Mapping Positions on Forgiving an Aggressor in Sport

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to map amateur athletes’ positions on forgiving an aggressor in sport under various circumstances. One hundred and twenty-eight participants judged forgiveness in 32 scenarios built from combinations of five factors (moral disengagement, intention, consequence, apology, and incentive). Following a cluster analysis, ANOVAs, and chi-squared tests, a three-cluster solution was found: “Mainly Forgive, with Non-Additive Integration,” “Seldom Forgive, with Additive Integration,” and “Moderately Forgive, with Additive Integration.” The clusters’ composition was related to the members’ sex and type of sport. Cluster 1 contained 19% of the women and 32% of the athletes from collision sports. Cluster 2 contained 72% of the men, 53% of the athletes from non-contact sports, and 43% of the athletes from contact sports. Cluster 3 contained 54% of the women, and 58% of the athletes from collision sports.