Rape and Athletes

When it comes to athletes on any level it never seems to be their fault when they rape someone, we have seen instances of this in the past and just recently regarding the incident that took place in Steubenville, Ohio.  Not only did the players’ friends and family try to defend the players’ horrific actions the media and coach also tried to make them out to be good kids, well sorry what they have done up until the point of raping the girl no longer counts.  It makes me sick to think that the coach was even going to cover this accident up and shield his players from being prosecuted, and it seemed that nobody in the mainstream media had any issues with any of this.

This is not the only case where athletes accused of rape and many people have come to their defense, the same can be said about Kobe Bryant and Ben Roethlisberger, I remember both instances well, many said they “never did it”.  Other things I have heard about them is that because they are wealthy athletes women lie about being raped by them, even if this is true the problem is that so many people are blamed for being raped even though they are the victim.  Why is it that when it comes to athletes or “good kids” the victim is blamed because of what they wear or that they were drunk?  Last I checked rape predates skirts and women being allowed to go out (yes I am talking about ancient times), how about the Indians that were raped they were just living on their land.  Is their fault for being there? NO!

The point I am trying to make is that we as a society need to hold up the same standards of the law and opinion towards athletes as we do for the ordinary citizens that commit rape and sexually assault.  Why is it always the middle class and low class offenders that get harsh penalties and are looked at the way they deserve but yet a high class athlete or at least athlete of any type somehow it is not their fault for what happened?  Athletes get the hero worship just because they play a sport, but they really do not deserve the worship they get, their hero image is what creates so much animosity towards victims of their actions.  But if anyone I know did this they would be scumbags (and deservingly so) but if athletes do it well it is never their fault.

Things need to change.