The association between sports participation, alcohol use and aggression and violence: a systematic review

<b>Objectives</b><br />To review the current research on alcohol-related violence and sports participation.<br /><br /><b>Methods</b><br />The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were used to identify relevant studies for inclusion. A search of six databases (EBSCOhost) was conducted.<br /><br /><b>Results</b><br />A total of 6890 studies was were identified in the initial search. Of these, 11 studies met the inclusion criteria. The majority of the studies were from the US (n = 10) and focused on collegiate athletes (n = 7), adolescents (n = 3), professional/former professional athletes (n = 1).<br /><br /><b>Conclusion</b><br />The reviewed research indicates higher rates of alcohol use and violence in athlete populations when compared against non-athlete populations. Masculinity, violent social identity and antisocial norms connected to certain sports stand out as potential factors that may impact the association between sport and violence in athlete populations.