Why do people support abusers in the NFL?

by Simon 24 Replies latest social current

• 

  Simon

  I really don't get it.

  In most sports in most countries your career is rightly over if you commit certain crimes.

  But not in the good old NFL !

  It seems players can rape, beat women, abuse children, fight dogs ... and they will not only be allowed to play but they will have an army of fans wearing their names on their shirts and cheering them on.

  The abuse and arrogant attitudes seem to exist at all levels - it seems like there is an endless feed of news stories where some high-school or college football players have abused or raped girls and they end up being allowed back to play and people rallying round as though *they* are the victims.

  Surely, whatever someone's skills as an athlete are, there are some things that simply can't be excused?

  Or is winning truly 'everything' and it doesn't matter the cost?

  How could you even play alongside some of these people and not want to just beat the crap out of them?
• 

  nonjwspouse

  Maybe when the woman married him and defends him people think this goes beyond them to judge more than his wife.

  I personally am glad he is fired. I detest this behavior and feel this woman is suffering from a abused spouse syndrome where she somehow feels she deserved his actions, and/or that he will "change". Maybe he was on a drug like steriods and that caused his agression ( another reason to fire him, and for her to feel like he would change and defend him. Remember Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown?

  Who really knows. It's not just the NFL or sports BTW. It's more about people "knowing" of the person due to fame or popularity ( which sports can create) and then feeling as if they have the uninformed ability to defend behaivor.
• 

  Simon

  It seems to be a big problem with the NFL

  Not just that it seems to attract these people, but the way they handle it is appalling - they only take action when it's really forced on them and even then people still support the abuser.
• 

  nonjwspouse

  Woody Allen too. It IS appaulling. It's the media that causes us to hear about it more from one place than another IMHO.
• 

  Oubliette

  It's simple, if someone is my hero, they can do no wrong. It's the same reason that people in a religion (JWs for example) can't see the manipulation, hypocrisy, lies and abuse on the part of the WT leadership.

  Cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias allow otherwise reasonable people to hold foolish and harmful beliefs.

  NJWS also nailed the enabler component in the codependent relationship.
• 

  JeffT

  This issue is not confined to the NFL, or even sports. See Roman Polanski.
• 

  Simon

  More shameful stories.

  Terrible leadership from the organization, they seem to be asleep at the wheel and putting the game ahead of common sense and people's wellbeing.

  Does the game just attract thugs and morons or does it create them? Perhaps a bit of both.

  Real men don't beat women and children, especially babies!
• 

  keyser soze

  In most sports in most countries your career is rightly over if you commit certain crimes.

  Are you sure about that?

  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-17/oscar-pistorius-could-compete-for-south-africa-at-olympic-games.html

  And apparently if you're a convicted child rapist, you're still free to make movies in Europe. What's the difference?
• 

  Simon

  'Could' is not the same as 'will'.

  And these are isolated incidents. Many NFL stories don't even make the news. The rates in the NFL compared to regular society for all manner of crime is way higher.

  It's something about the government of the sport, who it attracts or the atmosphere it fosters that is rotten.

  At least now sponsors are seeing it as a liability and wanting to distance themselves from it.
• 

  Pistoff

  The NFL is extraordinarily behind the times in moving into the 21st century; it is homophobic, uses up it's players and throws them away and as the last week has again demonstrated, has policies that allows men who beat the women and children in their lives to just continue on.

  The NFL had the video of Ray Rice, they had his admission that he had hit her and knocked her out, but it was not until the video came out on national TV and the entire country could see a man knock out a woman on camera that they did something besides sit him out for two games.

  It doesn't end there; in the NFL, women are used as eye candy in their role as 'cheerleaders'.

  What do they get paid? Less than minimum wage, in many cases, while players, coaches and even Roger Goodell, the head of a 'non-profit' owners association, is paid $44 million per year; yes, you read that right.

  Not to mention that they just now have admitted that one of every three players will have brain injury problems; one in three.