have thought it was originally formed to
regulate safety in college football. Several players were being killed
and there was a movement to ban the sports. Theodore Roosevelt, having
had football players on his team of “Rough Riders” during
the Spanish-American War, wanted to save the game so he called for formation
of the NCAA. (Hawes, K. (1999) Student athletes generate billions of dollars
for the universities and the NCAA year after year. Yet these same athletes
are left without the financial gains accumulated by the universities and
the NCAA. Athletes that participate in division I university athletics
are compensated with an athletic scholarship. The problem is that athletic
scholarships do not cover the full cost of going to school, thus leaving
the student athletes looking for employment while participating in sports
and going to school fulltime (Huma, 2002) Scholarship athletes are only
allowed to make limited amounts of money while participating in collegiate
sports.

The NCAA reaffirms the universities contention that collegiate athletes
remain as amateur athletes. Both the NCAA and the universities maintain
the stance that student athletes are not employees of the universities
or the NCAA. The NCAA and the universities contend that an education is
something that is invaluable; therefore, they are receiving worthy compensation
for participation in athletics. The NCAA argues that scholarships provide
athletes with a “free education” which is an invaluable payment
for their services. While no one can deny the value of an education, this
frees the NCAA and universities from paying a wage or salary (Sage 1998)

The athletic scholarship is a work contract that claims the rights of
ownership of the athletes for the university. The school (coach) owns
the athletes. (Sage 1998) Universities and the NCAA contend that they
conduct their business separately from student athletes, despite the working
relationships contracted between the student athletes and the universities.
Universities claim their business is to provide an academic education
to the students. The business of athletics is not essential to their purpose
of providing an education. (Huma, 2002; Hayden 2001) Within the past 15
years, the NCAA business decisions stray from their original purpose to
benefit student athletes. Former NCAA executive director Walter Byers
states that intercollegiate athletics is similar to the values of modern
corporations or professional sports than the basic values of amateurism.
(Sage, G.H.1998)

The NCAA original concept was to protect student athletes from injuries
stemming from football and other sports (Huma, 2002) The NCAA created
coaching clinics that informed coaches how to protect the athletes. Currently,
the NCAA does not have safety guidelines for practices to be correctly
administered to prevent injuries or death. (Huma, 2002; Hayden 2001) The
other problem is that NCAA does not provide workers compensation for athletes
who are injured while participating in athletics for universities. Coaches
have designated practices that are termed voluntary, but it is known that
lack of participation will result in the sacrifice of the student-athlete.(Huma,
2002) The NCAA continues to abandon athletes who are injured in so called
‘voluntary’ practices. (Huma, 2002; Hayden 2001) In order
for a student-athlete to qualify for workers’ compensation, they must
meet two requirements: (1) the student-athlete must be covered and (2)
the student-athlete must have been acting within the scope of his/her
employment when he/she was injured or killed. (Huma, 2002; Hayden, C.
2001) Courts have been at odds dealing with the employer/employee relationships
between the universities and student athletes. Courts have received criticism
for not taking a definitive stand regarding the employer/employee relationship
between the university and the student athletes. Previous court decisions
relating to monetary compensations for athletes whom have sustained career
ending injuries have not dealt with this problem. (Hayden 2001) If an
athlete were fatally injured, the NCAA does compensate the athlete’s
family with a $10,000 award. Courts refused to define the role of the
student athlete and their financial importance to the universities and
the NCAA. Universities and the NCAA continue to exploit collegiate athletes
for their financial benefit. Huma states that collegiate athletes only
receive a partial ‘full scholarship’, with the inability to
earn money from other employment, and no work compensation if severely
or fatally injured. This puts the athletes at great risk. Some of these
talented athletes risk a chance of generating millions of dollars for
themselves.

Unfair Labor Practices

U.S. Congress has defined 5 unfair labor practices, three of which solely
relate to professional sports.

