Does being a professional athlete
pre-dispose that athlete to domestic violence?
The findings in the article, The
Link Between Athletes and Domestic Violence, were inconclusive whether
being a (male) professional athlete makes a person more likely to commit acts
of violence toward women; however it did raise some interesting topics to think
about. First, it is suggested that the
nature of the sport (aggression, competition, physical dominance, etc.) does
not make an athlete violent. So then
where does this violence come from and why does is keep occurring? Typically, professional athletes have an “all
about me” mind-set and are used to getting their way. The article suggests that athletes run into
issue when they enter into relationships where it is no longer all about
them. Professional athletes are very
accustomed to getting their way and these athletes lash out at their wives and
girlfriends when they do not get their way in their relationships.
The most troubling part about all
of this is the lack of punishment for these athletes. Leagues and teams do not reprimand their athletes
the way they should because they are too concerned about filling seats and
making a profit. I think these leagues
and teams have a greater duty to society to make sure these acts of violence do
not occur and the only way to do that is to take away what is precious to them
– their jobs. What kind of message are
these leagues and teams sending the rest of society, especially our youth? The message is “It’s O.K. because you are a
professional athlete.” These athletes
are constantly in the public’s vision and leagues and teams need to do a better
job at punishing their athletes, namely by stripping them of their job. Maybe then they will think twice. This will send the right message of zero
tolerance and reduce the amount of domestic violence that occurs among
professional athletes.
http://jezebel.com/5839795/the-link-between-athletes-and-domestic-violence
S. Schrum
LT 24
KIN 577
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