Unnecessary Roughness
Contact sports are hugely popular, but it’s the contact off the field causing issues. It is no secret that pro athletes often have checkered pasts, but what makes athletes who have everything want to risk it all with violent acts?
Recently, Reds all-star closer Aroldis Chapman was under investigation after firing eight shots into his ex-girlfriend's garage, and a previous altercation with his ex-girlfriend in December 2014. The case was eventually thrown out due to lack of cooperation by both parties. Chapman, who is slated to make 8.05 million next season, could have thrown away all the money and what he worked for his whole life. Why would he risk all of that?
Some psychologists believe the root reason is the way our society starts raising men at a very young age. While most women are told to stay quiet about their problems and express them in quiet ways (depression, anxiety, and eating disorders), most boys are taught to act in more violent ways.
On Thursday, I sent out a survey about Licking Valley students’ and staffs’ familiarity with domestic violence in sports. One anonymous student pointed to a more on-field adapted from the field to the outside world, “They are taught to be aggressive on the field and they can't turn it off.”
Some students decided to take a different route, touching on more of the psychological side and how they were raised. “It could be from problems at home. People are violent every day, it isn't just because they have a violent job. It is caused by the person they are and how they process emotions and situations they are put in,[sic]” one anonymous person said.
When people think of domestic violence in professional sports; the first organization that comes to mind is the NFL. Ironically, the National Football League has one of the most efficient and thorough personal conduct policies throughout sports. Below is an excerpt from the NFL’s personal conduct policy:
An individual is subject to discipline under the policy if the person is determined to be guilty of a criminal charge or if the NFL investigation demonstrates the person engaged in conduct prohibited by the policy. Depending on the nature of the violation and the person’s record, discipline may be a fine, suspension, community service, or a combination of the three. Violations involving assault, battery, domestic violence or sexual assault will result in a baseline six-game suspension without pay, with more if aggravating factors are present, such as the use of a weapon or a crime against a child. A second offense will result in banishment from the NFL.
With such a strict policy, you would imagine players would be more sensible before sexually assaulting or domestically abusing another individual.
Professional sports commissioners around the sports world are cracking down on personal conduct. Maybe fining the athletes a large percentage of what they made from the sport will stop them. Will policies that are more strict keep athletes from participating in violent activities? Is it enough to stop the epidemic that is crippling athletic careers?
If you want a more in-depth look into sports personal conduct policies, check them out below!
NFL MLB NBA NHL FIFA NCAA
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