Submitted by: Loren Hall
When one talks about deviance, he or she is referring to the breaking of social norms. These social norms can be anything from “go up on the ‘up’ escalator” to “do not talk to yourself in public and make yourself look crazy” to “do not kill other humans.” These social norms vary slightly depending on the environment one lives in. In “the streets,” it’s a social norm not to cooperate with the police at all while that may be encouraged in the suburbs. When someone engages in a deviant act, depending on the importance of the norm they are breaking, the person usually receives a negative sanction, ranging from dirty looks for the breaking of minor norms, to fines and possible incarceration for more severe cases.
A huge story rocked the sports world this past week. Sean Payton, the head coach of the New Orleans Saints, was suspended for an entire year without pay for putting a bounty out on other players. His defense was instructed to go out and purposely injure specific opponents, knocking them out of the game, and they would get a bonus whenever they achieved their mission. This act broke a huge norm in the world of football. Safety is a top priority in this game, and they just bypassed these expectations and put players on a hit list to be taken out, mafia style.
The punishment for Payton and his team, who was also fined $500,000 and deducted 2 picks in the upcoming draft, reflects how serious a stand society takes about breaking away from the social norm. What Payton did was clearly wrong, endangering the lives of players like this. While some deviant acts aren’t considered deviant in some circumstances, I think we can all agree that putting a bounty on a player isn’t okay, definitely not a socially acceptable act. He got what he deserved.
