A Gender Difference in Acceptance of Sport Aggression: A Classroom Activity

Abstract

Aggression is a common topic in sport psychology courses. Research has revealed a gender difference in the acceptance of aggressive behavior during sport competition. This article presents a classroom activity to demonstrate that difference. Participants were given descriptions of behaviors from six sport competition situations and were asked to judge those behaviors as acceptable or unacceptable. Males in three psychology classes endorsed significantly more aggressive acts than did females. A number of relevant discussion topics are suggested.