A penalty flag is down for a growing number of professional athletes. Some, accused of domestic violence, others charged with assault. What has caused this sudden increase in domestic violence by professional athletes? Nothing. There has not been any increase at all. Professional athletes have been beating and abusing women for a long, long time. Years ago, a lady called 911 and said that her husband was beating her. She wanted to file a report, but then asked the dispatcher if it was going to be in the paper the next day. When the dispatcher did not reply, the woman changes her mind about the report and hangs up (Cart). The woman was Sun Bonds, wife of professional athlete, Barry Bonds. Like the wives of other famous players, she was a victim of spousal abuse. Professional athletes are praised as heroes for what they do on the playing field, but what they do off the field is NEVER mentioned. As a very disappointed sports fan, I want to draw attention to the domestic violence cases that involve athletes.
Athletes have been abusing their spouses since sports were created, but not until the OJ Simpson trial did domestic violence become "the issue du jour." When Simpson was arrested on New Years Day for beating his wife, none of the newspapers reported it. When he pleaded no contest five months later, there was a small brief in the second page of The Los Angeles Times' Metro Section (Cart).
In the last three years alone the list of the accused included Dante Bichette, Barry Bonds, John Daly, Scottie Pippen, Jose Conseco, Bobby Cox, Mike Tyson, Warren Moon, Michael Cooper, Darryl Strawberry, Duane Causwell, Olden Polynice, Robert Parish, and OJ Simpson( Callahan, Sports Ilustrated). And these are only the pro athletes whose wives had the courage to report the violence.
Madeline Popa, president of Nebraska National Organization for Women
stated, "Athletes are role models to small children. [Viewers] worry about the
Ray Rice a former NFL running back who played for the Baltimore Ravens was caught brutally smacking his fiancee over, leaving her blacked out on the floor of a casino elevator taking place in Atlantic City. The footage leaked out world wide and the public created huge controversy over the coverage that continuously played a numerous of times on major news networks. Rice who was cut from the Ravens and suspended from the NFL after the release of the show down is now an unsigned free agent, searching for hope. Through shocking evidence and a glimpse into a professional football players life, I aim to examine how media created an entertainment brand out of the countless amount of times the video was aired, how the NFL handled the scandal, and how Rice strives to regain his identity.
Even though athletes get special treatment they never think about how them getting off easy can back fire. The Ray Rice case is a prime example of how it was a downfall in their career. Rice got released from the Baltimore ravens and since then he has not play football. The NFL suspended him indefinitely, but it was later lifted because he did not lie to the commissioner about the domestic violence case. He was free to play again, but no team signed him because it was going to come with a ton of backlash and no team wanted to deal with that because it would have been a distraction to the team. Also, many people lost respect for Rice for putting his hands on a women. No one would look at him the same anymore. He has yet to sign with any team since the incident took
Ethical Rules on Sport’s Justice. Dallas: East Dallas Times, page 21. 2008. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Print: Harry, Patrick Hayes.
The past fifteen years of baseball have contained dirty play by some of the best players to ever play the sport. Kids all over America look at these athletes as role models. The money hungry players proceed to send a terrible message to fans of the game by taking drugs to succeed. After commissioner Bud Selig cracked down on steroid use in 2005, several baseball player’s legacies have been ruined due to steroid allegations. Players are even being charged with perjury by lying to Congress over steroid use to protect their reputation.
Violent behavior by men against their family members were traditionally considered private matters. We recognize public violence as being morally wrong or socially destructive. Domestic violence and child abuse are two forms of private violence that were more or less immune from public scrutiny and considered inappropriate for "outsiders" to intervene in unless the problem reached extreme proportions.
Sexual abuse by athletes is evident at every level, from high school team members to professional players. In the last decade, some of the most noted athletes in big league sports have been accused of sexually abusing or attacking women. In many cases, however, the woman decided not to bring it to public trial, and charges were dropped:
The National Football League is long to be blamed for not only for the deaths of several players but as well the medical conditions sustained after many years of being on the game. In the past years several players have taken their lives due to their career in the NFL. In most cases it was because of blows to the head that had most players diagnosed with CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) and caused them to take their own lives. Families and friends want to blame the NFL yet evidence shows that the NFL is not the one pulling the trigger.
