Domestic Violence in the World of Athletics

There is an ongoing debate whether athletics is linked to domestic violence in professional athletes or individuals who were athletes for a long period of time. The purpose of this research is to see if being an athlete leads to domestic violence, and if so, to find ways to decrease the numbers. Professional athletes with a history of domestic violence will be researched and this could help determine if there is a link between the two. To get an idea on aggression levels in athletes, the Buss & Perry Survey was sent out via email to all Ohio Northern students, athletes and non-athletes. It is predicted in this study that there will not be much difference in aggression levels between athletes and non-athletes. After reviewing the results of the Buss & Perry Survey, the results indicate that there is a difference between the average aggression score of athlete and non-athlete, where the pattern of the difference also depends on the participant’s gender. These results lead to the prediction that male professional athletes have a higher chance of being charged with domestic violence compared to individuals who are not athletes.