  • The first unfair labor practice stated is interfering with, restraining,
    or coercing employees in the exercise of their rights guaranteed. One
    example of this is the voluntary practices made mandatory by restricting
    and threatening of the athletes’ position loss.
  • The second example is dominating or interfering with the formation
    or administrating of any labor organization, or contributing financial
    or other support to it. NCAA does not solely support the athletes participating
    in collegiate athletics. The NCAA has restrictions that prohibit athletes
    to work to support themselves and their families that would better their
    situation. (Huma, 2002)
  • The third example deals with discriminating in regard to hiring or
    tenure of employment or any term or condition of employment so as to
    encourage or discourage membership in any labor organization. The NBA
    setting a minimum age requirement within the collective bargaining agreement
    that basically prohibits young athletes from making the jump from high
    school to the professional arena.

The Ideal Professional Organization

Nieporent states that the National Football League recognizes their position
as a ‘profession.’ Therefore they have the ability to establish
the minimum age requirements for participation in the profession. The
NFL is one single business entity, creating one product: its season (Nieporent
2004). A pro sports league is a single business entity with multiple divisions.
The NFL is a league with a business entity of 32 divisions. All 32 divisions
have a shared interest in keeping product quality high. Because they have
a vested interest in the NFL, teams equally share television revenues,
their main source of income (Nieporent 2004). The NFL’s ruling on
the athletes being three years removed from high school is in the best
interests of the NFL, not the player. The NFL season is filled with quality
players through collegiate football. The NFL has induced their standard
of development through the collegiate system. Compared to all the other
professional sports, the NFL is the superior organization because of its
capability to externalize the source (collegiate athletes) to best benefit
their product (season) for the good of their organization.

In Summary

In 1925, Red Grange left college early to capitalize on his talents by
accepting a $50,000 salary offered by the Chicago Bears. Because Red Grange
left college early, the profit margin for the university and the NCAA
were negatively impacted. The NFL responded by establishing a professional
eligibility rule that prohibits athletes leaving college early. This rule
originally prohibited athletes from entering the NFL draft for four years,
but in 1990, this rule changed to three years (McCormick, Robert A., McKinnon,
and Matthew C.1984). This rule benefits the NFL by forcing athletes to
spend more time developing their skills to become more complete players.
The NCAA followed the NFL age requirement rule by stating that once an
athlete declares himself eligible for professional sport, he is no longer
eligible to participate in collegiate sports.

Maurice Clarett made headlines two years ago when he declared himself
eligible for the NFL draft. His declaration challenged the NFL rule that
stated an athlete had to be three years removed from graduating high school
to become eligible for the draft. Clarett only participated in one year
of collegiate football. This bylaw prohibits Maurice Clarett from capitalizing
on his talents in professional sport. The NCAA reaffirms NFL guidelines
in their bylaws by enforcing their rule that states once a player declares
himself eligible for the NFL draft, he may no longer play collegiate football.
Therefore, by Clarett declaring himself eligible for the NFL draft, he
became ineligible by both organizations. Maurice Clarett, NCAA, lawyers,
and the NFL viewed his talent as a huge commodity. Clarett’s desire
was to capitalize on his talents as soon as possible. Clarett filed and
won the suit based on the NFL being in violation of antitrust laws. The
Clarett attorneys argued that when Maurice Clarett wanted out of college
football, “the current rule perpetuated a ‘system’ whereby
college football serves as an efficient and free farm system for the NFL
by preventing potential players from selling their services to the NFL”(Gehring,
2004). The courts ruled in favor of Clarett stating that the “rule
must be sacked” due to violations of antitrust laws (Gehring, 2004).
The argument also raised questions about unfair labor laws. The first
unfair labor practice stated is interfering with, restraining, or coercing
employees in the exercise of their rights guaranteed.

