Spectator Violence in Sport: a Selected Review

Abstract

The incidence of spectator violence at sporting events appears to be increasing at an alarming rate in present-day society. Research specifically dealing with crowd violence has also increased concomitantly. This article selectively reviews spectator violence research in an effort to articulate past and present trends. Traditionally, sport psychologists have attempted to study spectator violence by focusing on the aggression levels of individual fans. In turn, sport sociologists have used collective behavior theories in their attempts to identify possible determinants of crowd violence. It seems incumbent upon the researchers of future studies in this area to look to hypothetical questions that encompass both schools of thought. The need for an understanding of spectator violence in sport environments is real. During the past few years, several tragedies related to sport spectator violence have been reported. If similar incidents are to be avoided, the phenomenon of spectator violence must be carefully studied from both psychological and sociological perspectives.