But for more serious situations like domestic violence or abuse cases, it puts team owners/executives, league executives, and fans of the sport in a kind of dilemma. Those are the cases I'm most interested in. Actions made by a player that become public portray an image for the league and the team they play for and how the league or team responds says a lot, too. For the most part, these crimes are forgiven and then these players go back to getting paid millions of dollars and helping their team win games. And I think that's a real problem today. Athletes get special treatment when it comes to doing horrible things through breaking the law, as if being paid a lot of money isn't special enough.
And a lot of this has to do with the fans, one reason would be some of these players help their organizations sell tickets. As a sports fan myself, I would hate to be in a situation where I root for a team that's playing someone that's known for physically abusing his son to the point where his body is marked all over (Adrian Peterson). In my mind, if someone cheers for him, if the team is playing him, or if a league is letting that person play, to some extent, they are sympathetic to the things he's done. Of course, there are situations where these players go through counseling or something of the sort and tries to change for the better, but these things still hang over their head but not like it should.
So for this, I might be doing a research paper or article. I plan on taking a look at different players who have been associated with horrible cases like Kobe Bryant, Adrian Peterson, etc. I would research what exactly they were charged or accused of, how it ended lawfully and how their respective leagues responded, and how they fared in their sport after. Still unsure of how I will approach or address this issue but I feel this is a relevant issue that can be improved somehow.
Derrick Rose's case regardless of what the outcome will be is definitely one of the things that you should write on, especially since it's happening currently.
ReplyDeleteHey Peter!! I love your topic because 1- it can have such an impact and 2- it will shine light on the reality of sports (at every level). When I say "every level," I am referring to high school, college, and professional athletes. Maybe that is how you can introduce the professional athletes, by talking about rape culture in sports. Start from how students get away with a lot of "stuff" in high school, and how that ultimately leads to them getting away with "stuff" when they are professional athletes.
ReplyDeleteTo give you an idea of where you may want to head with your project, please look up The Hunting Ground which is an expose of campus rape culture. I hope this helps, and good luck!!
Hey Peter!! I love your topic because 1- it can have such an impact and 2- it will shine light on the reality of sports (at every level). When I say "every level," I am referring to high school, college, and professional athletes. Maybe that is how you can introduce the professional athletes, by talking about rape culture in sports. Start from how students get away with a lot of "stuff" in high school, and how that ultimately leads to them getting away with "stuff" when they are professional athletes.
ReplyDeleteTo give you an idea of where you may want to head with your project, please look up The Hunting Ground which is an expose of campus rape culture. I hope this helps, and good luck!!