The Perceived Legality of Rule Violations in Sports

Some sport scientists have proposed that different rule infractions (including violent player behaviour) are normative behaviours seen by participants to be “legitimate violations” (e.g., Silva, 1981; Vaz, 1979). 203 male and female players and nonathletes were shown a series of eight slides in an attempt to assess if sport socialisation effects the degree of perceived legitimacy of rule infringing sport activity. Seven of these slides clearly portrayed rule-breaking conduct. On a scale of 1 to 4, the subjects judged the unacceptability and acceptability of the behaviour depicted on each slide (totally unacceptable-totally acceptable). Respondents were divided into four groups based on their gender, quantity of physical contact, highest level of organised sport activity, and years of engagement. Male respondents evaluated rule infringing behaviour substantially more acceptable than females, according to regression and polynomial regressions. Further categorical variable trend analyses revealed support for an in-sport indoctrination process that legitimises rule-breaking behaviour. At all levels of analysis, males’ perceived legitimacy was much higher than females’.