In the 1970’s and 1980’s, Orenthal James Simpson or OJ Simpson was a well-known celebrity within North America. He was an all American Football player who turned to acting and sports casting after he retired from the National Football League. On June 12, 1994 Nicole Brown, OJ’s ex-wife, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, were found murdered outside Nicole’s residence. The scene of the crime took place outside Ms. Brown’s condominium complex, where two murdered bodies were discovered in the entrance pathway. The police scanned the scene of the crime carefully searching for evidence. They found crucial DNA evidence that supported their idea that Mr. Simpson had been involved in committing these murders. The LAPD issued a statement to the media saying that they were allowing OJ Simpson to turn himself in by June 17 at 11:00 a.m. OJ Simpson did not report to the police station on June 11th. The infamous car chase took place while broadcasted on live television. OJ Simpson's Ford Bronco was spotted driving down the interstate, being driven by his friend Al Cowlings. Mr. Simpson was located in the rear seat with a gun pointing to his head stating that he was going to kill himself if any cop approach the vehicle. Within the video below detective Tom Lange talked to Simpson while the car chase was taking place. He pleads with Mr. Simpson to stop this chase and not to commit suicide. Every news station within the world broadcasted the chase as the police chased Mr. Simpsons white bronco at slow speeds down the highway. Citizens flocked to the overpasses to watch as the truck passed them while being followed by numerous cop cars and news helicopters. The chase finally concluded at Mr. Simpson's home and came to a dramatic end when Cowling park...
One would be hard-pressed to find a household without any video gaming devices. In fact, over eighty percent of American households some sort of gaming device. On top of all that, violent video games have surged in popularity, occupying over 50% of the 30 top video games sold in 2015 (Kain). In light of recent mass shootings, video games are routinely accused as the culprit that influences one to violence. Researchers all over the world have tried to establish a causal relationship between video games and violence. Some researchers have come to the conclusion that video games, specifically violent ones, spark aggression. However, other researchers have come up with the opposite conclusion, that the studies that portray video games as detrimental
In 1994 O.J Simpson was charged with the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. O.J had a history of violence towards his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson. O.J was an Ex-professional football player who played for the Buffalo Bills and the San Francisco 49ers. After football he became a sport announcer and even tried to be an actor. America knew who O.J Simpson was so this case was high profile from the beginning. He bought the best lawyers that money can buy. Some incriminating evidence from the case was the blood evidence, the glove evidence, hair and fiber evidence. During the collection and preservation of evidence some mistakes were made and some precautions were not taken. The lead officer of the case was also found to be racist. During the trial the defense attorneys put doubt into the jury's minds about O.J being
In “The Effects of violent video games, do they affect our behavior?” Brad J. Bushman argues that violent video games have had “hundreds of additional studies have shown a link between violent media exposure and aggression.”(Bushman 1) Bushman points out why are video games more harmful than violent TV programs, how are video games good for you, and why do people deny harmful effects of violent video games. He gives a good reason on why video games are harmful that violent TV. He states that players are likely to relate themselves with the character, the player also perceives the same visual as the character, and also that the player gets rewarded after a violent scene such as killing. Bushman also states how some people claim that violent
Though some sports are more violent that others as far as play goes, the rising level of violence has not been limited to any particular sport, ranging from non-contact sports like swimming and baseball to contact sports like soccer, football, and hockey. During a girls hockey game in Canada last year a 40 year old man aimed a laser pointer into the eyes of three of his daughter’s opponents, causing them to leave the ice complaining of headaches and flu-like symptoms. The man pleaded guilty in court to mischief and was banned from attending future games. In Pennsylvania a policeman gave a 10-year-old little league pitcher two dollars for hitting an opponent with a fastball, earning him a conviction for the corruption of a minor and solicitation to commit simple assault. In another incident involving a man of the law, a former corrections officer assaulted a 16-year-old referee at a flag football game for six and seven year olds in Nebraska. The tape of the incident shows the 6’3” 250 pound father poking the youth in the chest, when the 160 pound referee tried to defend himself by slapping away the father’s hand, the father punched him t...
Since a majority of the time, athletes are not forced to serve the punishment for the crime they commit, our goal, through the training courses on domestic violence, would be to eliminate domestic violence completely by the University of Maryland’s athletes.
The topic of gun violence has become a great debate over the past couple of years. In relation to video games, the two have become linked together in the news of violent attacks. According to Christopher Ferguson’s Is video game violence bad, he states that “it is reasonable to suggest that cogent and honest arguments could be made both for and against the belief that violent games contribute to mild aggressive acts” (325). However, some studies suggest that those who are consumed with video games every day may begin to exhibit some violent behavior themselves. Therefore, in my own opinion I believe video games and gun violence are directly related to each other.
There was a very famous case of domestic violence that took place not so long ago that pretty much every football fan knows about. Famous Ravens player Ray Rice was caught dragging his fiancée’s