With the recent news rocking the Division III tennis community in regards to hazing at Redlands and past transgressions at other prominent programs (Bowdoin), it is our duty as messengers and ambassadors for our game to speak up and out about something so important. To read the announcement, Click Here. Our intent is not to spread rumors or even report the inner details of what happened, but rather shed light on a very important issue. While I did not experience hazing within my collegiate athletics career, I have however, been a part of hazing rituals in the fraternity setting. My experience comes as both the recipient of hazing and as the hazer himself. My path after college allowed me to take a deeper dive into team dynamics with a degree in sports psychology and later became useful as a head collegiate coach. The bottom line is, hazing in athletics is unacceptable and at a time in this world where people are finding their voices to speak out against different forms of abuse, it is our duty to educate young men and women the dangers of hazing.
The myths about hazing are numerous. Comparisons between hazing activities are always made with team bonding activities. Idealistic thoughts that hazing will bring a team closer together or that a younger student athlete needs to pay his/her dues and earn their spot on the team. In reality, those claims are false. Research has shown that hazing is associated with lower team cohesion and can put personal, academic, and athletic goals out of reach (Van Raalte, J.L. & Cornelius, A.E. (2007).
The NCAA defines hazing as “any act committed against someone joining or becoming a member or maintaining membership in any organization that is humiliating, intimidating or demeaning, or endangers the health and safety of the person. Hazing includes active or passive participation in such acts and occurs regardless of the willingness to participate in the activities. Hazing creates an environment/climate in which dignity and respect are absent.” (NCAA, 2007)
Unfortunately there have been numerous serious cases of hazing in the news over the past few decades that result in the loss of a student’s life. Less serious, but more common consequences of hazing include physical injury, legal penalties, expulsion from school, losing athletic eligibility, and even canceling the rest of a team’s season or forfeiting post season play. These cases are easy to identify as much of this information becomes public in some way. It is easy to become an advocate for change in public cases, but what is just as concerning is the more hidden damage that hazing can cause.
People respond to stress in individual ways. Some appear not to be bothered, while others cope by avoiding all contact with the hazers. Others may develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, such as nightmares, depression and feelings of shame. Hazing may create unity within a recruiting class, but the abuse of power by upperclassman leaders frequently results in mistrust of all other team members. When teams include alcohol in hazing activities, the scales are tipped toward a greater likelihood of a negative outcome (Van Raalte, J.L. & Cornelius, A.E., 2007).
Consider the following national data from the NCAA and Allan, E. J. & Madden, M. (2012).
- 74 percent of student-athletes experience at least one form of hazing while in college.
- The most frequently reported hazing behavior among student-athletes is participating in drinking games (47 percent).
- 23 percent of student-athletes report having to drink large amounts of alcohol to the point of getting sick or passing out as part of a hazing activity.
- In 25 percent of hazing experiences, students believed coaches and/or advisors were aware of the activities. As a result, few student-athletes identify problem behaviors as hazing and even fewer report hazing when it occurs.
- In most situations, student-athletes are most likely to turn to family member for help, yet only 27 percent of men and 29 percent of women reached out to family members if they had been hazed.
Over the next several days, the blog team will come together to educate our readers in many of the facets of hazing. Our topics will include the student athlete’s role in reporting potential hazing and finding alternative positive team building activities to improve your team cohesion. We will also discuss the role of the coach and administrator in ways to prevent hazing behavior as well as promoting a culture of respect, civility, and dignity as teammates and citizens representing your school. Finally, a round table discussion involving all of us discussing our own experience and opinions within the frame of Division III tennis. The blog team comes from a wide array of schools, level of athletic ability, demographic, and cultural backgrounds that will provide a great viewpoint of ways that we all can learn from the many instances of reported and unreported cases of hazing. This might be the blog’s most important series of articles to date so please take the time to read, think critically, and share your knowledge with those around you. We look forward to the dialogue this will start and welcome any comments you might have.
References
NCAA (2007) Building New Traditions: Hazing Prevention in College Athletics.
Van Raalte, J.L. & Cornelius, A.E. (2007). The relationship between hazing and team cohesion. Journal of Sport Behavior, 30(4), 491.
Allan, E. J. & Madden, M. (2012). The nature and extent of college student hazing. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 24(1), 1-8.
I think one of the most difficult questions is: what exactly is hazing? I read online about this last night after your articles, and I don’t think it’s entirely clear. Is it asking freshmen to do a task that anyone/ everyone could do, such as picking up balls after practice? Does it have to be risky, humiliating and harmful? Or, can it be seen as “voluntary” to the outside world but *feel* mandatory to the player, if there is a lack of respect/dignity involved? I would love to see an article which defines hazing or provides examples of what is going on at D3 schools with respect to subtleties of hazing. Some things are obvious – pressure players to drink, or engage in any risky behavior (I read about some bizarre semi-sexual stuff) – everyone can understand that. Whereas… on my son’s high school team, a freshman is usually asked to run down the balls that are hit over the fence. Is that hazing? I think yes after reading about this last night, but I have watched it for years and I’ve not understood that it’s hazing of a kind. I wouldn’t have defined it that way. Would that result in punishment? I hope not! Maybe just a chance to educate ourselves.
I was hazed in college, and it never made me stronger or made me like or respect the people hazing me. I understand there is no team-building in hazing. But, I also think a conversation on “shades” of hazing might be helpful both to the players who will be the freshmen next year, and to helping the older players understand that what might seem “good fun” could get them kicked off their teams…. and they would NOT want that.
Understanding what happened at U Redlands would be helpful. I’d also love to see examples of positive team building that don’t cost a fortune, don’t humiliate anyone, etc. I loved seeing the photo, for example, of CMS playing midnight tennis in their PJs on the first day practices were allowed. What are some other great team building ideas? I am working with our high school guys to improve team building, but so many ideas cost $$ – and I would love to provide some suggestions which are free and positive for everyone. I’m excited for the D3 teams to exchange these ideas and find substitutes for old, careless practices which seemed good at the time – and find some BEST practices for team building. And your blog is the perfect forum.
So, yeah, what you said, @D3CentralTennis. 🙂 Glad you guys are tackling this issue.
Such great content on the blog this week! Much appreciated blogger team. Really looking forward to getting everyone’s thoughts in the roundtable.
This was boring. We wanna know what redlands did. Everyone knows hazing is wrong so give the people what they want!
Clearly, not everyone knows its wrong, or some people think they can get away with it. And that’s a problem. While you may be on your high horse and think you’re perfect, the hazing issue is complicated and there are many degrees of seriousness. It should be talked about and will be. Apologies that your sensationalized view of the world and short attention span can’t handle it.
You guys were not shy to emphasize what Bowdoin did with the Goldfish scandal so why are you hesitant to say what Redlands did (if you have the information)? We want some consistency…
This is a great point. The thing is, I don’t have confirmation on what exactly happened at Redlands. When Bowdoin happened, I had multiple confirmations. If we find out more information, we can certainly confirm and release it.
To my mind, these queries into what happened aren’t useful because they fixate on the specific (the Redlands case) over the general (hazing and its effects on team cultures.) Thanks to the Blog for taking the broader view and initiating this conversation.
PREACH.
This is such a serious and important issue that tends to be overlooked by everyone, because it’s considered a common and harmless practice, mainly in school environments.
It has become part of the cultural life, almost like a tradition. And by not accepting it, you might be considered weak in your group, and even a loser!
Congratulations for bringing this subject up for discussion and for the coaches’ attention.