In March, Stanford swimmer Brock Turner was found guilty of raping an unconscious woman behind a dumpster. Although the maximum punishment for his crime was 14 years in prison, he got off with a measly sentence of six months in jail and three years of probation. Many were justifiably outraged with the “slap on the wrist” Turner received, arguing that Turner was only given such a lax sentence because he was an upper-middle-class, white, male athlete. While there’s no denying that his race, gender, and socioeconomic status gave him the upper hand in this court case, it is important to specifically take a closer look at how sports culture plays a role in rape culture, how athletes are treated unequally, and how that can be amended.
Men’s sports are a contest of strength and skill. Sports involve intense physical activity, so it’s natural that the importance of strength and dominance will be highlighted to the players. For example, in football, tackling other players is rewarded. This can potentially create an environment that correlates violence with power, and, if unchecked, this mindset can continue off the field, making athletes more likely to behave violently. A three-year study done by the NCAVA (National Coalition Against Violent Athletes) showed that while male student-athletes comprised only 3.3 percent of the United States population, they represented 19 percent of sexual assault perpetrators. Another NCAVA study found that one in three college sexual assaults were committed by athletes. This doesn’t mean that athletes are rapists. However, it is important to acknowledge that athletics is one of many ways that negative conceptions of manhood and power are ingrained in young men.
On top of athletes being more likely to commit violent crime, they are also more likely to get away with it. NCAVA found that the general population has a conviction rate of 80 percent for general crime. The conviction rate for athletes is just 38 percent, or less than half of that for regular citizens. This happens for many reasons; one example is victim blaming. This was definitely the case in People vs. Turner, with Brock Turner’s lawyer asking Turner’s victim questions such as “What were you wearing?” “Have you ever considered cheating on your boyfriend?” and “How much had you had to drink?” In a robbery case, you would never hear a lawyer asking the victim “Did you leave your door unlocked?” “Have you ever considered pawning all your possessions?” or “Did you intentionally leave your curtains open so anyone could see your flat screen TV?”
Athletes in particular are also likely to get away with a light sentence—or no sentence at all—in cases of rape because they are believed to be too valuable to society to waste away in prison. This was also evident in the Turner case, during which news outlets such as The Washington Post would unnecessarily include his swimming times in their articles, calling him a “record-setting swimming prodigy” as if to downplay his crimes. Rape is rape, regardless of one’s achievements or athletic skill.
Luckily, the world doesn’t have to be this way. Hypermasculinization and glorification of violence are by no means necessary in athletics. The status quo can be shifted by having tough conversations about the idea of masculinity, rape, and consent, as well as the expectation of athletes to be role models. These conversations can and should be encouraged by coaches, teachers, and parents. The first step to change is acknowledging and discussing the problems at hand, no matter how difficult that may be. The longer people avoid talking about rape culture and recognizing its factors, the longer rape culture will prevail in our society.