The Court of Appeals reversed the lower courts’ decision, forcing
Clarett to sit out of football and preventing him from enhancing his skills
and talents. The NFL stated that the rule was part of the league’s collective
bargaining agreement with the players’ union. Section 7 of the unfair
labor practice exemplify refusal to bargain collectively with the duly
chosen representative of employees. Therefore, if this individual is to
be let into the league, then he would have to comply with the rules of
the collective bargaining agreement. To the NFL, this statement meant
that Maurice Clarett must accept and comply with the rules agreed upon
in the previous collective bargaining agreement. The reason for the age
requirement rule in the NFL bylaws is to allow athletes time to develop
and mature physically to take on the daily rigors of being a professional
football player. They did not want to have immature players drafted into
the league who might become a liability, athletically or personally.

This year, after sitting out two years from college football, he became
eligible for the NFL draft. Once he was free from both the NCAA and NFL,
he was unable to perform to expected levels of professional football,
which led to his release from the Denver Broncos.

Clarett’s case demonstrates the problem with athletes taking it
upon themselves to capitalize on their talents through professional sport.
The NCAA and the NFL have manipulated the football market in a manner
that prevents talented young athletes from entering the NFL. The NFL is
the only major professional sport to prohibit the drafting of players
who have not completed three college seasons or who are not three years
removed from high school graduation. (Gehring, 2004; Nieporent 2004) The
NFL claims that this rule is in the athlete’s best interest. However,
it was clearly not in the best interest of Maurice Clarett, who was forced
to sit out for two years after dominating the collegiate ranks. Clarett’s
objective was to capitalize on his intangibles on his terms, not those
of the NFL or NCAA. These two dominant institutions use their powerful
influence to manipulate their infrastructure in ways that best benefit
their organizations. Courts continue to ignore the fact that these athletes
are being exploited. They refuse to establish the working relationship
between the collegiate athlete and the university. Athletes continue to
produce high quality entertainment that universities and the NCAA capitalize
on without compensating the entertainers. Institutionalized needs are
based on the hegemonic order of the consumer society. (Worth and Kuhling,
2004). This is the reason the NFL has set itself up to be the ideal professional
system from an organizational standpoint. They have benefited most from
players being developed at the collegiate level.

The Trend Towards Age requirements in Professional Sport

Other professional sports organizations are beginning to adopt age requirements
for athletes. The movement towards age requirements in professional sports
is seen in the NBA. Recently, the National Basketball Association and
the NBA Players Association concluded their collective bargaining agreement.
One important issue dealt with the minimum age required to be eligible
to play in the NBA. The agreement requires that players entering the league
must be a minimum of 19 years to play professional basketball. This is
a one year increase in age to be eligible for NBA draft. One argument
for this change in eligibility is that the increase of high school athletes
entering the NBA draft need time to develop and mature while aiming for
a professional career. The argument against the agreement states that
the NBA is in search of building a relationship of a free developmental
farm system for professional basketball, similar to the relationship the
NFL and the NCAA..This would become a developmental system for the young
athletes to hone their skill and mature into professional athletes. (Brewer
2004). David Stern, commissioner of the NBA, understands that teenagers
are a part of the NBA. (Brewer 2004). Upward of 10 high school players
may enter the NBA Draft this summer. (Brewer 2004). Various opponents
view the NBA farm system as a financial gain for David Stern and a blow
to the economically deprived individuals who view sport as a way to improve
themselves. (Price, 2005) The NBA is vying for the most direct and secure
path to the NBA to best benefit the NBA.

Opportunities for the Young Professional

Opportunities for professional athletes at such a young age have been
possible with great success. Social stratification shown throughout the
world by globalization encourages people from underdeveloped countries
to aim for the American dream. One dominant mainstream American dream
is playing professional sports.

