Boys Gone Wild Fame, Fortune, And Deviance Among Professional Football Players

by Carter, Eric M.

• ISBN13: 9780761846550
• ISBN10: 0761846557
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-07-16
• Publisher: UPA

Summary

Boys Gone Wild examines why some professional football players participate in deviant, and sometimes illegal, behavior while others do not. According to Carter's research, nearly one in three professional football players have been charged with serious crimes. Carter gained access into an exclusive group of National Football League players, interviewing and surveying 104 participants. His qualitative data revealed three core themes: deviance, anomic, and social ties. A substantial number of players had prior experience with deviant and illegal behaviors. Many reported problems coping with how drastically their lives changed (i.e., anomic) upon entering the NFL. Moreover, virtually 50 percent reported being unhappy with their life-despite being wealthy and famous. It appeared that some level of anomic was present in a number of these players' lives; however, players who had strong ties to various social groups appeared less likely to succumb to anomic and deviance. Supporting the qualitative data, the quantitative findings revealed that anomic was one of the significant predictors of law-breaking players. Carter suggests that many of the players were involved in behaviors that could be labeled anomic deviance. Furthermore, the findings supported the primacy of social ties and support in buffering anomic and deviance in the lives of professional football players. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Eric Carter, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of sociology at Georgetown College, where he is working on research in the areas of sport and ethics, sustainability, and community. He lives in Kentucky.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. v
Acknowledgements	p. vii
Introduction: Consequences of America's Obsession	p. 1
It's Lonely (Anomie) at the Top: Theoretical Interpretations of Deviant Behavior	p. 9
Accessing the Lives of Professional Football Players: Stories Revealed	p. 35
Illegal Procedure: Seeing Patterns of Deviance	p. 45
Out of Bounds: Seeing Patterns of Anomie	p. 55
Inside the Huddle: Patterns of Social Support and Ties	p. 61
Moving the Chains: From Observation to Quantification	p. 73
The Final Score: What the Numbers Mean	p. 93
Key Considerations for the Future: Social Control or Empowerment?	p. 113
Index	p. 125
About the Author	p. 131
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.