Dark Side of Sports: Exposing the Sexual Culture of Collegiate and Professional Athletes

by Nick T. Pappas

Overview

Elite-level athletes are placed upon heightened pedestals in societies world-wide. At the same time, there is a dark side to these glorified competitors that remains hidden from those outside of exclusive athletic circles. Dr. Nick Pappas' athletic background in collegiate and professional sports has provided insider access, enabling him to uncover an array of disturbing sexually deviant and aggressive behaviors, which have silently thrived for decades in many athlete cultures. These findings, expressed through the athletes' own words, are the result of more than 10 years of cutting-edge research involving in-depth interviews with 142 collegiate, minor, and major league athletes from five prominent U.S. sports. Written in an engaging style, "The Dark Side of Sports" is a must read with messages not only for athletes, coaches, managers, and administrators, but also for parents, women, students, and sports enthusiasts. While these important discoveries are certain to shock, raise awareness, and provide a wake-up call for those in and outside of the sports world, they also promote a sense of urgency for taking action to prevent and address these harmful behaviors. "The Dark Side of Sports" has strong appeal for diverse audiences because it highlights the need for risk management in every male athletic culture. This includes individuals with direct involvement in sports such as athletes, coaches, managers, administrators, and support staff, who see the importance of addressing and deterring potentially harmful and dangerous behavior that can ruin an athletic program's reputation in an instant. At the same time, this book serves as an invaluable resource for parents, women, and fans by raising awareness to the significant issues surrounding a darker, hidden side of sports.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781841267609
Publisher:	Meyer Meyer Sports
Publication date:	12/08/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	526 KB

About the Author

Nick Pappas, Ph.D., is a former collegiate and professional ice hockey player and coach who earned a doctorate degree in Human Development and Family Science with a minor in Sociology of Sport from The Ohio State University. This unique background in combination with his experience as a researcher, professional counselor, and college professor have given Dr. Pappas a distinct vantage point into both social and athlete behavioral issues that are highlighted in this one-of-a-kind book. As a dynamic speaker, Dr. Pappas provides presentations on athlete-related topics and concerns including out-of-sport athlete deviancy and aggression in order to promote personal and team excellence to athletes at all levels. He resides in Big Rapids, Michigan and can be contacted through his website.

What People are Saying About This

Sara Bradley-Hering

"Dr. Pappas uses his unique access to a population, usually out of reach for researchers, to address this controversial topic - sexual deviance and violence among elite athletes. The sheer quantity of rich, interview data from a carefully crafted sample of college and professional athletes is impressive."

— Dr. Sara Bradley-Hering, Sociologist

Tom Davis

"The Dark Side of Sports exposes hidden secrets within high school, collegiate, and pro sports through comprehensive research that is both disturbing and revealing. This is a story that must be told for the sake of future athletes, those idealizing them, or at its worst, those who fall victim to them."

— Dr. Tom Davis, Counselor Education Professor

John Tortorella

"An alarming, thought-provoking examination of serious issues that are in need of immediate attention."

— John Tortorella, Professional Hockey Coach

Scott Allen

"As a courageous opponent during my pro career, Dr. Pappas has taken this foundation into his current work uncovering a subject that others have been hesitant or unwilling to pursue; he gives the reader a rare and at times disturbing look at the behind-the-scene happenings of collegiate and pro athletes."

— Scott Allen, Professional Hockey Coach

Stephen M. Gavazzi

"Based on an abundance of original research, Dr. Pappas’ book breaks new ground in understanding sexuality within the world of collegiate and pro sports. Administrators with substantial athletic programs and parents of athletes and young women will find this work to be of great interest."

— Dr. Stephen M. Gavazzi, Dean / Professor of HDFS

Matt Wagenheim

"The Dark Side of Sports gives readers a rare look 'behind the curtain' of athlete behavior. Dr. Pappas has exposed a sexual subculture within sport that educates, informs, and entertains readers. A must read for coaches, administrators, and parents of athletes at all levels."

—Dr. Matt Wagenheim, Professor of Sport Management and Leisure Studies