For many years, professional sports have contributed
significantly in the society
as they constantly fascinate as well as entertain their spectators. According to Mildorf, “any player who
performs exemplary in these sports, the
world becomes his oyster since the media
and public elevate hi to the status of a living
god†(90). Regrettably, behind the
spectacle and glamor of professional sports often lies an unpleasant
reality relating to off-field
criminal activity. In the previous years,
off-field criminal behaviors
that involve professional athletes have comprised
of physical abuse. According to Hamberger & Claire, “during the recent years,
much emphasis has been placed on off-field activities exhibited by athletes†(12). Domestic abuse, sexual assault, as well as drug-related crimes. This article
will look into domestic abuse because of the prevalence that
it has in sports.
The consideration
of the conduct of professional athletes while they are off the field is significant
in several ways. According to Mann (80), the
off-field behavior, such as discipline should be considered
during the evaluation of the players to be in the team. There are some off-field behaviors which are deemed as being adequately
detrimental towards the league, particularly in relation to discipline. It is important for
a consideration to be made on what message the
conduct of a professional athlete passes towards the fans. According
to Hamberger & Claire (87), domestic abuse by most professional
athletes is mainly linked with substance or alcohol abuse.
Professional athletes are punished for the use
of drugs that enhance their performance.
Domestic abuse has principally been overlooked by different professional leagues such as the
NBA as well as the NFL. According to Ascione & Phil (56), this leniency persists
in spite of several studies have shown that 6 percent of adults within the U.S. as well as 82 percent of the youths think that this is
“not appropriate for society†to permit athletes
to carry on with their sports careers even
after being convicted of the violent crime of domestic abuse.
It is only 14 percent of the adult population
along with teens who feel
like professional athletes
should go unpunished as they
as well deserve second chances.
Leniency against Professional Athletes by
Leagues: according to Schrotenboer, there has been leniency towards players who engage in domestic
abuse. Schrotenboer asserts “the law enforcement
authorities have since 2006 pursued 50 NFL players for domestic abuse
cases, including one for murder as well
as at least five accusations
of assaulting pregnant women.†He identifies
three trends that illustrate the leniency
that the NFL league has exercised against its players. The first
trend portraying leniency is brief suspension of the players. According to him, in more than 14 cases of domestic abuse, the league or
respective team have suspended a player
or deactivated him mostly for a single game.
It is only one player who has ever
been suspended indefinitely as a result of video proof of hi punching his wife on the face. The
second leniency trend is no suspension.
There was no suspension in at least in 16 cases in the league,
and in some cases legal charges
against such players have been dropped,
including one acquittal. The last act
of leniency that Schrotenboer identifies
is grandstand justice. Players in about 15 cases who were involved
in domestic abuse were either released
or re-signed by their respective
teams after they were arrested
for the above
charges. Nevertheless, these are the players
who had marginal
talent on the field.
Professional athletes in different leagues ought to be held at a high standards as a result of the money
they make in their professional. The money that professional
athletes or the talent that
they dispense in their respective leagues should not act a hindrance or obstruction towards reception of justice. It is imperative that
the justice system uphold its standards by treating all the citizens with equality, as well as fairness. In fact, professional athletes ought to be held at a higher standard
as they are role models in the society,
and they should conduct themselves as such. As a result, there should be tougher treatment against professional athletes who abuse their wives,
as this act is a destruction of the family, which is an important foundation in the U.S.
There is a contention
that our professional athletes ought to be valued
only by the conduct that they portray while on the field, that is, that the Hall of Fame ought to present
the
honor of admission on the basis of career achievement only. However, professional athletes should be role models in the society
so as to earn the esteem from others as a result of their talents. There has been some reluctance
by the National Basketball Association as well as the National Football
League to conform to these principles. According to Mildorf (45), it is apparent that the
off-field conduct of several professional athletes within these two leagues is wanting. One of the main conduct that has been reported
in the past regarding some professional
athletes is domestic abuse. This paper
will look into the leniency that has been given to professional athletes who have
a history of domestic abuse, and what
are the consequences.
Professional
athletes are role models in the society, and when they engage in domestic abuse – especially when they are not considered
properly responsible for their conduct – it standardizes such savagery and
sends the wrong message to youngster. Esta Soler, President as well as Founder of Futures Violence, expressed, "It's paramount that, in
the same way as every
workforce, each organization that has these issues [be it] the NFL [or] the
NBA, thinks about the issue of roughness against ladies in a profoundly capable manner. Players
are seen as good examples for
the cutting edge. Our players are worshiped in our general public, and
it is truly essential that we
provide for them the devices, so
they don't get
in trouble. We ought not permit this conduct to proceed with unaddressed, and expert games alliances ought to make a move
to avoid aggressive behavior at home
by their players and make it clear that such behavior will not go on devoid of severe consequences.
The inequities within the
justice system are regularly perceptible in high-profile criminal
cases that involve celebrity defendants such as professional athletes. The media
coverage that accompanies the
cases of professional athletes in relation to domestic abuse helps
them to receive preferential treatment in court. Contextually, the potential prejudices of participants within the criminal
justice system, that is, the jury and the judge, towards professional athletes weaken these defendants’ capacity to receive equal justice as the average person under the law.
Depending on the proof of
the established influence of celebrity, status,
as well as notoriety within criminal cases that involve professional athletes,
even though intermittently above the law, they become subject to greater scrutiny
as a result of their status as well as visibility and therefore a special court system is essential in safeguarding their right to a trial that is fair.
Ascione
& Phil (90) asserts that most athletes disrespect the law as well
as possess the “I want to do what
I want†attitude because they have
enlightenment. Ascione & Phil define
“entitlement†as a belief
that an individual is entitled to “whatever he wants as well as whenever he wants it.â€
In the instance that one has a sense of
entitlement, one feels that rules and laws
apply to the society but do
not apply to oneself. The fact that professional
athletes receive special treatment has a tendency of perpetuating the sense of enlightenment of the athletes. Additionally, high-profile athletes often develop
a sense of being “entitled†towards women, and this inclination is made
on the basis of the athletes’
encounters with women who pursue male athletes, being motivated by fringe benefits,
money, as well as bragging rights.
Professional Athletes versus Average Person Charges
for Domestic Abuses: the number of professional athletes who are charged for cases of domestic
abuses is far less in comparison their counterparts, the average persons. According
to Riccobono, the NFL players
who have been charged for
the crime of domestic abuse represent a rate of 45.2% whereas for the
average persons it is 55.4% which is the national average arrests.
The discrepancy in the rate of arrests
is an indication of leniency
that is exercised on the professional players.
Numerous professional athletes who are blamed or indicted for
abusive behavior at home are persistently permitted to continue playing. Cases given incorporate the NFL's Greg Hardy, and Jason Kidd, a previous NBA player who now
mentors in the association both have abusive
behavior at home feelings. Albeit certain groups have no-tolerance strategies against abusive behavior
at home (the Seattle Mariners of the MLB are the case given by Crouse), the staggering society
that saturates most of the expert games classes in the
United States is one of lack of care.
Even though the competitive leagues such as the NBA and the NFL fail to release information that
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