Footballers Behave Worse than Criminals

New research says footballers are often seedier than criminals

Footy stars likely to have alcohol problems More sexually promiscuous than criminals Can be verbally aggressive and anti-social

RESEARCH shows footy stars are more likely to have alcohol problems, be more verbally aggressive and more sexually promiscuous than criminals.

The study comes out as rugby league has been rocked by another scandal involving high-profile players caught out in group sex, The Courier-Mail reports.

Channel 9 Footy Show star Matthew Johns has apologised on TV to his family after the re-emergence of claims he was involved in group sex with a 19-year-old woman in a Christchurch hotel in 2002.

The study, published in the Australian Psychological Society's journal InPsych, subjected nearly 50 AFL footballers to personality tests and compared the results to similar tests conducted on 940 convicted criminals.

The study found footballers scored significantly higher than both the social average and the offenders in measures of alcohol problems, anxiety, verbal aggression, sexual promiscuity and anti-social behaviour.

"The data suggested that AFL footballers were most likely to offend in the context of alcohol usage, through offences such as drunk and disorderly, drink driving, or violent or reckless behaviour," the study authors reported.

"The relatively high sexual promiscuity scores suggested AFL footballers may potentially place themselves at greater risk for sex-related offences and vulnerability to scandal."

Professor Bob Montgomery, president of the Australia Psychological Society, said the research was supported by the recent stories of high-profile footballers from various codes repeatedly getting caught out in scandals, including group sex.

He said: "Very often to become a high profile person, you're a risk taker.

"You're willing to take a chance that other people might turn their back on."

He said the group mentality of young men in football teams was also part of the problem.

Professor Stephen Smallbone, of Griffith University School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, said young men's concept of right and wrong was heavily influenced by their peers and that was further skewed when they were part of a group.

"It's the one for all and all for one context," he said.


http://www.news.com.au/top-stories/footballers-behave-worse-than-criminals/story-e6frfkp9-1225710736895

Skul wrote:
Nah, 99% of all footballers aren't like that.

Agent 47 wrote:

Skul wrote:
Nah, 99% of all footballers aren't like that.

^ OMG. I'm having a flashback.

Now, where have I seen that before?

Oh yeah. That's right - that was "research" conducted by Professor Dsf08 from the UNIVERSITY OF SESAME STREET!