Which of the following statements best reflects how deviance in sports is described in relation to the sport ethic?

• A. Deviance includes both overconformity and underconformity to norms
• B. Deviance is only about cheating
• C. Deviance is caused by fans
• D. Deviance is unrelated to norms

Answer: (A)

In sport ethics, deviance is viewed as deviation from the expected norms that guide athletic behavior, and it can show up on both ends of the spectrum: overconformity and underconformity. Overconformity means taking those norms to an extreme, such as pushing aggression or safety boundaries to win at all costs or bending rules to gain an advantage. Underconformity means failing to meet the norms, like cheating, breaking rules, or exhibiting unsportsmanlike behavior. Because deviance can involve either pushing norms too far or not meeting them at all, the statement that deviance includes both overconformity and underconformity best reflects how the sport ethic describes it. The other ideas narrow deviance to cheating, attribute it to fans, or claim it’s unrelated to norms, which doesn’t capture the full relationship between behavior and normative standards in sport.