Abstract

The frequency of aggressive behaviour occurring in South African sport from 1937 till 1978 was studied. Five hundred newspaper reports of aggressive behaviour in sport, supplemented by open and structured interviews with witnesses, were the major and primary sources of information. Three hundred episodes of sports aggression were analysed. According to ethological theory, it was predicted that sport involving the defence of territory would generate more episodes of aggression than non-territorial defensive sport; home teams would be more successful and aggressive than away-teams; neutral sport facilities would elicit less aggression than home or away-facilities; and crowding would facilitate spectator aggression. The findings supported most of the predictions. Away-teams, however, were more aggressive than home teams. Rugby and soccer, as the two most popular sports among whites and blacks respectively, generated by far most of the episodes of aggression. Verf.-Referat