CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Physical activity is generally seen as a broad term used to describe all forms of large muscle movement including sports, dance, game, work, lifestyle activity and exercise for fitness (Olaitan, 2011) It is also defined as any body movement carried out by skeletal muscles which require energy production (Oxford, 2013). Exercise is a planned physical activity which should be perform respectively to develop or maintain fitness. (Awake, June, 2001). Regular Physical exercise is also regarded as an important healthy lifestyle in which a large number of people can participate in order to impact significantly on their health status. (Awake, June, 2014). Emphasis has been placed on awareness programme on the benefits of Physical activities to encourage participation in regular Physical / exercises as a means of promoting good health. (Onah, 2012).

 Sports constitute an integral part of school curricula. They include football, athletics, basket ball, tennis, volley ball, swimming and badminton, among others. They are organized as intra-school or inter-school competition. States, regions, sub-regions and countries also compete with one another on sports. People compete with a view to bringing out the best. There are medals to be won, fame to be attained, glory to be shared and aspirations to be fulfilled by participants. Whatever an athlete achieves or fails to achieve is taken by supporters as their success or failure. This makes conflict a common occurrence in sports. According to Meier (2010) conflict is fundamental to human nature in nearly every sport. It could occur between coach and player, player and player, coach and team, and two different teams. Conflict arises in sports when competition is accompanied with bitterness and unfriendliness, he concluded.

Ladipo, (2009) elucidated that sports hooliganism arises because people always expect their teams to win and that when results are not favourable to them, they tend to be aggressive. Discussing the potency of sports to peaceful co-existence, Senator David Mark stated that healthy competition in sports can end ethno-religious conflicts (Ayodele, 2012). He added that healthy competition is capable of addressing ethno-religious outbursts. According to him, the language of sports includes friendship, love, peace and togetherness. While this statement could be regarded as factual, certain circumstances could bring about the contrary. For example, partiality on the part of officials, team’s failure to meet a target and incitement from fans could ignite crises in sports.  

To limit the further spread of youth violence, both politicians and the public regard sport as a means of violence prevention. It is assumed that sport has an inherent ca­pacity to form a person’s personality and inhibit violent and criminal behaviour. The values associated with sport, including fair play, respect, discipline or team spirit, are assumed to provide orientation and guidance to juveniles, build their character, and shape their code of conduct. Furthermore, sport is seen as an area in which juveniles can develop feelings of self-worth, acquire leadership skills and overcome frustra­tion and stress. Such positions and prospects can be found in countless documents ranging from political reports to programmatic statements by sports organisations. In these reports, sport is often regarded as a remedy against scores of social ails and as a highly effective tool for tackling youth violence (Deutscher Bundestag, 2010; European Commission, 2013).

Kerr (2014) explains violence in sport by arguing that aggressors spend more time in a certain combination of meta-motivational states than in any other combination; namely, they spend more time in paratelic (risk-taking), negativism (norm violating), mastery (dominance) and autic (self-concerned) states. The crucial point for Kerr is how such states are cognitively and physiologically experienced when combined with arousal and what he calls the ‘hedonic tone.’ To be relaxed is to be in the telic state with low arousal and a high hedonic tone. For Kerr, the combination of meta-motivational states and the feelings they create explains the trigger behind aggressive or violent acts in sport.

The fundamental objective of school sports in any country is to facilitate the total, wholesome and fullest development of each student in terms of enriching his / her intellectual, vocational, emotional, personal-social and psychomotor resources(Mgbor,2012). The effort of the schools towards achieving these objectives in practice had in the past been limited to the activities of the schools with the classroom teacher as the leader. Interest and attention were then centered on the subject-matter studies as the sole avenue for influencing the educational gain of the students. But, because the subject-matter approach, tended to play major and  in some cases exclusive attention to the intellectual upliftment of the students. It was soon realized that if other aspects of student’s resources and life tasks are to be enriched by formal educational provisions, then the educational experiences of the school must have to go beyond what happens with the regular classroom environment (Imonikhe, 2013).

