Bullying is a serious act that can occur anywhere at any age, and that occurs particularly in sporting activities. Yearly, up to 22,000 high school students have been involved in hazing — a type of bullying that involves humiliation and risk taking. Bullying can take place among peers or it may involve children and adults. It is important to understand what bullying is and what you can do to prevent it with your child.
Bullying
It is common for most kids and adults to experience some form of bullying at least once in their life. Bullying can make you feel intimidated and chip away at your self esteem. With competitive sports, some coaches may encourage other players to tease or humiliate a particular athlete if he doesn’t meet up to certain expectations on the field or court. Bullies often taunt their victims continuously, especially in sports. Ganging up on an athlete is a form of bullying. StopBullying.gov notes that there are several signs of bullying that you should be aware of if your child plays competitive sports, including unexplained injuries, damaged or missing belongings, changes in eating habits, moodiness, and avoiding after-school activities and practices.
Victim
The victim of bullying in the competitive sports setting may have low self esteem from repeated ridicule or coercion from other players. Aggression is often used against the victim, leaving him no choice but to give in to a bully’s demands. In some cases, kids who have been bullied can turn the tables and become bullies themselves — these are referred to as bully-victims according to Education.com. If another child behind the scenes in a sporting event such as basketball, football or soccer becomes the bully-victim, another bully-victim may try to bully him in return. It allows the spotlight to be lifted off of one bully and placed on another. The bully-victim may also prompt another bullying attack by other teammates or coaches if he acts emotional to threats and teasing.
Effects
The effects of bullying can result in poor athletic and academic performance. Some bully victims hide the fact that they are bullied from their parents. Many times this leaves lasting effects on the lives of the victim, including difficulty with trust, poor academic performance, depression, thoughts or acts of suicide, anger, avoidance, outbursts of tears and anger, and interpersonal difficulties, including trouble making friends.
Solution
Know and understand the warning signs of bullying. If you suspect your child is being bullied by his teammates or opponents, try to gather as much information as possible from him. Do not speak to the bullies, even if it a coach or adult authoritative figure is involved. Go one step above and speak privately with your child’s school counselor or principal — this will ensure that your issue is addressed in the correct chain of command. The National Association of School Psychologists explains that schools should come up with an anti-bullying plan and follow through with enforcement and consequences. Bullying can be controlled when adults are aware of behaviors and incident reports are on file.
References
- PositiveSports.net: How Coaches Can Prevent and Stop Bullying
- StopBullying.gov: Recognizing the Warning Signs
- Education.com; What’s a Bully-Victim?; Zopito Marini and Andrew Dane, Ph.D. Tony Volk, Ph.D.
- MentalHelp.net; The Long Term Effects of Bullying; Mark Dombeck, Ph.D.; July 2007
- National Association of School Psychologists; Bullying Prevention and Intervention; Ted Feinberg, Ed.D., NCSP; September 2003
Member Comments