These candidates may have bright futures as NBA All-Stars. (Brewer 2004).
“The NBA is better at developing talent, teenage talent or any other
kind, than the colleges”. (Brewer 2004). Foreign leagues such as
NFL Europe, Euro league Basketball, and NBA Europe are becoming an alternative
route for athletes to get to the pros. Some athletes, who might not have
the academic capabilities to succeed in college but have the talent to
play professionally, are seeking these other alternatives as ways to collect
on their talents. These new leagues are slowly developing into talent
pools for professional teams to recruit new athletes for their specific
need. It makes good business sense for professional organizations to seek
out players who are more mature and have honed their skill. Teams may
pick up a player inexpensively in these world leagues that fulfills a
specific job on the team for a season. The organization does not have
to take the time to develop an individual or spend the necessary money
to ‘build the future.’

Conclusion

No One Argues the Benefits of Going to College

Players get the experience of growing as an amateur athlete being in
college. College expands education and enhances both social and public
relations skills, even if the athlete is in college for only a year or
two. Time spent in college will mature the athlete, enabling them to be
more prepared when they enter the NBA and even more importantly, when
their NBA careers are over. Knowledge gained from their collegiate experience
is important in the development of a teen becoming a responsible young
adult. The social and educational development may only be experienced
while in college. The athletic development is an area that is going to
develop regardless of the institution or coaching. However, when the collegiate
athlete has the opportunity to play in the NBA, the collegiate athlete
is older and more mature. The time spent in college allows athletes to
develop into a more complete player. The NBA as well as the NFL has used
the college ranks as the minor leagues for development of their players.
The athletes will learn and understand their position as an amateur athlete
while attending college. The professional league views that mature, established
veterans would have a more prosperous and robust career.

Sage states that big time Division One athletics goal is about capital
accumulation. Universities promote images of healthy, admirable, amateur
athletes, in the non-profit setting, but the underlying intentions of
universities is to organize athletics based strictly on marketing principals.
(Sage, 1998). Universities are non-profit organizations, which enable
them to continue to put monies gained back into athletic departments,
which in turn produce larger more attractive venues to produce a better
product. The dominant powerful influence will only increase with more
time because these institutions continue to grow. An age requirement in
professional sports enables these institutions to maintain a high level
of entertainment. Age requirements are good for collegiate sports. Sport
programs claim educational benefits between sport and the university because
of the money generated from contracts with advertisers, sponsorships,
and sporting apparel. Collegiate sports is big time business, therefore,
the trend to enforce age requirements in professional sports will continue
to be enforced. Sports are big business.

References

Brewer, Kevin (2004). Stern ready to agree on a minor concession. The
Washington Times

Bohlander, G., & Snell, S. (2001). Managing human resources. (13th
Ed.) South-Western

Child Labor Requirements in Agriculture under the Fair Labor Standards
Act (Child Labor Bulletin No. 102) (1984). U.S. Department of Labor Employment
Standards Administration Wage and Hour Division. WH Publication 1295 www.dol.gov/esa

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2015-03-27T11:31:26-05:00March 3rd, 2006|Contemporary Sports Issues, Sports Management|Comments Off on Age Requirement in Professional Sport

The Effect of Gender Opportunity in Sports on the Priorities and Aspirations of Young Athletes

Abstract

The role and importance of athletics in the lives of today&#8217;s
male and female youth is analyzed in responses to a survey co-authored
by a professor and conducted by two undergraduate students at the United
States Sports Academy. Athletes at the middle school, high school and
junior college level were asked to rate the importance of sports in their
lives and the likelihood of advancement in athletics as well as careers
in sports. The two survey researchers, their professor and a third undergraduate
analyzed the results of the survey and how they reflect of the current
status of males and females in athletics today. The authors concluded
that female athletes have a different set of priorities regarding sports
because of the difference in athletic opportunities afforded them.

Introduction

The differences in opportunities and recognition in sports between male
and females have been well documented. Opportunities for female athletes
have increased in certain areas in the past 30 years, but females continue
to lag far behind their male counterparts.

The researchers in this project set out to find how that situation affects
the values and opinions of young athletes at the middle school, high school
and junior college level. How important are sports in their lives? What
is the likelihood they will play sports at a higher level? What is the
likelihood they will pursue a career in sports, either as a professional
athlete, coach or administrator?

