Violence is a trait of many NFL players. Let’s face it, soccer is a violent sport and encourages violent behavior. Unfortunately, what soccer doesn’t do is teach players how to behave non-violently in the face of off-field problems, particularly when it comes to relationship issues.
This violent behavior begins when children start playing soccer as children. Coaches, teammates, and even their parents teach children to behave harshly and aggressively. Children are taught to use their body and strength to cope with competing players. You are encouraged to make a good “hit”. This positively reinforces children to behave aggressively. Boys are taught to be strong, not to be afraid, and to be men. The name of the game is to be tough, domineering, and show no weakness.
Unfortunately, children who play soccer are not taught that this behavior is acceptable only on the field. As boys who play soccer reach adolescence and adulthood, they have learned to use aggressive and domineering behavior to win. It is this behavior that can lead to domestic violence against women.
Soccer never teaches players to communicate with a woman. Is it the football coaches fault or should parents take responsibility? The correct answer is that both of you must take responsibility. If you are going to reward a child for violent behavior while playing soccer, you must teach that child how to control their behavior when they are not playing soccer. I believe that from childhood to the NFL, soccer players should be taught to control aggressive and violent behavior. They need to be taught that violence off the field is unacceptable, especially towards women.
The divorce rate among NFL players is very high. Players bring home the violence and aggressive energy they have on the field. After practice or a game, a player’s adrenaline flows and they can have a lot of extra energy. If the player was in an important game that his team lost, this can increase the likelihood of violence at home. When you take the soccer environment where problems between players are sometimes resolved in scuffles and pushing each other, this behavior becomes second nature to the players. In soccer, if someone gets in your face, you push them away. However, there is a big difference between shoving a strong 275 pound player out of your face and shoving a 130 pound woman out of your face. What appears to be nothing between players can be deadly when used on a woman, and most of the time, it is done as a reflection of years of being physical with other players. That is why it is so important that footballers are taught from childhood to control their behavior off the pitch.
The NFL has programs to teach players how to conduct themselves off the field. The problem is that when a player comes to the NFL, it is almost too late to teach behavior control. At this point, the player has spent more than half his life learning to be physical and aggressive. This behavior is now so deeply ingrained in the player’s mind that it is very difficult to change. That is why it is so important that soccer coaches and parents teach these young men how to behave off the field and be nice to women.
If you are a parent reading this article, talk to your child about violence and that violent behavior towards other people, especially women, is wrong. Yes, physical and aggressive behavior is fine on the soccer field with other players, but that is the only place where it is acceptable. Off the field, players must be taught to control their aggressive behavior and use their mind to solve problems, not their body.
