Sports and Real Life Violence

Introduction

Sports are essential for the well-being of humankind. There are various forms of sporting activities such as ball games, javelin, swimming, athletics, just but to enumerate a few. In all these categories of sports, there are particular organizational bodies, which ensure that the participants are not discriminated based on gender, physical capabilities, or race. Owing to that, sports have become an integral part our societies. For instance, sports have been the chief employer of many youths and adults in the world today. Additionally, sports not only ensure that human bodies remain fit and productive. Rather, they also guarantee international unity since it brings together people from diverse walks of life. 

Nonetheless, in spite of the merits that sports offer to our societies, certain groups of individuals perceive that games act as the breeding grounds for violence that is experienced in our society today. Laura Robin is one of such people. She believes that some sports like rugby and hockey have been on the forefront in nurturing aggressiveness among members of the society. This paper, therefore, shall give its verdict on Laura’s perception about sports and societal violence by addressing the questions below. 

Question 1: State the author's purpose and main idea. Then examine the essay for completeness and relevance of support. In a paragraph or two, discuss your evaluation of the article according to these standards. Defend your position and use examples.

Robin Laura, the author of the essay “Sports Breeds Real-life Violence,” purported to write about the negative impacts sporting activities posed to the present societies today. In her essay, she also expresses her grievances on how male jingoism had dominated the society of that time. In support of her argument, Laura explains how Manny Castillo a 15-year-old boy met his demise following a hard tackle from an opponent during a rugby tournament. Furthermore, she quotes another example of Tomas Holmstrom who also suffered severe bruises after an incident related to that of Castillo. Relating to male chauvinism, Laura laments about how Don Cherry would not be paid to offer commentary services owing to her gender. She also tells of how there was a masculine dominance in sports and how women were considered inferior on certain aspects. 

Personally, I perceive that the essay by Robin Laura is not complete or rather it not relevant. To begin with when examining how sports impact on real-life, focus need to be made on activities that take place outside the field. For instance, her discussion ought to focus on the aggressiveness of the players when they are in contact with the outside world. The examples that Laura is using would demand a change in the topic so that it reads something like “Violence in Sports” or something related. The truth of the matter is that, most sporting activities like boxing, football, hockey, and rugby are rich in aggressiveness that is career and life threatening to the affected individuals. The Castillo, Moore, and Holmstrom case she quotes is a valid example. The issue of gender bias can be happening. However, from the examples the author is giving it difficult to ascertain the extent in which this vice has spread. 

Question 2: Select a quotation from the essay that reveals the author's research or use of sources. In a paragraph or two, discuss the nature of the information in the quote and whether the information has been properly documented. Are you able to judge the accuracy and reasonableness of the quotation as used by the author? Why or why not? Is this important or why not?

The article by Laura shows some elements of research. For instance, to justify how violence has dominated in sports, her research was able to yield various cases of sports-related violence. Laura talks about Steve Moore whose neck broke after he was attacked ruthlessly by an opponent. According to the information, Laura is providing, Moore in his early twenties was deprived a chance to further his hockey career. Besides, he could not live the life of a healthy man. Castillo’s death and Holmstrom injury are other instances that the author has proved to do research about her topic of discussion. Her information sounds credible since it clearly describes the events and circumstances that led to the occurrence of the incidents. However, in some instances, it is hard to justify the source since the author does not provide additional information to show where the information was sourced. It is only in one case where she quotes a report titled “Violence in Amateur Hockey” to illustrate how hockey impacts negatively on Canadian male youths. 

Question 3: Examine the essay for statements of fact and statements of opinion. In the light of the author’s purpose, discuss in a paragraph or two whether the author has used facts and opinions appropriately for support. In your discussion, cite at least one example of fact and one example of an opinion. Evaluate these according to appropriate standards.

Laura’s essay bears a couple of factual statements. In the first paragraph, Laura (2007) clearly states that many young men have encountered death and fatal injuries while acting out of passion. That statement is true. Her examples also point out how some players have died while others have suffered injuries that rendered them physically unfit to engage in any physical activities. Additionally, various researchers have shown that learning can be achieved through diverse mechanisms. Two primary mechanisms are widely known namely; direct experience and observation. Various research works have been able to show that violent behavior can be cultivated through observation. 