 Moronkola, (2011) put forward that there is still need to for ascertaining whether participating in competitive sports at too young an age have a negative effect on our children and their future in sports?  Starting ages for youth in competitive sports have lowered dramatically in the past two decades. Laker (2011) estimated that 40 million children the world over are involved in competitive sports. It is not just the numbers that are staggering, but the manner in which kids are playing. Children who get involved in organized competitive sports at a young age may find themselves tired. Many schools lack qualified physical educators to teach the rudiments of games and sports. There is no short-cut to the production of school athletes where there is nobody to assemble and teach them the basic skills, tactics, strategy and movements. It is therefore rather too unfortunate that sports have become an all comers affair because of the financial benefits accruing from it (Jeroh, 2014).

Nwankwo (2010), pointed out that sports personnel or coaches should have the knowledge, research ability, ability to keep abreast with the least findings and possess all physical and physiological characteristics necessary for preparing athletes for national and international competitions. No competition ends without hues and cries of the use of non-bona-fide students (mercenaries) by all schools. A case in point was the 2007 NUGA games co-hosted by Maiduguri and Bauchi. It was the worst University games where poaching was legalized and employed by nearly all the universities. Diploma students who are not qualified for NUGA games were accredited for the competition through dubious “admissions” (Jeroh, 2007).  

Statement of the Problem   

In Nigeria despite parents zeal and enthusiasm to send their children and wards to school, violence among secondary schools tend to constitute one of the major persistent unresolved problems of these parents. Violence in sport can also be a reflection of society. Brawling is the primary cause of athlete violence that will have an effect on the event venue. This situation occurs when the athletes are involved in violent situations among each other, spectators, game officials, or coaches. It can occur during the games or in the time surrounding the game, and can often also place the venue staff into a dangerous situation.  other causes of violence during secondary school sport might include age of students , since many secondary school students area adolescent ands are going through identity problem , peer group might also contribute to violence when student want to imitate their peers . other times the fans might be a factor of violence through their songs action or inaction, partiality in decision on who wins on the part of the official might also lead to violent and hiring of mercenaries from outside the school or professional athletes that double as secondary school students might seems unfair to the losing side and thus prompt violence. incompetency on the part of the official can also led to violence during inter house sport competition thus might happen when school do not hire professional sport man or official to officiate or the number required to monitor athlete and fields activities are not enough . It is against his background that this study in tend to examine factor responsible of sport violence during secondary school sport in Ijebu ode Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Research Questions

The following questions will be answered in the study:

i.          Will age of students be a significant factor responsible of sport violence during secondary school sport in Ijebu ode Local Government Area of Ogun State?

ii.         Will peer group influence be a significant factor responsible for sport violence during secondary school sport in Ijebu ode Local Government Area of Ogun State?

iii.         Will incitement from fans be significant factor responsible for sport violence during secondary school sport in Ijebu ode Local Government Area of Ogun State?

iv.         Will partiality in decision on who wins be a significant factor responsible for sport violence during secondary school sport in Ijebu ode Local Government Area of Ogun State?

v.         Will hiring of mercenaries be a significant factor responsible for sport violence during secondary school sport in Ijebu ode Local Government Area of Ogun State?

vi.         Will incompetency on the part of officials be a significant   factor responsible for sport violence during secondary school sport in   Ijebu ode Local Government Area of Ogun State?

