In 2004 I had the pleasure of writing a chapter in a book called Making the team: Inside the world of sport initiations and hazing. It was an awesome opportunity to get a deeper understanding to why athletes continue to practice initiation rites on rookies to ultimately prove if they are worthy to be part of the team. The chapter that I co-wrote with Jay Johnson called: Introduction: A brief History of hazing gives a good snap shot of hazing with the academic instruction going back as early as the 14th century Europe. And charging through the ages nothing really has changed when it comes to initiation rites. The focus remains on bringing a new generation to a fold by using established practices to mark them and make them conform to the group mentality.
I think it is an extremely important topic to mull over. Hazing and Initiation rites happens on a daily basis. Sometimes it’s harmless and other times it can be a dangerous display of dominance. Hazing can happen anywhere to anyone. In the workplace or the playing field–it has no boundaries.
Image credit: cspi.org
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