Rape is a term that defines that the horrendous experience and crime of violence that hurts a victim both physically and mentally, a lot of the times, tearing their lives apart. Rape is a very concentrated term that has had its definition change multiple times in the legal scope. The longest standing definition of rape of the Department of Justice of US was described as “the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will” which has been changed to be more inclusive (DOJ). Today, in the legal system, rape is defined as “The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim” (DOJ). This new definition of rape combats the perceived notions of rape that believe a victim is only a woman, and that the attacker is only a male that is a stranger. The former definition of rape results in many misconceptions of the reality of rape inciting beliefs of “legitimate rape” that shift blame to the victim if their rape did not pass as legit as it stands compared to the definition provided.
The discourse of victim blaming solely addresses the community’s response to rape. You might have heard nasty comments like “she was probably asking for it” and “you should have been more careful”, as well as comments about a victim’s clothing, state of mind, and even occupation. Victim blaming can be as subtle- yet problematic- as discussions about preventative measures aimed towards women specifically about how to avoid getting raped. Simply put, victim blaming is holding a victim of a crime- in this case, rape- responsible for the violence that was imposed on them. The impact of language, practices, and perceptions of victims and rapists, as well as the worship of athletes, causes the culture of victim blaming to continue to advance in our society.
The reality of victim blaming for women who have been raped by athletes is terrible. The way that many communities and the media respond causes me to really question the moral standings of our communities. To give context to how real and overt victim blaming is, let’s look at the story of the then 18-year-old Jennifer Moore who was raped then murdered by a stranger. In an audio clip from Bill O’Reilly’s radio show, he discusses Moore’s case, paying lots of attention to what the victim did wrong. He remarks, “Now Moore, Jennifer Moore, 18, on her way to college. She was 5-foot-2, 105 pounds, wearing a miniskirt and a halter top with a bare midriff. Now, again, there you go. So, every predator in the world is gonna pick that up at two in the morning” (Millican). Very clearly, we see here that O’Reilly implied that Moore’s clothing that night was the reason for her rape and resulting murder. He also referred to Moore and her drunken friend as being “moronic” for being inebriated and walking alone that night. What you don’t hear is his criticism or blame of her rapist, but rather the focus on her dress and state of mind presides much, if not all of the conversation. Way too often, this tends to be the discourse that takes place when blame is shifted away from the aggressor to the victim.
The culture of victim blaming when sports athletes are involved goes beyond the shift of blame. In most instances, the community responds with disdain towards the victim rather than the rapist, but compassion for the accused athlete. The problem with how communities in America respond to rape accused athletes stems from our practice of hero worship. We tend to heroize them, erasing or removing them from any fault on their behalf. Due to the public’s propensity to view male sports players as being heroes, blame is transmitted over to the victim because hero worship “leads naturally to excesses, to blind devotion to leaders” (Klapp, 53). When an athlete is accused of rape, it confronts their stance as a hero, so “we focus on him, his family, his career, his past personal and professional life, and his character. We dissect and analyze. If he has a good public reputation and performs well in public, we cannot help but favor his side of the sordid story” (Wiegand). This happened to be the reality of Steubenville OH, a city that was spotlighted for a story about a teen who was raped by her classmates, who were revered football players at the party. The 16-year-old female victim whose name has remained anonymous was the victim of rape by 17 and 16-year-old Trent Mays and Ma’lik Richmond. Not only did the teens have the support of their community, but they also had the sympathy of media outlets. On CNN, correspondent Poppy Harlow was covering the story outside of the courtroom after the verdict came down, and her remarks centered mainly around how the teens’ promising lives have been ruined:
I’ve never experienced anything like it, Candy. It was incredibly emotional — incredibly difficult even for an outsider like me to watch what happened as these two young men that had such promising futures, star football players, very good students, literally watched as they believe their life fell apart (Wemple).
Harlow denotes a lot of attention to the two teens’ potential and good behavior as students rather than focusing on the mere fact that brought her to the courthouse that day, being that they committed rape. CNN did receive backlash for this due to the unmerited focus on their star hood and lack of mention of the impacts and severity of their crimes. Nowhere in this coverage of this case was there a mention of the victim’s potential that may have been ruined by the actions of these two rapists. Only after the anchor mentioned the victim did Harlow come around to talking about the victim, and lamely remark “she didn’t want to bring the charges. She said it was up to her parents” (Wemple). The infatuation with the athletes’ futures is a result of the hero worship complex.