Hypotheses

The following hypotheses will be tested

i.     Age of students will not be a significant   factor responsible for sport violence during secondary school sport in   Ijebu ode Local Government Area of Ogun State.

ii.     Peer group influence will not be a significant factor responsible for   sport violence during secondary school sport in   Ijebu ode Local Government Area of Ogun State.

iii.     Incitement from fans will not be a significant factor responsible for sport violence during secondary school sport in   Ijebu ode Local Government Area of Ogun State.

iv.      Partiality in decision on who wins will not be significant factor responsible sport violence during secondary school sport in   Ijebu ode Local Government Area of Ogun State.

v.    Hiring of mercenaries will not be significant factor responsible sport violence during secondary school sport in   Ijebu ode Local Government Area of Ogun State.

vi.  Incompetence on the part of officials will not be significant factor responsible sport violence during secondary school sport in   Ijebu ode Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Delimitation of the Study

The study will be delimited to the following:

1.               A descriptive survey research design

2.               The use of self designed questionnaire for data collection.

3.                Due to the nature of the work, three hundred (300) secondary school students from Ijebu Ode local government area of Ogun state are targeted as population.

4.                The use of frequency counts and percentages will be used to analyse the demographic data , while inferential statistics of  Chi-square (X²) will be used in testing the formulated hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance

5.               The following independent  variables :

        i.               Age of students  

      ii.              Peer group influence  

    iii.              Incitement from fans 

    iv.               Partiality in decision on who wins 

      v.             Hiring of mercenaries 

    vi.              Incompetency on the part of officials 

6.               The dependent variables of the   factors responsible for sport violence

7.               Two research assistants

Limitation of the Study

In   carrying out this research work, the following problems may be envisaged:

1        The problem of accessing secondary school athlete in Ijebu ode local Government Area of Ogun State who will be interested in filling the questionnaire.

2         Inability to retrieve the questionnaire on time, despite the researcher intent to give out questionnaire at school break time and seeking their consent before administering.

3        Unwillingness to  give  correct information  by the respondents , however , the researcher will  instill confidence in the respondents to have trust in the research , assuring them that their response are meant for research purpose only .However, it is hoped that the result of the study would not be affected by these identified limitations. The researcher will utilise both primary and secondary means of data collection to counter any negative effect this may have on the study. Also , the instrument to be used (questionnaire )  would be validated by the researcher supervisor to ensure that it measure adequately  maternal and child health in the face of global economic meltdown

Significance of the Study

 It is expected that the study would provide useful information for decision making in planning adolescent related sport matters. It is anticipated that the study would contribute to preventing violence during sport among secondary school students. The guidelines could be used in guidance counseling to educate secondary school students on how to avoid violence. Specifically, the study will be significant in particular way to the following:

This study may contribute to the body of knowledge by detailing factors responsible for sport violence during secondary school sport   in Ijebu Ode local government area of Ogun state. This study when completed will contribute to knowledge by serving as a source of literature, considering the problem associated with sport. This study may provide policy recommendation to tackle the problem.

Another importance of the study is that it may help reduce delinquent behaviour   which can be associated with sport among secondary school students. This study will sensitise the populace of  Ijebu  ode  Local Government Area of Ogun state on the need to ensure that their children or wards  are encourage to participate in sport . The school authority and teachers will find the study useful; it may influence them to clamour promotion of inter house sport among students.

The study will expose the security problems of secondary school sports in Nigeria. Furthermore, this study will fuel further research into related field in the study and the study will serve as a consulting material to other researcher in the field of knowledge.

Definition of Terms

Age: the length of time that a person has existed, the particular period of a person year

Incompetence The lack of ability, knowledge, legal qualification, or fitness to discharge a required duty or professional obligation.

Officials: a person holding public office or having official duties, especially as a representative of an organization or government department.

Partiality: unfair bias in favor of one thing or person compared with another; favoritism.

Peer group influence: A peer group is a social group that consists of individuals of the same social status who share similar interests and are close in age.  

Sport Fans:    A person who is enthusiastically devoted to something or somebody, such as a sports team

Sport Mercenaries: A professional  sport person  hired to participate in school sport

Sport:                        Competitive physical activity or games with organised participation while providing entertainment to participants, and   spectators

This is just from the first chapter. For the full project
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