Two weeks ago, two world class athletes with a history of violence against women took centre stage in world news: United States National Football League (NFL) player Ray Rice and South African Paralympian Oscar Pistorius. The latter was acquitted of his girlfriend’s murder, though guilty of her homicide.
At 3 am on February 14th 2013, Oscar pistorius fatally shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp three times through the toilet door, killing her instantly. Although he maintained his claim of innocence throughout, the prosecution argued that Pistorius had always been prone to jealous rages and had ‘anger issues’. Despite the testimonials being branded ‘circumstantial evidence’ by the presiding judge, the fact remains that Steenkamp died a violent death at the hands of her partner.
Paralympic sprinter Pistorius in court for murder trial. Image Credit: Channel 4
In a separate incident, CCTV footage emerged of Footballer Rice violently punching his then-fiancée, Janay Palmer, surfaced on September 8th, 2014. Following the assault, Rice dragged her unconscious body out of the lift and stood, impassively, until the authorities arrived to arrest him.
Indefinite suspension for assault
When the incident of Rice and Palmer’s assault took place back in February 15th, the NFL only suspended him for two games and with a $500,000 fine. Fast forward 5 months later and it wasn’t until the emergence of the video footage earlier this month that Rice’s career deservedly came to a screeching halt. Following a public furore the NFL was compelled to hand out a tougher sentence by suspending him indefinitely from the league and subsequently having his $35 million contract with the Baltimore ravens terminated.
As this scandal runs its course in the US, more details are emerging about the appeasement of Rice. Why was Rice allowed to play when he was arrested for domestic violence on February 15th? To what extent was it covered up? Not only has the FBI begun an investigation into NFL’s handling of the Rice incident, the white house also released a strongly-worded statement from the president, condemning this act of domestic violence.
In the UK, the English Football Association has recently faced its own problems with domestic violence. Footballer Ched Evans, who is currently serving a jail sentence for raping a young woman in a hotel room, will play for the Welsh national team and Sheffield United once he is freed.
Career unaffected by rape convictions
More than 60,000 people have since signed a petition against his return. Though pleading innocence, Evans was found guilty by a jury. His 19-year-old victim will likely carry the mental scars for the rest of her life. What message are we to take from the UK Premier League welcoming him with open arms?
West Ham United footballer Ravel Morrison has also denied several charges, from attempting to have his ex-girlfriend Reah Mansoor murdered to threatening to throw acid on her face. Morrison was initially arrested and charged with two counts of common assault after punching and slapping Mansoor and her mother on July 27, more than a month after England was kicked out of the World Cup.
Ravel Morrison (left), and Ched Evans, charged with assault and convicted of rape, respectively. Image Credits: express (Morrison), Daily Mail (Evans)
According to a study by the University of Lancaster, domestic violence rises by more than a third when England loses a match. A clip that was released during the football tournament shows a woman watching a football match on TV looking anxious, defeated and traumatised. The Premier League has teamed up with Football United Against Domestic Abuse, but is it doing enough to tackle this problem?
National Police Lead for Domestic Abuse, Assistant Chief Constable Louisa Rolfe said:
“There is never an excuse for domestic abuse of any kind. There is a potential for an increase in domestic abuse during match days so police forces are running campaigns with local support services to prevent abuse and officers will take action to keep victims safe.
“Football United Against Domestic Abuse brings people together to stand against domestic abuse – an important message that people need to understand for us to reduce the number of people suffering and dying at the hands of someone close to them in our society.”
Across the pond, two more arrests within the NFL, one made only days after the introduction of tougher sanctions for those accused of domestic violence, leave the reputation of the league in tatters. It seems not a month goes by without a domestic violence case involving an NFL player. Indeed, according to a study by USA Today 85 out of 713 arrests of NFL players since 2000 were for domestic abuse incidents. Sports attorney Michael Buckner said:
“There needs to be better defined codes of conduct that players and owners know beforehand what are the expectations, what are the codes they have to follow and if they violate one of these codes, what are the punishments, what are the fixes,”
In October, the NFL will help commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness month. Players, coaches and referees will wear pink items such as shoes, bands to promote the good cause. It will be a big event; shown across several TV networks amid comments from critics that the event is merely a ploy for the NFL to market products and appear women-friendly. Earlier this week the NFL announced they would be hiring a team of female advisors on domestic violence, although this is in the right direction what they need to establish first is the root cause of this ongoing current of abusing women.
NFL goes pink to raise breast cancer awareness. Image Credit: eurweb
Male-dominated world of sports
Abusers choose to behave violently to get what they want and gain control. Their behaviour often originates from a sense of entitlement that is often supported by sexist, racist, homophobic and other discriminatory attitudes. This is evident in the alpha male-dominated world of sports, especially in English or American football.
Domestic violence against women by men is usually caused by power being misused, so the man has the upper hand, especially in the context of the male privilege. Male privilege operates on most aspects of society so they can maintain dominance; from the business boardroom to the Catholic Church dictating rules and regulations for women that favours men. This is how perpetrators of domestic violence abuse their victims so they can gain control over their lives.
Violence against women comes as a result of gender inequality, deeply rooted in a patriarchal society that encourages men to believe they are entitled to power and control over their loved ones. The behaviour of many athletes can be linked to a sense of entitlement that is sometimes supported by sexist, racist, homophobic and other discriminatory attitudes within their team.
If the Premier League and the NFL does not draw up a specific domestic violence policy so that this sense of entitlement culture is nipped in the bud then more of their sports stars will bring their clubs into disrepute. But, more importantly, if a robust anti-domestic violence policy weren’t implemented soon then more of our young impressionable boys would view this behaviour as the norm, thus fuelling a cycle of violence towards women.
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