Section One: The characteristics of total institutions are found in many contemporary sports formations. What are some of the potential consequences of this?

A total institution is a setting in which people are isolated from the rest of society and manipulated by administrative staff. There is supervision of all spheres of daily life and at atmosphere with standardized, rigid routines. Often, in a total institution, the members of said institution wear the same clothes, eat the same food, etc. which creates the idea that each of the members are equal. There is an erosion of individual identity thus leading to a systematic building of self. An example of this idea being applied to sports would be junior hockey in Canada. Playing for a junior hockey team involves a lot of commitment. Often, junior hockey players travel to a new town to play, live with a new family, go to a new school, obtain a new peer group, etc. There is a specific schedule and formal rules that govern each player's behaviour. Curfews are given to the players, there is a dress code in place while at the arena, team uniforms that dress each player alike, scheduled away games, scheduled home visits, etc. There is a sense of resocialization for the players. The players are "owned" by the team, there is an initiation  process, and the status of 'rookie' for newcomers to the team. There is a systematic building of a different self that is implemented while joining a junior hockey team. This is done through the giving of rewards for success, i.e. more ice time for playing well, etc. As well, there is punishment for bad behaviour. These are all characteristics of total institutions that can be found within junior hockey organizations. Total institutions can lead to what is called 'cognitive distortion'. Cognitive distortion is the inability to see behaviour considered inappropriate in other spheres of life as inappropriate within the total institution. This idea of cognitive distortion overcomes the voice of reason, or one's conscience. It overcomes the voice inside one's head that says 'This is wrong', and replaces it with an "internal disinhibitor". The internal disinhibitor is what gives the person in the total institution the "permission" to act inappropriately. Cognitive distortion is one of the dangers or consequences of total institutions. In simple terms, cognitive distortion is the overlooking of something that is considered 'deviant' in another social realm of life, because it is considered 'normal' or 'okay' inside the total institution. Within the world of sports, there are many deviant or inappropriate things that are overlooked due to cognitive distortion, that would be considered unsuitable in another given situation. Drug use is an example of a reoccurring phenomenon within sports. Using performance enhancing drugs is often something that is encouraged by trainers, etc. as a way to achieve success. Although this is wrong, and an athlete can be disqualified from a contest or cut from a team if tested positive for drugs, it is very often practiced regardless of these consequences. Another example could be sexual abuse. Sexual abuse in sports is quite common, and often, the victims of sports related sexual abuse cases don't speak up. Putting education secondary to playing sports is another example, which can include junior athletes putting school on hold to participate in sports, or college athletes with poor grades that are overlooked by coaches. These are just some of the many examples of the role cognitive distortion can play within sports institutions, all of which are embedded in the lifestyle that comes with athletic organizations.