According to results of a national poll by the Robert Morris University Polling Institute, 82.4 percent of Americans believe that sports teams and owners hide reports of scandalous player behavior to protect the team image. The poll measured opinions on behavior such as domestic abuse among professional sports figures.
More than 85 percent of respondents indicated that professional athletes have a responsibility to be good role models. However, about 76 percent believe that Americans tend to overlook 'bad behavior' among athletes because of their celebrity.
"The coverage and commentary of 'athletic celebrity' can be quite extensive and longer in duration, thus creating a perception of a wide spread problem," said David Synkowa, head of the RMU Department of Sport Management. "In reality, most athletes are law abiding and involved in their communities as socially responsible adults."
The poll showed that 69.5 percent have been closely following the recent accusations of professional football players involved in serious off-field behavior including domestic violence and child abuse. Nearly three-fourths of respondents agreed that Americans are becoming less tolerant of criminal behavior by sports figures.
Synkowa notes some positive results of the recent controversies. "More extensive character and legal background checks, and instructional and mentoring programs are now part of the pre-draft process as athletes enter their professional careers."
Recent polling by Robert Morris University also shows growing support for banning youth contact football owing to rising concerns over concussions. Nearly half of Americans (49.4 percent) support a ban on contact football for youth before high school, up from 40.5 percent in 2013. You can read more about those results here.
ABOUT THE POLL: The poll was conducted by the Robert Morris University Polling Institute Powered by Trib Total Media. Go to rmu.edu/poll for more information.
METHODOLOGY: The poll sampled opinions of 1004 approximately proportional to state population contribution nationwide. The survey was conducted Nov. 24 to Dec. 5, 2014. All surveys were conducted using an online survey instrument. The poll has a +/- 3.0 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level on a composite basis.