The hypothesis is that the differences in opportunities and publicity
in sports for males vs. females would result in different answers between
the male and female athletes.

Background

The progress made in athletics for women and girls since the Civil Rights
act of 1964 was amended with Title IX in 1972 has been well documented.

Title IX was aimed at outlawing discrimination in schools that received
federal assistance. When opportunities for females in sports began to
be interpreted as “discrimination” and government-backed college
loans and grants began to be interpreted as “federal assistance,”
the expanded scope of the legislation allowed opportunities for females
in athletics to increase dramatically. The recognition of female athletes
resulting from increased opportunities parlayed into a larger place in
the professional sports market place as three professional women’s
basketball leagues, two pro softball leagues and a professional women’s
soccer league have existed since the passing of Title IX.

“When I was growing up, the only women you saw in professional
sports were in tennis and golf,” said Ann Meyers-Drysdale, ESPN
analyst who played in the first women’s professional basketball
league and was the first woman to try out for a team in the National Basketball
Association. “Those are sports not very many people can afford to
play, especially if you are in a family with 11 children (ussa.edu).”

The number of collegiate and professional opportunities in sports has
increased for females, as well as participation (NCWGE, 2002). While such
opportunities have increased, the differences between males and female
opportunities in the sports are still apparent. Of the aforementioned
professional leagues, only two continue operations today while the others
lasted less than five years each.

Recognition in the media has also increased, as ESPN televised all games
in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament for the first time in
2003. However, male sports figures still are far more prevalent in the
media. Television commercials with male athletes endorsing products overwhelmingly
outnumber those with female athletic endorsements. Seventy to 90 percent
of the articles in Sports Illustrated are about male athletes (Eitzen
and Sage, 2003).

An NCAA survey of Division One universities in 1992 revealed that men’s’
programs received 70 percent of all athletic scholarship funds, 83 percent
of the recruiting funds and 77 percent of the operating budgets (Eitzen
and Sage, 2003).

Women are underrepresented at all levels of sports, including coaching
and administration opportunities, which have proportionately decreased
since the passage of Title IX. In 1972, coaches in female sports were
about 90 percent women. By 1998, that percentage dropped to 58 percent,
44 percent in 2002. Only 18 percent of those programs were administered
by women (Coakley, 2004).

These facts are reviewed along with the results of the survey, to see
if there is a reflection of the gender climate in sports in the athletes’
answers.

Process

Two undergraduate students and their professor composed a survey that
asked the respondents to rate the values of sports and certain aspects
there of on a scale of 1-5, with “5” meaning “very important”
and “1” meaning “not at all important.” They were
also asked to use a 1-5 scale to rate the likelihood of having a future
in sports at various levels of college or careers in sports as a professional
athlete, coach, official or in an administrative function. A score of
“5” meant “very likely” and “1” meant
“not at all likely.”

The specific questions are in Figure 1. The hypothesis was that female
athletes were more likely to give accomplishments in sports a lower priority
in their lives and to have lower expectations about their futures in sports.
The researchers also believed that because the quantity and depth of athletic
opportunities for males exceeds that for females, female respondents would
give athletics a lower priority in their lives and have lower expectations
of their future in sports.

Figure 1: Survey Content
Figure 1

One student surveyed 16 girls and 18 boys who participate in sports at
Central Baldwin Middle School in Robertsdale, Ala. Another surveyed 17
girls and 13 boys who participate in sports at Murphy High School in Mobile,
Ala. The same student surveyed 15 women and 14 men who participate in
athletics at Bishop State Community College, also in Mobile.
After the results were computed, the professor, the two students and one
additional student analyzed the results and the gathered facts about opportunities
for females in sports to see if there was a difference in the responses
between males and females that could be attributed to the current sport
climate.

