Abstract

Rule violating behavior in sport is a complex process that is examined through the analysis of three influential variables: constitutive rules, normative rules, and reinforcement structures. Constitutive rules are the formal written rules of a sport, normative rules are rules of consensus or behavior legitimized by peer decree. Normative rules often foster intentional violations of theconstitutive rule structure in order to attain a tactical advantage over an opponent. The reinfocement structure of many sport rules allows this manipulation of the formal rules to result in social and personal reward for the offender. The inability of several sports toreduce rule violating behavior appears to be not in rule enforcement but in the very structure of the rules. The present paper suggests that normative rule encouragement of illegal behavior exists and is perpetuated because such violations often increase the probability of a successful outcome. Modifying the reinforcement structure of sport rules which provide this loop hole must be undertaken by removing the reinforcement value of intentional rule violating behavior. When meaningful reinforcements for rule violating behavior are replaced by sallient personal and social punishment values, normative rules encouraging illegal behavior will become disfunctional to success. Verf.-Referat