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9407938

Mr. Jason King

AP Seminar

28 February 2017

Collegiate Condonement of Athlete Sexual Assault

The definition of rape myths is defined by Scot Boeringer as beliefs and situational

definitions that excuse rape (82). In todays society, rape myths are commonplace. The

widespread acknowledgement of these ideas has led to the creation of a culture which justifies

rape, often referred to as rape culture. This culture infiltrates many aspects of society, including

athletics. Sexual assault committed by athletes is no new concept; the media seems to pay special

attention to sex crime accusations against athletes. While it is true that student-athletes are not

guilty in all of these incidents, recent research proves that athletes have an increased likelihood

of committing sexual assault. The problem with this is not only with the unlawfulness of the

offense, but with the unjust court procedures that follow it. It has become increasingly apparent

that universities play a major role in delivering special treatment to their athletes, and for reasons

that have more to do with money than ethics.

According to award-winning author Belinda Rose-Young, although male intercollegiate

athletes accounted for 19% of all sexual violence cases reported to the respective Judicial

Affairs, they only comprised 3% of the student populations (Young 2). One possible reason for

these heightened statistics is a sense of hypermasculinity found within sports programs. Ann

Scales, a famed lawyer and professor, hypothesizes that the homoeroticism of their bonding

leads them to display their masculinity through [excessively heterosexual] displays of sexual
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performance (Scales 260). This means that after spending time together, athletes feel the need to

reassert their masculinity. Athletes who depend on this concept are more likely to engage in rape

myths and culture; in fact, professor Scot Boeringer of the University of South Florida claims

that acceptance of these myths can create a rape-fertile environment (Boeringer 82). While

these sources are both hypotheses, they appear to move in cause-and-effect order; each behavior

results in a more serious one. This sequence worsens when considering the sizable amount of

help universities give their athletes when they are accused of sexual crimes.

While athletes are more likely to commit sexual crimes, they are also more likely to

evade punishment for doing so. A study conducted by professors J. Benedict and Alan Klein

found that out of 217 athletes faced with charges for sex crimes, only 24% were successfully

prosecuted (172). This is because universities provide their athletes with any help necessary to

keep them out of jail and on the field. In the ESPN news series Outside the Lines, Sports Emmy

Award nominee Paula Lavigne gathered research on the outcomes of various charges against

student-athletes. The study focused on the athletic programs of ten colleges, and found that in

each, the likelihood of an athlete to evade punishment for a crime was greater than 30%

(Lavigne). Lavigne came up with three reasons behind these data: the overinvolvement of

athletic officials, the presence of a team lawyer, or intimidation tactics (Lavigne). Universities

employ each of these methods to make it harder to press charges against an athlete by

interrupting normal court proceedings, hiring attorneys with questionable reputations, or even

scaring the plaintiff out of court. This may contribute to the fact that less than 5 percent

of...rapes of college students are brought to the attention of campus authorities and/or law

enforcement. The tactics that universities use to benefit their athletes may discourage victims of
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sexual assault from pressing charges (Karjane 3). The reason universities will go to such extreme

measures to keep their athletes out of jail is the same reason that they recruit athletes in the first

place.

Every student a university admits is an investment. Colleges admit promising students

due to the fact that their achievements often earn schools money. This process is abridged when

a university admits an athlete because athletes earn money in a much more direct way for their

schools than other students. They sell tickets and increase their universitys fame, which brings

in revenue for their schools. For some universities, this amount can exceed millions of dollars.

Business Insider Sports Editor Cork Gaines comprised a list of the top 25 schools that earn the

most money in collegiate athletics. The school at the top of the list, Texas A&M, generated about

$192.6 million, and even the school at the bottom made $96.9 million (Gaines). Universities treat

student-athletes as top priorities because schools stand to make millions off them. This leads

them to bypass normal court procedures in attempts to keep their athletes playing.