Results

Because opportunities in sports at a higher level are more prevalent
for males than for females, it was believed that the more serious aspects
of sports, — such as competition, scholarship potential and challenges
— would be more important to the male athletes than the female and the
more social aspects — experience, building friendships, fun and physical
fitness — would score higher on the female responses.

The friendship hypothesis held true on all three surveys. Among middle
school athletes, the average score of importance on “building friendships”
was 4.38 for girls and 4.17 for boys, although a comparable number (nine
girls and eight boys) gave that aspect a “5” score. The high
school girls gave friendships an average rating of 4.41, compared to 4.15
for the boys, and the number of respondents rating it a “5”
was 10 girls and seven boys. Community college athletes overall gave friendships
less weight, with the women averaging a 4.0 response and the men 3.36.
Only six women and two men rated friendship a “5.” Females
at the middle school and community college level gave physical fitness
a higher average score than males (4.75 to 4.61 middle school, 4.73 to
4.21 community college), but the high school boys gave it more importance
than the high school girls (4.69 to 4.47). However, 12 high school girls
and 10 high school boys gave physical fitness a “5.” The “experience”
answer was close in the middle school group (4.38 girls and 4.33 boys
with eight each rating it a “5”), but was clearly favored
by the boys in high school (4.54 to 4.24) and women in community college
(4.2 to 4.0). “Fun” produced mixed results, with girls giving
it a higher score than boys at the middle school level, just the opposite
in high school and about even in community college.

Scholarship potential rated a higher importance among boys than girls
in the high school (4.62 to 4.0) level but it is just the opposite in
middle school (4.38 girls, 4.17 boys). In community college, where some
already have scholarships but may aspire to transfer and play at a four-year
institution, the results were about even (4.6 women, 4.57 men). The scores
were about even between male and female athletes at the high school and
community college level in the area of “challenge,” but it
ranked higher in importance for middle school boys (4.44) than girls (4.19).
Competition was also an even factor between males and females at the high
school and community college level, but higher among middle school boys
(4.56) than girls (4.38).

The students were asked “How important in your daily time are the
following activities?” with the choices being socializing with friends,
time with family, practicing sports and time with boyfriend/girlfriend.
Practicing sports was the number one answer among middle school boys (4.61)
and high school boys (4.46) but number two for community college men (3.57)
who gave studying the highest average score (3.79). Six of the 14 respondents
gave studying a “5.” Middle school girls and community college
women made “time with family” their top answer (4.5, 4.6),
while high school girls found studying (4.41) most important. In all cases,
female athletes gave “studying” a higher score than the male
athletes.

The students were asked “How important are the following accomplishments
to you?” with the choices being winning sports, personal accomplishments
in sports and “good grades.” The results were often mixed
when it came to male vs. female athletes at different levels, but the
female athletes tended to be more serious about their studies as they
approached the higher levels. Middle school girls gave “good grades”
an average score of 3.44 with more than half giving it a “3”
or lower, while high school girls scored it 4.82 and community college
women 4.93.

The importance of sports in young athletes’ lives can also be indicated
by the sources of influence in decisions regarding athletic participation.
The athletes were asked “Whose influence is important to you in
your decisions about sports?” with the options being parents, siblings,
coaches, or teammates and friends. High school and middle school boys
were most influenced by their teammates and friends while coaching influence
was more important to the girls in high school and middle school (with
parents and coaches rating a 4.63 for middle school girls). Parents were
the biggest athletic influence among both men and women in the community
college sample.

The athletes were asked to rate the likelihood they would be accomplishing
each of the following: play sports National Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics (NAIA) or at a small National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) institution, play sports at a Division One NCAA college or university,
play professional sports and have a career in sports (coaching, administrative,
officiating, etc.) In each category at each level, the male athletes gave
themselves a higher likelihood score than the female athletes. The middle
school boys gave a 4.22 to the likelihood they would have a career in
sports and/or play sports professionally. The lowest average scores in
likelihood of a career in sports were entered by the female athletes (3.13
middle school, 2.47 high school and 3.07 community college).

