Seeking new glory (d)haze: A qualitative examination of adventure-based,team orientation rituals as an alternative to traditional sport hazing for athletes and coaches

Abstract

Upon entry to university, students are commonly exposed to hazing events during Frosh Week, as they pledge to join a fraternity or sorority, move in to their dormitories, and join campus clubs and groups, including marching band and varsity sport teams. As Hoover elucidated in his comprehensive study of NCAA athletes, 80% of that population took part in some form of hazing on their varsity team, of which only 20% were identified as being a “positive” experience. Furthermore, by the time athletes enter university, it is conceivable that up until that point, they will have been involved in no less than five hazing ceremonies. This qualitative study introduced adventure-based alternative orientations that included activities such as rock climbing and canoe tripping to men's and women's collegiate varsity athletic teams. These teams had previously been identified as using traditional hazing ceremonies involving, for example, sexualized games and alcohol. Themes that emerged from the interviews with athletes and coaches focused on the transformative effects of the alternative orientations, facilitating a greater sense of cohesion, diminishing team hierarchies, and shifting power relations, effectively democratizing the event and humanizing first year athletes. Participants also shared ways in which alternative orientations played a role in fostering deeper interpersonal relationships rooted in communication and shared identity which they described as facilitating team success.