Glorified Athletes in
Ohio Charged with Rape
In the sports obsessed town of Steubenville, Ohio, the high
school football team has brought the town much success and pride. However, the
recent allegations of rape on two of the team’s star players have caught the
attention of the entire country.
On a mid-August night, parties were happening all around the
small town of Steubenville to celebrate the seniors venturing off to college
and the end of a great summer. At most of the parties, alcohol was being passed
out and many members of the Steubenville High School student body, including
the athletes, basking in the drunken glory. However, for one young high school
student, it was not all fun and games. It was reported that a 16-year-old girl
was unconscious while being sexually assaulted for hours on end by multiple high
school boys while others spectated. It’s like she was being passed around like
a football.
Athletes around the world are praised for their talent and
ability to make a town or school legendary; however, all of this worship has
blinded the people from the truth. What has brought this particular rape case
to the nations attention is the fact that people are sick and tired of
pretending that athletes “can’t be rapists”. For instance, the famous boxer,
Mike Tyson, was convicted of raping an 18-year-old girl in 1991 and was
sentenced to six years in prison. Although Tyson received his punishment, he
still continued with his boxing career and even appeared in films such as “The
Hangover”. This just goes to show that athletes, especially triumphant athletes,
are easily forgiven by the public for such crimes, simply because of their
successful reputation. It does not matter who you are or where you came from,
if there is not consent of the partner, than that is considered rape, point,
blank, period.
What really grinds my gears about this case, and many
similar to it, is that the town is supporting its players to the point where it
is immoral. Just because a man is praised for his athletic ability to bring
success to the team and town, does not mean he can get away with such a
violation. Half of the town is saying that the victim’s allegations toward the
players are just to make the team “look bad” and that it was her fault that she
was assaulted because she was too drunk. Are you kidding me? These people are
not caring for what is really important, the victim. The 16-year-old girl who was raped by two of
the legendary team players is not getting the justice she deserves because the
school is protecting its star athletes, which seems outrageous to me .
As you could guess,
the young victim has been tormented and teased about the entire ordeal. People
are forgetting that she is only a teenager and should be treated with respect
and care. Her lawyer states that she is still very upset about the situation
but is a remarkably strong individual. In fact, she has returned to her high
school and earned a spot in the Honor Society.
What is even more shocking is the fact that fellow students
are playing along as well, some even recorded videos of themselves viciously
joking about the rape and how “dead” the victim looked because she was
unconscious. This brings me to rapes and sexual assaults that happen all too
often and are generally unreported because young women are seen drinking at
parties and pass out and then men at these parties see that as an invitation to
sexually assault them because they are unconscious. As we all should know, no
means no, but what if you are drunk? Well, the law states that if you are drunk
you can not legally consent to having sex because you are under the influence. .
Now, with this knowledge, I encourage you to be aware at
parties, not only for yourself but for others too. If you see any sort of behavior
that could escalate to violence, try and defuse the situation before it starts.
Check in with peers, make sure they are OK, and don’t put yourself or others in
vulnerable positions. For more information on how to prevent such assault and
violence, check out the Green Dot program created by students and staff at the
University of Kentucky
Green Dot Program
http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/VIPCenter/learn_greendot.php
Stay Peaceful,
Mckenna Brunzell
