The recent news from Penn State of the cover-up of multiple sexual assaults by assistant coach Jerry Sandusky has prompted a great deal of media attention.
The concern seems to be focused on the impact this incident has had on Joe Paterno, and what will continue to happen to his legacy. Did he deserve to get fired? Should he have done more? What about all that he has done for the Penn State community? 409 wins?!! Is he being used as a scapegoat?
The overwhelming majority of students and people in the Penn State community have come to Joe Pa's defense. Angry Penn State supporters took to the streets in outrage to show thehr displeasure with the firing of the coach, flipping a media van, and in some instances conducting additional violent behavior. All this in response to the injustice done to the coach.
I'm admittedly a 'die-hard' (american) football fan myself; but I've been a little taken aback by the focus of coverage and public concern.
Football culture in America has taken on a protected status, whereby programs, coaches and athletes are allowed to act in an insular world. There seems to be a pervading understanding that the ability to excel at football renders one incapable of any sort of crime. If not incapable of committing a crime, at the very least, justified in being excused from this crime.
With respect to gender, sport and media, blogger Jezebel (see: http://jezebel.com/5858079/what-if-penn-states-coach-had-victimized-girls) raises an important question: How much of this outrage is in response to the gender of the perpetrator and victims? Would the response have been the same were either Sandusky or the victims female? Additionally, I find it interesting to ask, how much of the outrage is in response to the hyper-masculinized world of American football's homophobia?
In no way negating the tragedy that has taken place at Penn State, this is a question worth contemplating. Traditionally, where charges of sexual assault are brought against elite football players (at high-level college programs or professional leagues) by women, those making the charge are put through the ringer. These women are guilty until proven otherwise - just in it for the pay-out. Their sexual history is covered in depth in the media, for all the public to see.
For instance, when Lawrence Taylor, NFL retiree, was accused of raping a 16 year old girl, it was reported that "the timing of the accusation is peculiar, since it comes days after A&E aired a documentary featuring her husband." Ben Roethlisberger, in response to a lawsuit brought against him for rape, made a statement via his attorney that, "The timing of the lawsuit and the absence of a criminal complaint and a criminal investigation are the most compelling evidence of the absence of any criminal conduct." Again, the hallowed athlete is framed as the one being attacked. At Notre Dame University, a football player was accused of sexual assault of a young woman who later killed herself. The player was cleared due to lack of evidence, but importantly, despite knowledge of the accusations there was no investigation or action taken by the University or football program in response to allegations until the media caught hold of the story. Sadly, I could go on and on and on...
More attention should be paid to how this tragedy was allowed to happen, and less to the fallout's impact on Joe Paterno. There is a serious problem with the culture of elite american football that has made this incident possible. I'd like to believe you'd be hard-pressed to find an individual who didn't think that serious wrong took place in this situation, no matter how one feels about the coach. Those good at football should not be given a free pass, or leniency, for involvement in any form of misconduct. It would serve to benefit the sport to confront these issues head-on rather than attempting to cover them up or slide them under the table.
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