What does Merton's strain theory say about sport deviancy?

• A. Deviance is caused solely by personal failings.
• B. Deviants are always punished.
• C. When legitimate paths to success are blocked, individuals may resort to illegitimate means (e.g., doping or cheating) to achieve valued goals.
• D. Deviance arises only from media influence.

Answer: (C)

Strain theory explains deviance as a response to social pressure when the goals of a culture are highly valued but the legitimate ways to achieve them are blocked or hard to reach. In sport, the culture prizes winning, fame, and the rewards that come with success, and there are legitimate routes to that success—training, fair competition, access to resources, opportunity, and support. When those legitimate paths feel blocked—perhaps due to limited opportunities, unequal access, or systemic barriers—some athletes may feel pressure to find alternative, illegitimate means to reach the same valued goals. Doping, cheating, or other rule-breaking become ways to achieve success when the sanctioned routes are inaccessible or unobtainable.

So, the best answer captures this link between blocked legitimate opportunities and turning to illegitimate means to pursue valued outcomes. The other statements don’t fit because they frame deviance as solely about personal flaw, guaranteed punishment, or media influence, rather than as a response to structural pressure within sport.