In the second last paragraph, Laura (2007) notes that a child who watches hockey in Canada would grow up believing that violence is characteristic of life. That statement is true since children learn through mimicry. In that angle, they will unknowingly find themselves nurturing violence and propagating it to their later developmental stages. That is true, particularly when a child likes a character that demonstrates aggressiveness in a game and goes unpunished. However, stating that Canadian hockey is very aggressive, that it is her opinion. In every sport, there must be rules and regulations that guide the referee who will be officiating a match. Additionally, Laura (2007) perceives that Dr. Pollet must have wondered why match officials opted not to adhere to his co-relation report. A statement of this sort demonstrates the opinion of the author. Finally, the authors comment on the “Saint-like Image” that sports media awards “murderous” male professionals during Olympic events is also her opinion. 

Question 4: Examine the essay for evidence of underlying assumptions and for bias or prejudice. In a paragraph or two, discuss your findings and defend your position. 

Laura’s article is full of assumptions and prejudice. One assumption that Laura makes in her article is that sports are a male dominated field. That renders her piece of writing to be prejudicial. Her focus is on men alone. To be genuine, Laura ought to have focused on both the genders and include specific examples to rationalize her argument. In the article, the author supposes that Don Cherry was denied the chance to be a commentator since she was masculine. There might be another reason for that, however; she opted to incline her assumption on gender. That shows that Laura was biased in her writing. Additionally, Laura also assumes that aggressive male players transferred their aggressiveness to their social lives, particularly to their families (Laura, 2007). 

Question 5: Is the author guilty of fallacious reasoning? If so, write a paragraph or two in which you identify fallacies you have located and explain how they are used in the essay and what impact they have on the position being presented. If you can find no evidence of fallacies, write a paragraph explaining why you believe the reasoning in the essay is sound and well founded. 

Delusion is evident in Laura’s “Sports Breeds Real-life Violence”. In the first place, it is not genuine to say that, the sports media has been showering praises to male athletes who are supposed to have committed capital crimes. Personally, I have heard the media using prefixes such as “controversial” prior to mentioning a player’s name during events. That is particular for players who have indulged in malicious activities. Another fallacy in the report is that individual sports have made males to be more aggressive against women and children. Only the author can validate this information. Apparently, no part of the report is explaining how a particular player was aggressive towards his family. Regressively, the fallacies being presented shows how the author is against certain sporting activities. Additionally, it tells how the story is against the masculine characters-the males- hence deeming it biased. 

Question 6: In a paragraph or two, discuss two inferences or conclusions that you have drawn from the essay. Explain what statements or conclusions in the essay led you to these conclusion. Then explain why you believe your conclusions are important that is , what do they teach you or add to your former knowledge? Finally, relate your conclusions to some experience you have had. How does the insight you have gained from the essay relate to your life?

In conclusion, it would be important to note that sport is an all-inclusive activity. That implies that all societal members have equal opportunities to participate in any game whatsoever irrespective of their culture, gender, and physical capabilities. Therefore, it would not be genuine to state that sport is a masculine oriented partaking. It is factual that sporting activities are associated with many dangers. However, one needs to have an insight about how a particular game is played. Lack of such understanding can make somebody so judgmental about some aspects, but the truth is that no harm was intended in particular instances. As aforementioned, players of the game are prone to severe injuries and in worst-case scenarios, some may even die. However, passion is all that tends to make a game appear more physical. 

It should be noted that a gaming activity cannot easily be correlated to domestic violence, and neither does it justify an individual’s character off the pitch. Take for instance, Mohamed Ali one of the famous boxing fighters. He died as one of the best motivators that the world has ever had despite the aggressive nature of his profession. What am I trying to say? Sports vary in intensity. This energy brings outcomes that can be fatal or joyous. I hail from a sporting family. However, never once have we experienced instances of domestic violence that can be traced back to a sporting activity my family indulges in. A nasty feeling may develop whenever a game is lost or a sense that a match is about to be lost. Nevertheless, all players need to cultivate self-control in them.   

Reference

Laura, R. (2007). Sports Breeds Real-life violence. Winnipeg Free Press . Retrieved from http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/historic/32232749.html.