Conclusion

One of the most telling results of this survey as it reflects the situation
of women in sports is the fact that female athlete at all levels gave
extremely low scores among the likelihood they would pursue a career in
sports, which could be a result of the declining number of women in coaching
and administrative positions in female athletics.

The lack of exposure and opportunities for women’s professional
sports is evident when it is noted that male athletes consistently gave
themselves higher scores than female athletes when assessing the likelihood
of playing professional sports.

Perhaps this also gives the female athletes a more balanced perspective.
While the likelihood scores on professional sports and careers in sports
were consistently low for females, the likelihood score declines in the
male athletes as they reach a higher level: 4.22 in middle school, 4.08
in high school and 3.0 in college. While middle school and community college
students gave high priority to study time and time with family at the
high school and community college levels, it did not become a top priority
for male athletes except in the community college survey.

These results call for future studies with more detailed questions and
larger, more regionally heterogeneous populations. The question to be
answered from future studies is whether the current gender climate in
sports only discourages female athletes from taking their sport accomplishments
to a high level or merely balances their priorities at an early age.

References

Coakley, Jay J. (2004). Sport in Society: Contemporary Issues. 8th edition.
New York,
N.Y. McGraw-Hill.

Eitzen, D. Stanley and George H. Sage (2003). Sociology of North American
Sport, 7th
edition, New York, N.Y. McGraw-Hill.

National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education (August 2002). Title
IX Athletic
Policies: Issues and Data for Education Decision Makers. Washington, D.C.

United States Sports Academy, Women’s Basketball Pioneer Earns
USSA Media Award,
retrieved March 28, 2006 from http://www.ussa.edu/news/2006/01/13/drysdale.asp

Stats

2016-10-19T09:01:03-05:00March 2nd, 2006|Sports Management, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology, Women and Sports|Comments Off on The Effect of Gender Opportunity in Sports on the Priorities and Aspirations of Young Athletes

ITU Athlete Routines, Rituals, & Performance Strategies

The Olympic Triathlete trains and the coach plans for four disciplines: the swim, bike, run, and transitions. The 1.5 kilometer swim, 40 kilometer bike, and 10 kilometer run are rarely done in ideal conditions or courses, adding to the complex formula that the athlete must compete against in order to win. At the Olympic level of competition every advantage and possible race situation needs to be planned in advance. In a sport that takes less than two hours to complete, often seconds is what separates the Gold from second place. (more…)

2015-03-27T11:27:34-05:00March 1st, 2006|Sports Exercise Science, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off on ITU Athlete Routines, Rituals, & Performance Strategies

Book Review: How to Raise A Successful Athlete: What you need to know to raise a successful athlete

How To Raise a Successful Athlete is a great text for the ‘layman’
interested in expanding his or her knowledge of basic sport-related topics.
It is easy to comprehend the information regarding nutrition, physiology,
biomechanics, strength training, sport psychology, as well as coaching
and medical topics. The book describes the common occurrences of injury,
appropriate treatments and home care information so the parent or guardian
recognizes the importance of proper therapeutic remedies.

The chapters are well organized and clearly labeled for quick reference
and the information is presented in a straightforward and understandable
manner. Each chapter highlights helpful tips or bulleted information.
Specific issues are highlighted that should be of concern to the parent
or guardian.

Recommendation: This book is a good foundational reference for those
with no experience or background in exercise physiology, sport nutrition,
and/or sport-related topics. It is an introductory source for parents
or guardians seeking a better understanding of the topics and issues athletes
face in sport participation.

How to Raise A Successful Athlete: What you need to know to raise a successful athlete
By: Thomas Craig Angle
Trafford Publishing
ISBN: 1-41206372-8

2015-03-24T16:15:48-05:00January 9th, 2006|Sports Exercise Science, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off on Book Review: How to Raise A Successful Athlete: What you need to know to raise a successful athlete
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