Page 14 - AASP Summer 2014 Newsletter

Anger In Sport: The Good, The Bad,

and the Useful

Michelle Bartlett, Ph.D., West Texas A&M University

Mitch Abrams, Psy.D., Learned Excellence for Athletes

Megan Byrd, MS, West Virginia University

With ever increasing media exposure to is a valuable skill set sport psychologists can
Michelle BARTLETT
athlete transgressions, the topic of anger in teach.” Anger only becomes problematic when

athletics is gaining interest in sport psychology. it leads to uncontrolled reactive aggression, and

Unfortunately, anger in sport does not receive recent studies indicate that uncontrolled anger

media attention until a negative action occurs, expression is especially common among male team

resulting in a negative stigma on anger in sport. collision and contact sport athletes (Bartlett et al.,

Traditionally, most attention has been paid to 2012). Conversely, there are some performance

studying aggression, with varying deinitions, and enhancing factors that come with experiencing

anger has been lumped into the grouping as if it is the emotion of anger, such as increased pain

mutually inclusive. Recently, with the promotion of tolerance and increased strength. For certain

new deinitions of aggression that provide clearer sports, these characteristics can certainly be

distinctions, studying anger outside of the context beneicial. However, what about the other effects

of aggression has come to the forefront. In noting of anger on performance, such as decreased ine

that both male and female college athletes have motor coordination and decreased cognitive and

Mitch ABRAMS
more overall anger than both genders in the general decision making abilities? How can anger it in

population, knowledge of anger management in with sports that require these components? And,

the ield is warranted (Bartlett et al., 2011). Failure canititinatall?

to address anger management in sport could lead

to several consequences for sport and its athletes.
The irst key to helping athletes effectively control
Consequences of anger-fueled hostile aggression
anger is similar to helping athletes with most other
include suspensions, ines, penalties, and injuries.
presenting concerns - increasing awareness

and normalization. Consider anger in the same

However, instead of the common sentiment of regard as varying levels of other emotions. On an

“anger is bad and we must get rid of it,” the ield individual athlete basis and on a sport-speciic

needs to move towards “anger is a normal human basis, each has his or her individual optimal level of

emotion, and helping athletes work with their anger anger that will enable peak performance. Finding

in a controlled manner for better performance
this level can help athletes to non-judgmentally
Megan BYRD

AASP Newsletter // Summer 2014 // Anger In Sport: The Good, The Bad, and the Useful

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