There are sports where the rules have to be policed by the players in order for the game to survive. The nature of aggression in high aggression sports requires that there is an outlet for the frustrations of players. Someone has to "draw the line" as to what is acceptable as far as aggression without ignoring it and letting it fester inside people until they are able to find an outlet for it.

Distinct aspects of the effects of aggression in sport can be observed by watching ice hockey and observing how aggression is accepted and condoned within the confines of the sport. Ice hockey attempts to maintain a balance between the aggressive nature of the sport and the civility of the people who play it. It is recognized that a certain degree of aggressiveness is necessary to play the game. As with any game of this nature, administrators and players are faced with the problem of keeping aggression levels at or under an acceptable norm.

Competitive game play in ice hockey incorporates many acts of aggression. This aggression is instrumental aggression; it is committed en route to accomplishing a

In the heat of the moment a hockey player will, on the other hand, recognize that there is a player on the other team who will absolutely beat him senseless if he makes the decision to be excessively violent. Players will stay within the confines of professional courtesy when they know that the unwritten rules will be physically enforced.

goal. Professional courtesy is created by an unwritten understanding between all players as to what is acceptable as far as instrumental aggression. As long as players don't overstep their bounds within these unwritten rules, the mutual respect that players have for each other permits very aggressive acts to be accepted as a part of the game.

Traditionally, displaced or unnecessary aggression would be recognized by and policed by the players themselves. Random acts of violence were followed by the perpetrator being pulled aside by someone on the other team who proceeded to beat the tar out of them. After which, each party involved would be stricken with a token five-minute major penalty for fighting and everyone was happy. In this way, the person who initiated the violence had the chance to release the stress felt through the violent act, the other team felt they had received reprimations for the act committed against their own, and things rarely

Some common words found in the essay are:
, ice hockey, acts violence, displaced aggression, professional courtesy, aggression aggression, unwritten rules, instrumental aggression, heat moment, policed players, aggression players,
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Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)