Athletes Behavior Research

Abstract

For a national institution that consistently spends methodical attention to how the public perceives it, the National Football League (NFL), accompanied by a majority of its constituency, has taken as its answer to the internal question of domestic violence, a position of volunteered blindness. There is currently and has been a prevalent problem of domestic violence in the male dominated, macho world of professional sports in America. It is one of the worst kept secrets beyond the age of feminist movements, public acknowledgement of domestic violence as a problem and impressive legislative changes benefitting victims. With that said, how is it that a business entity with so much capitol, public loyalty, traditionalism and marketing

In what is believed to be one of the first national studies examining kids’ perceptions of athletes’ behavior both on and off the field, researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation say many kids are learning lessons about sports and life from watching famous athletes. In what is believed to be one of the first national studies examining kids’ perceptions of athletes’ behavior both on and off the field, researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation say many kids are learning lessons about sports and life from watching famous athletes. Among the most admired people in their lives, children in the study ranked famous athletes (73 percent) among the most admired people in their lives – second only to their parents, (92 percent). http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=100296. “This topic is very deserving of our attention because the fact of the matter is observational learning is one of the primary means in which children learn,” said William Gayton, Ph.D., a sports psychologist and chair of the psychology department at the University of Southern Maine. “And children are going to learn from the models in their life — including their sports heroes.” To further emphasize the influence of professional athletes on the lives and behavior of youth, note that while the existing studies on domestic violence focuses primarily on the effects on the primary victim. Witnessing domestic violence can lead children to develop an array of age-dependent negative effects. Research in this area has focused on the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional effects of domestic violence. Children who witness violence in the home… may display many similar psychologic effects. These children are at greater risk for internalized behaviors such as anxiety and depression, and for externalized behaviors such as fighting, bullying, lying, or cheating. They also are more disobedient at home and at school, and are more likely to have