Peacemakers: those who would intervene to quell a sports riot

Male spectators (N = 129) attending a Finnish ice hockey game were asked to indicate their response to a fight erupting nearby in the stands. Fully 61.1% indicated they would watch, 26.2% would try to stop the fight, 5.6% would leave the area, 4.7% would encourage the fighters and 2.4% would join in. Peacemakers were compared with onlookers and found to be less physically aggressive. However, they were equally angry, impulsive and had equivalent histories of fighting. Compared with a category of troublemakers, peacemakers were less aggressive, angry and impulsive, and were taller.