SPORTS
The violence at this summer's World Cup soccer games in France--an
Algerian spectator was stabbed to death by an English fan, for
example--is no isolated event. Sports riots injure hundreds, perhaps
thousands, each year.
Who are these rioters? Studies show that they are mostly young
single men on the mar gins of society, less educated, often unemployed
and usually anti-social. They also tend to have a spontaneous nature and
readily take risks to meet their need for exciting experiences. Most
likely to escalate crowd disturbances are men who attend events solely to
watch fights and those who have recently been involved in an
altercation.
Such people do not, however, form the majority of spectators.
Recently, Anu Mustonen, Ph.D., of the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland
and I have shifted our focus from the actions of rioters to the roles of
other bystanders. On questioning 127 men at a hockey game about how they
would react if a riot broke out, we found that 61% would look on, while
only 2% would join in.
But a surprising 26% said they would intervene to restore order.
These would-be peacemakers were not only less aggressive and impulsive
than the rioters, but were also slightly larger and stronger, a fact that
reduces their chance of being injured and increases their likelihood of
being successful.
Since peacemakers far outnumber those intent on wreaking havoc, we
would do well to recognize their efforts and even mobilize them into a
force for crowd control. Unlike police and security personnel, they are
already on the scene and ideally situated to head off a
disturbance.
Yet they are rarely rewarded for their pains. During a riot, police
are often unable to distinguish between those resolved to help them and
those intent on hindering. In an unfortunate twist, peacemakers often
figure prominently on the list of those arrested.
PHOTO (COLOR): The violence at this summer's World Cup soccer games
in France--an Algerian spectator was stabbed to death by an English
fan.
By Gordon Russell, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, University of
Lethbridge, Canada
Adapted by Ph.D.
Tags:
altercation,
bystanders,
crowd control,
group behavior,
hockey game,
peacemakers,
riot,
rioters,
security personnel,
social psychology,
spectator,
spectators,
sports,
violence,
world cup soccer,
wreaking havoc
