The prevalence of athlete hostility, anger, verbal and physical aggression within South African sport.

The majority of research examining the interplay between athlete hostility, anger verbal aggression and physical aggression in competitive sporting environments has focused on Western populations and only on selected sporting codes (e.g. Rugby; ice hockey). Research involving African, particularly South African athletes is sparse. Thus, this study examines the prevalence of athletes' hostility, anger, verbal aggression and physical aggression in South African sport. A total of 233 athletes in Gauteng province, South Africa, were selected. Descriptive statistics as well as Smart PLS software for structural equation modelling (SEM) technique were applied. The results indicated that the relationship between athletes' hostility and anger, verbal aggression and physical aggression were significantly positive; while insignificantly positive association was obsereved between athletes' hostility and verbal aggression. The results also suggest that the experience of hostility, angry emotions, verbal aggressive behaviours and physical aggression of South African athletes are similar to Western populations, but that sport psychology practitioners should be aware of some potentially important differences, such as the general tendency of South African athletes to disapprove of aggressive behaviour. The research paper concludes by discussing both academic and managerial implications of the results, and future research directions are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]