Background/Purpose Although hazing experiences in sport are commonly reported by the media, limited research exists. Using a psychosocial framework, Waldron and Kowalski (2009) found that many athletes believed their teams engaged in benign rituals, but not hazing. To these athletes, hazing only occurred when a line was crossed resulting in dangerous and damaging behaviors. Therefore, the current study examined athletes' perceptions of (a) how and when rituals turned into hazing and (b) the responses of hazers and hazees to crossing the line.
Method Individual, semi-structured interviews lasting 30 to 45 minutes were conducted with 11 college students (4 women and 7 men) who were former high school athletes from a variety of sports. The interview included discussion of scenarios. Athletes were asked whether the behaviors in the scenario represented rituals or hazing and how the behaviors could change to become either a ritual or hazing.
Analysis/Results Data analysis, consisting of familiarization, open coding, and axial coding, culminated in two higher-order themes. The higher-order theme of rituals transformed to hazing resulted in four lower-order themes including the clear line, the blurred line, crossing the line, and contradictions of the line. From the higher-order theme of social acceptance, the lower-order themes of complicity and being a real teammate emerged.
Conclusions Athletes struggled in elucidating when rituals crossed the line to hazing, and thus were often contradictory in their responses. Additionally, the study provides further evidence that the environment of sport and the need for social-approval both contribute to hazing practices.