Spm

1. Eitzen (2016) identifies situations in which an organizational leader, or the organization itself, is not held responsible for deviant acts by individual athletes. In other cases, it is the leader or organization that engages in deviant behavior, either actively or through encouraging or ignoring deviant behavior by an athlete. The videos in this module presented multiple cases in which athletes, who were convicted of domestic or sexual violence, were still active for competition. In the Outside the Lines report Domestic Violence in Sports, Pat Lundvall of the Nevada State Athletic Commission justified the decision to approve Floyd Mayweather’s license to fight after his convictions for domestic violence: “Mayweather was punished by the criminal justice system. He served his punishment, he paid his debt to society. …The criminal justice system decided what this man’s punishment was. We paid respect to that decision.” The Domestic Violence in Sports video also addresses recent NFL cases, such as the Ray Rice and Ezekiel Elliot cases, which resulted in punishments that suspend players from competition (though no clear, consistent, or upstanding punishment has been enforced) prior to any judicial hearing. As presented in the Outside the Lines report Baylor Accused of Ignoring Sexual Assault, one of Tevon Elliot’s (Baylor) victims was allegedly told by Baylor’s judicial officer that nothing could be done about the multiple rape accusations against Elliot until a “court decision” had been made. a) In cases of domestic violence, or sexual assault, as witnessed in the module videos, what do you believe should be the immediate course of action for the governing body (e.g., USA Boxing, Baylor University, …)? In other words, when an alleged incident is reported, what should be the immediate response from the team/league regarding the status of the accused (e.g., athlete or coach)? b) In your opinion, are sport governing bodies (e.g., league offices, NCAA, USOC) responsible for levying punishments for alleged criminal behavior prior to adjudication, or should punishments be contingent upon criminal cases that are heard by the justice system? Support your position. 

(10 points; 250 word minimum) 

2. The Men of Code workshops (presented in the Outside the Lines report Domestic Violence in Sports) attempt to change the discourse on sexual violence through educating male high school athletes. For this discussion question, assume that you are leading an “Athletes of Code” workshop on the deviance topics that Eitzen (2016) presented, and/or that are covered in the module videos. Prior to the workshop, you will need to provide a summary of your presentation to those who will participate. Write a short introduction to the course, the content that you will cover, and the importance of changing the discourse on the selected issues. Your summary should include: a) A brief description of the target audience (demographic), and why this population needs to attend the workshop (e.g., NFL players because of …; female high school athletes because of …; or Olympic athletes because of …). b) The three to five specific deviance issues you plan to address, and why they are the most critical for the target audience (e.g., Olympic athletes doping, sexual deviance, off-field aggression…). c) The specific outcomes your participants can expect, or in other words, how the discourse will be changed for the athletes. 

(20 points; 500 word minimum)