Viewing violent sports not a trigger.

Does the viewing of violent sporting events drive men to engage in behaviors such as murder and spousal abuse? Do children face a greater risk of abuse from the violence-crazed fans of televised sporting events? Researchers and the public have been puzzling over these questions more intently since 1992, when the media gave wide coverage to claims that the "biggest day of the year for violence against women" is Super Bowl Sunday.

The Super Bowl -- one of the world's most-watched television events and a popular excuse for raucous parties -- has been called the "day of dread" by women's groups seeking attention for a perceived link between violent sports and spousal abuse. The murder trial of ex-football star O.J. Simpson fueled speculation about a link between violent sports and the propensity for males to commit acts of violence.

Although some research has linked the viewing of sports violence with an increased incidence of murder and assaults, a study by Brett Drake and Shanta Pandey, assistant professors in the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., finds no such correlation between reported cases of child abuse and the broadcast of national playoff games for baseball, basketball, hockey, or football. "Prior studies have probed linkages between professional sporting events and homicides and woman battering, but [ours] is the first to extend this inquiry to the linkage between professional sporting events and violence against children,"...