Abstract
It is not uncommon to see tears shed by players on both the winning and losing teams, particularly after a championship game. However, sport is also seen as an environment where competitors go to “put their game faces on” and keep their emotions in check, such as during the film A League of Their Own, when a manager tells a sobbing player that “there is no crying in baseball!” The current study sought to examine the extent to which individuals agree with this perspective. Specifically, participants rated the acceptability of crying by males and females in both sport and non-sport scenarios. The results revealed different expectations for emotional reactions in sport as individuals were more accepting of crying in non-sport scenarios than in sport scenarios. Additionally persons with higher levels of restrictive emotionality were particularly likely to believe that crying in sport was not appropriate.
Recommended Citation
DeRossett, Tommy; Wanna, Daniel L.; Hackathorn, Jana; Rife, Sean C.; Owens, Morgan; Hollingsworth, Brighton C.; Noel, Kaylee; Settler, Kendrick; Lambert, Quinn; and Beckerson, Meagan
(2021)
"Is There Really No Crying in Baseball? Examining the Acceptance of Crying in Sport,"
Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management: Vol. 1, Article 8.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/finsheem/vol1/iss1/8