Are male athletes getting a pass?
The media makes it seem that athletes engage in violent acts at alarmingly high rates, but whether athletes perpetrate violence against women more than non-athletes is still unknown. Athletes’ high profile statuses mean their actions receive more media attention than those of other people.
A review of domestic violence and sexual assault charges against athletes in the MLB, NFL, and NBA by Bethany Withers in the Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law found that of 64 incidents of violence, only one player was convicted of the crime, while nine plead either no contest or guilty to a lesser charge. Seven players were punished by the league and two were punished by their team, but the rest went unpunished by either the justice system or their respective league.
Withers points out a couple of reasons athletes do not receive punishment for perpetrating violence against women. The league commissioners can choose how to punish players, but there is inconsistency among such punishments.
Additionally, Withers writes that “forming a strong case against a professional athlete is complicated by the relationship between team security, a player’s personal security and law enforcement.” The mutual friends, connections, and conflicts of interest in which someone plays more than one role can make it easier for athletes to avoid punishment.
Sociologist Michael Kimmel notes that sports create a culture of silence, protection, and entitlement. This culture discourages teammates from speaking up, and instead encourages protecting those that have perpetrated violence.
Kristy McCray of Ohio State University explains that research on athletes and violence against women was prevalent in the 1990s. This body of research indicates that there are connections between athletic participation and sexually aggressive attitudes and behaviours.
There are several reasons that these connections exist, most of which stem from the hypermasculine environment sports create.
In Monitor on Psychology, Stephanie Pappas writes that “traditional masculinity — marked by stoicism, competitiveness, dominance and aggression — is, on the whole, harmful.”
The American Psychological Association’s (APA’s) new guidelines on treatment of boys and men notes the many negative implications of traditional masculinity, such as the negative impact on mental and physical health, a limit to psychological development, and a connection to sexual assault perpetration.
The continued encouragement of traditional masculinity, a problem for both men and women, is persistent and exaggerated on sports teams and must be taken seriously so that this cycle can end.
RECENT CASES:
Kareem Hunt — caught on camera kicking a woman in a hotel lobby in 2018
Austin Watson — charged with domestic assault in 2018
Ezekiel Elliott — investigated & suspended regarding domestic violence in 2017
Roberto Osuna — charged with assaulting a woman in 2018