Personal Behavior Off The Field

Koach Karl - Here's Part 3 of the Josephson Institute Report…

Theft. Athletes are less likely than non-sports students to engage intheft - still, more than one in four boys (27%) and one in five girls(20%) engaged in high school athletic s admitted stealing from a storein the past 12 months. (Q21)

. Theft by male athletes was 27% compared to 32% from thecomplete high school sample; 20% of female athletes cheated comparedto 23% of all high school girls.

. The highest rate of theft reported was from male gymnasts(36%), football players (33%) and male basketball players (32%).

Cheating in School. High school students involved in sports cheat inschool at a higher rate than their non-sport classmates. (Q20)

. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of the boys and girls participatingin sports cheated on an exam in the past year in comparison to 60% ofthe total high school population (based on a 2006 Josephson Institutesurvey of 35,000 students*).

. Varsity athletes of both genders cheat at a higher rate thannon varsity athletes (67% to 63%).

. Whether this enhanced propensity to cheat is due to valuesthat put winning over honesty or a reflection of pressures to stayeligible or simply manage their time given the high demands of sports,the fact remains that for most kids, sports promotes rather thandiscourages cheating.

. The cheating rate for those involved in football (72%), girls'softball (72%), girls' basketball (71%), cheerleading (71%), hockey(70%), and baseball (69%) was the highest.

. Female cross country athletes (39%), male cross country (53%),male swimmers (53%) and female swimmers (57%) were the least likelyto cheat in school.

Use of Performance Enhancing Drugs. Given the common view thatsteroids and other performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) are unhealthyas well as illegal a disturbing number of male athletes (6.4%) admitto having used them in the past year (2% of females admitted usingPEDs). (Q27)

. Use by Sport. Male gymnasts (13.3%) and baseball players(9.4%) admitted use of PEDs. Among the females, softball playerswere more likely to use PEDs than their counterparts in other sports(3% vs. 2%).

. Lowest Use. On the other hand, athletes in our survey fromboys' volleyball and track and girls' gymnastics, cross country, andswimming reported no use of PEDs.

Use of Alcohol. Despite strict rules in high school forbidding theuse of alcohol, about half of athletes of both genders (49%) admittedto drinking alcohol in the past year. (Q25). This is the same ratereported for non-athletes in the larger study of 35,000 students. *

View the complete report athttp://www.josephsoninstitute.org/sports_survey/2006/.