In American culture, communities have intense support, admiration, and loyalty towards their favorite athletes. Fans are unwavering in their support of especially first tier professional athletes. American football is a very aggressive and tough game that incorporates forcefulness into plays. When looking for role models and heroic figures to look up to, boys tend to find admiration with athletes such as football players. Football players are the epitome of strength and endurance, an ideal that represents the gender expectations that is socially prescribed for boys. Boys need to be masculine and many times, that calls for them to be aggressive. In discussing the elements of becoming gendered as a male in society, the authors of Gendered Lives: Communication, Gender, & Culture have found that aggressiveness is one of the pillars of masculinity in our society. Boys from a young age are cultured to be aggressive by some of the men in their lives, and the authors attest that they are in part influenced by the couches of their respective sports (Wood, 145). Some of the demands they say couches make are for their plays to “make the other team hurt, hurt, hurt” or “make them bleed”, and if the pain is reciprocated, players are then told to act like men and “be tough” (Wood, 145). Football being of the most aggressive sport has definitely incorporated this pillar of masculinity. This image of an aggressiveness is also expected of men outside of the field, because boys are socialized to express themselves as aggressive and needing control “whether it’s winning on the football field or the bedroom” (Wood, 83).
The language of over-aggressive masculinity is an important part of discussing the practice of victim blaming. Not only are fans socialized to view their favorite football players as overtly aggressive males, but as well as heroes. In many instances, “the superhero, who is aggressive… is disrespectful, if not exploitive, of women” and this very fact allows fans to continue to support their favorite football athletes without regard to their sexual assault allegations (Wood,139).
The impact of the practices of hero worship further blinds fans to disregard their rather disrespectful and disturbing actions and sometimes crimes. From this description of what a hero is, I think it is feasible to see how a football player can be deemed as deserving of high status in society, while still being demeaning and disrespectful and sometimes physically aggressive towards women.
The story of Ben Roethlisberger, a quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers who was accused of sexually assaulting women is a great example of how glorified football players can get away with assault in the public eye on two occasions. In 2008, Roethlisberger was accused of rape by an employee at the Harrah’s Casino who in her suit alleged Roethlisberger raped her after requesting come into his suite to fix the tv. The victim by the name of Andrea Nulty was also subjected to victim blaming as the suit described the cover-up of the incident by the Casino president who was a friend of Roethlisberger (Bellisle). On this matter, Roethlisberger was subjected to a six-game suspension, in which he was later allowed to play after just missing out on 4 games (Bellisle). Roethlisberger has many fans and supporters, and as a result of hero worship, allegations surrounding him were not taking too seriously, especially not by the media. In 2010, Roethlisberger was again accused of assault by a 20-year-old female in Georgia who after a few drinks alleged she was sexually assaulted by him. The media’s response was not harsh, just like the NFL’s. A Cincinnati radio station “warning” women about Ben Roethlisberger seemingly turned the matter into a lighthearted reminder, saying:
This is a severe Big Ben Roethlisberger update from 700 WLW… The Steelers quarterback has been spotted in the downtown Cincinnati area. All females ages 18 to 40 are to use extreme caution, especially if heavily consuming alcohol… He poses the greatest threat to 18 to 40-year-olds, especially those with boob jobs, in the downtown Cincinnati area… When Ben’s penis breaks out, we break in.” (Yuscavage).
The jokingly tone of this “PSA” really shines a line on how the media’s response is really an illustration of victim blaming. The radio host objectifies past and potential women, prompting those “with boob jobs” to be more on the look in order to prevent an encounter with alleged rapist Ben Roethlisberger. He also in part blames victims by warning women who have consumed large amounts of alcohol to be cautious. The influence of the media in reporting and creating discourse about a rape story can really impact how a story is perceived. This whole “PSA” whether intended or not, eliminated the seriousness of rape allegations against Roethlisberger, and in general, lessened the gravity of rape. By making a joke or placing blame on a woman’s appearance or state of mind, one is directly and explicitly in practice of victim blaming.
It is uplifting to see that there are more and more conversations happening about rape in our society. Additionally, I think the conversations and efforts of victims and supporters are to be credited for pressuring schools, workplaces, and the media to actually care about the victim. Nonetheless, the discourse surrounding victim blaming arises in the portrayal of rape stories, especially when the perpetrator is a male football player. Victim blaming towards rape victims plagues any efforts that have been made to socially and legally protect victims. Victim blaming results from the hero worship for sports players, in this case, football players, in which society continues to glorify them despite any allegations of rape and sexual assault they are facing. By shifting blame to the female rape victims, communities and people are allowed to continue to positively view and “worship” their glorified sports heroes. Without combating ideals such as aggressive masculinity, the discourse of rape victim blaming will continue to transpire. By calling out and contesting rhetoric that works to blame rape victims and glorify rapists, the occurrence and rather acceptance of it can be reduced. It is crucial to acknowledge that victim blaming continues to prevail in these instances due to as a result of the glorification and hero worship of male athletes and as the result of outdated gender roles that socialize society to view aggression as a pillar of being a man. In order to combat this rhetoric and tainted ideals and practices, it is important to have progressive and informed responses to rape cases and to dispute sordid coverage sneering a victim on their rapist. Blind hero worship of these athletes will only continue to taint societies as they will cause many to value an athlete’s reputation over the suffering of a victim.