Featured Image Source: Getty Images. In this July 20, 2017, file photo, former NFL football star O.J. Simpson appears via video for his parole hearing at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Lovelock, Nev.
TW: Mentions of domestic violence, abuse, sexual harassment, etc.
In recent weeks following the death of O.J. Simpson, there has been much discussion about the case of the killing of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. What these debates and rehashings tend to ignore, however, is the fact that O.J. had faced numerous allegations of domestic violence prior to Nicole and Ronald’s murders, even pleading guilty to one count in 1989 that he committed against his ex-wife. Unfortunately, the patterns of domestic violence and abuse evident in O.J. and Nicole Simpson’s relationship are part of a larger problem that remains today in sports culture.
The pervasive nature of domestic violence against women in men’s sports is undeniable. In major male sports leagues, charges of domestic violence are fairly common for athletes. Between 2000 and 2014, 48% of arrests related to NFL players were based on domestic violence or sexual assault charges. This proneness to violence can be seen in how NFL players have an arrest rate for domestic violence that is 55.4% higher than the national average. Similarly, NBA players have a rate of 38.2%. And perhaps unsurprisingly, UFC athletes have a rate five times higher than the general population.
But despite these statistics, the findings of one 2018 study show that rates of domestic violence committed by professional athletes were undercounted by 44% due to the failure to account for incidents that went unreported. As such, the actual numbers may be far higher.
While this data seems to suggest that domestic violence and abuse only occur in certain male sports at the professional level, the truth of the matter is that such problems are pervasive even at the collegiate level. One study highlighted in Ronald Wood’s 2011 book, Social Issues in Sport (on page 424), found that 20% of sexual assaults and 35% of domestic assaults on college campuses are committed by student-athletes, despite making up 3% of the average student population. Similar studies have found that student-athletes commit anywhere from 19% to 23% of sexual assaults on campuses.
From this data, it is clear that there is a connection between men’s sports and domestic violence against women. But just where that connection is has been difficult to parse out.
One view is that male sports teams act as socializing forces that encourage negative attitudes toward women and lead to violence. The theory goes that sports teams teach male children and adolescents that “failure is synonymous with anything feminine” so they view and treat women and girls as lesser than them while also aspiring to be masculine. As support structures, the teams also function for young boys and men to share and internalize negative attitudes towards women, especially during such a key stage of development. Additionally, gender segregation in areas of life such as sports creates an environment more conducive for boys to develop “oppositional masculinity” which creates hostility towards women.
Ultimately, then, these attitudes manifest in their relationships with women whom they see as inferior and as acceptable targets for violence. One study of high school male athletes playing “aggressive team sports” supports this view. They found that, compared to males not on sports teams, athletes were more likely to commit aggression, be sexually coercive, harbor sexist attitudes, and be more accepting of violence towards their partners. In this way, the culture and group dynamics of male sports teams foster a sexist masculine culture that leads to domestic violence.
While this culture does cause domestic violence, one factor that has allowed it to persist is the impunity with which it is often committed. More often than not, coaches and players of male sports teams can get away with domestic violence and harassment as the responsible institutions fail to ensure adequate consequences for offenders.
In one analysis, 75% of professional and collegiate coaches and athletes were allowed to stay on their teams and compete despite accusations of gender-based violence. This included many instances where individuals were charged, arrested, and/or convicted, as well as some being classified as serial offenders.
The fact that most instances of gender-based violence and harassment do not end up with the perpetrator being held accountable means that a culture of impunity prevails where male athletes do not fear that committing such acts would warrant punishment. This then creates an environment where gender-based violence and harassment are permissible and or excusable.
Though times have certainly changed since O.J. Simpson’s domestic violence conviction in 1989, it was partly this permissive environment that resulted in him only receiving a fine and probation as punishment before he would later go on to kill his ex-wife.
If we want to prevent tragedies such as these and seriously tackle the issue of gender-based violence and harassment, a solution has to start with a comprehensive approach to reduce the development of misogynistic attitudes beginning in childhood and adolescence, educating young people about the importance of preventing such violence, and ensuring those who commit such acts are actually held accountable.
Journalism 2.0 