Hazing and Team Cohesion
Many athletes and leaders continue to believe that hazing contributes to team cohesion. Yet research reveals that hazing can have the opposite effective and can fracture relationships amongst teams and between players. Coaches and athlete leaders can use education to debunk the mythical relations between hazing and team cohesion, and use alternative activities to build…
Changing the Culture of Hazing in Canada
Allegations emerging in media reports from Toronto’s St. Michael’s College in the fall of 2018 have made hazing top of mind for athletic staff at Canada’s secondary and post-secondary education institutions. Unfortunately, it is not an isolated event. Reports of hazing have emerged from a number of Canadian institutions in the past decade, including Laurentian…
Social Identity and Team Behaviour
Good team cohesion is a key factor for success, but can create pressure for team members to conform. Research conducted with NCAA athletes found that those who more closely identified with their team were more likely to adapt to their teammates’ behaviour. This held true for both risky (e.g. drinking and driving, concealing concussion) and…
Hazing Research
Hazing is defined as “an event created to establish a team’s social hierarchy by humiliating, degrading, abusing and/or endangering newcomers regardless of a person’s willingness to participate in order to reinforce their social status on the team.” Research shared at the 2017 SCRI Conference revealed that many athletes did not report hazing events because they…
Increasing engagement by addressing de-selection practices in youth sport
As researchers and educators who have been (and still are!) extensively involved in sport, back to school time also means back to school SPORT time! Through our personal experience and our research, we know firsthand the positive impact that participation in sports can have on child development. We are also acutely aware that many children…
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Changing? The Culture of Sport Hazing in the 21st Century-January 2018
Hazing is a complex issue that is entangled in the culture and tradition of Canadian University sport. Hazing is defined as an event created to establish a team’s social hierarchy by humiliating, degrading, abusing and/or endangering newcomers regardless of a person’s willingness to participate in order to reinforce their social status on the team. Anecdotal…
After concussion: Student-athletes return-to-learn
When a high school age student athlete receives a concussion, it’s important that all adults that interact with that student know how to provide the best atmosphere for them when they return to school. While health care professionals are increasingly being made aware of how to recognize a concussion and the recommendations for care of…
Striking a balance between academics and athletics: the role of a student-athlete
Student-athletes have the demanding role of balancing academic and athletic pursuits while doing well in both the classroom and on the field of play. Unlike the average student, student-athletes have a rigorous schedule that requires planning, discipline and sacrifice. Having good time management skills enables them to balance academics, athletics and have a social life…
Overtraining in High-School Athletes – The “Always-In-Season” Athlete
By Konrad Wiltmann Algonquin Sport Business Management student Many high-school athletes compete in a wide variety of sports over the course of the school year, while maintaining their studies, social life, and sometimes a part-time job. It is not uncommon for a high-school athlete to be “in-season” the whole year. From participating in soccer and…
High school coach vs. the club coach
Organized sports played among youth participants are usually in the form of club sports or school athletic teams. It is also likely that those who participate in club sports are also members of their high school teams. Having the opportunity to represent your school at a city or provincial championship engenders a sense of school…