Personality characteristics of male and female participants in team sports

Males members of two college teams, baseball and football, and female members of two teams, field hockey and lacrosse (combined) and equestrians, were compared on the five scales of the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ). All teams were significantly higher on the Activity and lower on the Neuroticism-Anxiety scales than the general college population of the University of Delaware. Lacrosse and field hockey athletes were higher on activity than equestrians and baseball players were higher than football players on this scale. Contrary to predictions, football players scored lower than the general university male population on Impulsive Sensation Seeking and the lacrosse and field hockey players did not differ from the general college females on Impulsive Sensation Seeking. The baseball players also scored lower on this scale. The hypothesis that body contact sports attract high sensation seeking and aggressive participants was not supported. Sensation seeking is more characteristic of participants in high risk sports offering unusual sensation and personal challenges.