The Dark Side of Sports

Elite-level athletes are placed upon heightened pedestals in societies world-wide. At the same time, there is dark side to these glorified competitors that remains hidden from those outside of exclusive athletic circles. Dr. Nick Pappas' unique background as a former collegiate and professional hockey player and coach in combination with his experience as a researcher, professional counselor, and adjunct professor have provided him with knowledge and inside access to a variety of athlete cultures. This has enabled Dr. Pappas to uncover an array of disturbing sexual behaviors which have silently thrived for decades in many athlete cultures. These practices, expressed through the athletes own words along with their frequencies, motives, and consequences, are the result of over 10 years of cutting-edge research involving in depth interviews with 142 collegiate and professional athletes from five major U.S. sports. While these findings are certain to shock, raise awareness, and provide a wake-up call for those in and outside of the sports world, they also highlight a sense of urgency for taking action against these harmful behaviors now.

"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. The fact that certain negative practices were discovered at the high school level means that millions of middle and high school coaches and athletes, in addition to those at elite levels, need this information to keep deviant practices from gaining a foothold and becoming normalized within youth-oriented sports cultures. Finally, "The Dark Side of Sports" will be a welcomed addition to courses such as sociology of sport, sports psychology, women's studies, and an array of sociology classes including deviant behavior.

Nick Pappas, Ph.D., PC, NCC is a former collegiate and professional ice hockey player and coach who holds 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 adjunct professor have given Dr. Pappas a distinct vantage point into both human and athletic developmental issues that are highlighted in this one-of-a-kind book. Dr. Pappas provides educational presentations on athlete-related topics including out of sport athlete deviancy and aggression in an effort to address these issues and can be contacted through his website (drnickpappas.com). He resides in Big Rapids, Michigan.