It is not a stretch of the imagination to consider giving student-athletes some special

treatment. However, this means the contemplation of implementing a student-athlete paycheck or

possibly giving them more time to complete homework; not allowing them to get away with

committing sexual assault. There are a few measures that universities should take to further

discourage this. One is to conduct detailed background checks of their potential student-athletes

before recruiting them, and not grant admission to students with a past history of sexual assault

to prevent such actions in college. This solution is, however, limited by the fact that wrongfully

accused student-athletes would be kept from participating in college athletics. Another measure

is for universities to administer educational programming to teach both athletes and non-athletes
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the importance of preventing sexual violence. This involves delivering presentations to audiences

for the purpose of educating both administrators and students about how to address sexual

assault. One of these presentations is the Preventing Assault by Young Student Athletes (PAYS)

program, which instructs student-athletes on preventing sexual crimes (Jackson and Davis).

Another is bystander intervention training (Wilson); a demonstration which emphasizes taking

action when sexual assault occurs. However, it is important to note that these presentations are

delivered to large audiences, which can include victims of sexual assaults. According to writer

Deborah Wilson, Ph.D., trauma may resurface during a presentation on sexual assault (29).

However, educational programmings larger purpose is to decrease the amount of victims in that

crowd, and should not be neglected as another possible solution.

The research presented in this report all supports the same conclusion: for sexual assault

on campus to end, the mindset of both student-athletes and their universities must change. The

rape culture that surrounds the athletic departments of colleges must be addressed and

discouraged to keep universities safe. If a student-athlete commits a sexual crime, they should

not be able to fall back on the help of their university due to the amount of money they put in

their schools pockets. While it is true that the revenue that student-athletes generate for their

colleges may subject them to different privileges than other students, they should not be able to

get away with crime because of this. Educational programming and more selective admissions

can help combat this issue. If these methods are implemented, then the amount of sexual crimes

committed by student-athletes may decrease. Moreover, the likelihood of a university to assist

their athletes in doing so may also decline. In order to keep justice at college, universities should

not condone sexual assault, and athletes must stop perpetrating it.
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Works Cited

Benedict, Jeffrey, and Alan Klein. Arrest and Conviction Rates for Athletes Accused of Sexual

Assault. Issues in Inmate Violence, edited by Raquel Kennedy Bergen, SAGE

Publications Inc., 1998, pp. 169-75.

Boeringer, Scot. Associations of Rape-Supportive Attitudes with Fraternal and Athletic

Participation. Violence Against Women, SAGE Publications Inc., 1999, pp. 81-90.

Gaines, Cork. The 25 Schools that Make the Most Money in College Sports. Business

Insider, 13 Oct. 2016, http://tinyurl.com/zy43vsz. Accessed 8 Jan. 2017.

Jackson, Thomas, and Joanne Davis. Prevention of Sexual and Physical Assault Toward

Women: A Program for Male Athletes. Journal of Community Psychology, vol. 28, no.

6, 2000, pp. 589-605.

Karjane, Heather M. et al. Sexual Assault on Campus: What Colleges and Universities Are

Doing About It. NIJ, Dec. 2005, http://tinyurl.com/zhtr3be. Accessed 1 Feb. 2017.

Lavigne, Paula. Outside the Lines: Lawyers, Status, Public Backlash Aid College Athletes

Accused of Crimes. ESPN, 15 June 2015, http://tinyurl.com/zrgypgx. Accessed 6 Jan.

2017.

Scales, Ann. Student Gladiators and Sexual Assault: A New Analysis of Liability for Injuries

Inflicted by College Athletes. Michigan Journal of Gender and Law, v. 5, no. 2, 2009,

pp. 205-89.

Wilson, Deborah, et al. Addressing Sexual Assault and Interpersonal Violence. NCAA, Sept.

2014, http://tinyurl.com/zyacn9u. Addressed 9 Jan. 2017.

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Young, Belinda-Rose, et al. Sexual Coercion Practices Among Undergraduate Male

Recreational Athletes, Intercollegiate Athletes, and Non-Athletes. Violence Against

Women, http://tinyurl.com/jdrfs9o. Accessed 19 Dec. 2016.