Unsportsmanlike Conduct: College Football and the Politics of Rape

Unsportsmanlike Conduct: College Football and the Politics of Rape PDF

Author: Jessica Luther

Publisher: Akashic Books

Published: 2016-09-06

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 1617755214

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

"Jessica Luther studied history and the classics before marshaling her writing talent toward of-the-moment topics like sexual assault and college sports culture. Now she's an investigative journalist, working from her adopted hometown, Austin, Tex., in what is perhaps the nation's most college-obsessed state. Ms. Luther's new book, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, examines the 'programmatic manner' in which sexual assaults are swept under the rug by institutions both on campus and in the media." --New York Times "Not to reckon with Luther's book would be an abdication not only of one's moral faculty but also of one's fandom...Luther does't just want to save future victims; she wants to save college football." --New York Times Book Review "A significant and riveting look at how one of the greatest cultural tragedies of the millennial generation--the silencing of sexual violence against women on campus--is nurtured by a system of cover-ups and corporatized crises management." --Playboy.com "In Unsportsmanlike Conduct, [Luther] draws on years of research and reporting to outline what she calls the 'playbook'--all the standard, predictable ways that football programs, universities, the NCAA, and sports media typically respond when athletes are accused of rape or assault. It's an infuriating, exhaustively researched catalogue of problems, from denial and toothless language to ignoring or discrediting the victim." --Elle.com "The most important sports book of the year." --Booklist, Starred Review "Jessica Luther is a Texas-based investigative reporter who broke the story of Sam Ukwuachu, a football player at Baylor University who was then on trial for sexual assault. Since then she's kept track of the dozens of sexual-assault claims made against college football players every year. Here, she looks at the relationship between football and sexual assault, the people and systems that perpetuate it, and how we can change the narrative going forward." --New York Magazine "Investigative journalist Luther catalogues the abuses created and enabled by college football programs and suggests workable reforms." -- Boston Globe, One of the Best Sports Books of 2016 The latest from Akashic's Edge of Sports imprint. Football teams create playbooks, in which they draw up the plays they will use on the field. Playbooks are how teams work and why they win. This book is about a different kind of playbook: the one coaches, teams, universities, police, communities, the media, and fans seem to follow whenever a college football player is accused of sexual assault. It's a deep dive into how different institutions--the NCAA, athletic departments, universities, the media--run the same plays over and over again when these stories break. If everyone runs his play well, scrutiny dies down quickly, no institution ever has to change how it operates, and the evaporation of these cases into nothingness looks natural. In short, this playbook is why nothing ever changes. Unsportsmanlike Conduct unpacks this societal playbook piece by piece, and not only advocates that we destroy the old plays, but also suggests we replace them with ones that will force us to finally do something about this issue. Political sportswriter and Edge of Sports imprint curator Dave Zirin (the Nation) has never shied away from criticizing that which die-hard sports fans hold dear. The Edge of Sports titles will address issues across many different sports--football, basketball, swimming, tennis, etc.--and at both the professional and nonprofessional/collegiate levels. Furthermore, Zirin brings to the table select stories of athletes' journeys and what they are facing and how they evolve both in their sport as well as against the greater backdrop of one's life's odyssey.

We Matter

We Matter PDF

Author: Etan Thomas

Publisher: Akashic Books

Published: 2018-03-06

Total Pages: 308

ISBN-13: 1617756121

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Interviews with sports stars, activists, surviving family members, and others fighting racial injustice: “Before Kaepernick, there was Etan Thomas.”—The New York Times A Library Journal Best Book of the Year Professional athletes have long been influential figures in American life. Today, many of them are using their platforms to speak up about injustice and inequality. This book features interviews by former NBA player Etan Thomas with over fifty athletes, executives, media figures, and more—interwoven with essays and critiques by Thomas. Includes personal stories and opinions from: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Dwyane Wade, Russell Westbrook, Steve Kerr, Oscar Robertson, Mark Cuban, Michael Bennett, Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose, Swin Cash, Alonzo Mourning, Chris Webber, Jemele Hill, Anquan Boldin, Jamal Crawford, Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson, Shannon Sharpe, James Blake, John Carlos, Laila Ali, Michael Eric Dyson, Joakim Noah, Eric Reid, Adam Silver, Soledad O'Brien, John Wall, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Bradley Beal, Tamika Catchings, Curtis Conway, Harry Edwards, Chris Hayes, Chamique Holdsclaw, Scoop Jackson, Bomani Johnes, Shaun King, Jimmy King, Ted Leonsis, Thabo Sefolosha, Ilyasah Shabazz, Torrey Smith, Kenny Smith, Michael Smith, David West, Michael Wilbon, Jahvaris Fulton (brother of Trayvon Martin), Emerald Snipes (daughter of Eric Garner), Allysza Castile (sister of Philando Castile), Valerie Castile (mother of Philando Castile), and Dr. Tiffany Crutcher (sister of Terence Crutcher) “In We Matter, Thomas strives to show the influence professional athletes can have when they join the conversation on race, politics, and civil rights. Thomas conducted 50 interviews, which included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Laila Ali, Michael Bennett, and Eric Reid, among many other athletes, as well as journalists, television personalities, and family members of unarmed black men who were shot and killed. Thomas also explored his ties with the Wizards and spoke with John Wall, Bradley Beal, and current majority team owner Ted Leonsis.”—TheWashington Post “The honest conversations, published in transcript form and often accompanied by black-and-white photos, serve as a primer on recent police violence cases, a history lesson on the first athletes who stood up for racial injustice, an examination of the experience of being young and black in the United States, and an insightful look at how it feels to lose a loved one to tragedy, from contributors such as Jemele Hill, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Carmelo Anthony...An important read, executed uniquely.”—School Library Journal (starred review) “Voices of pain, anger, and hope resound through these pages--and through the reader's heart.”—Kirkus Reviews

Loving Sports When They Don't Love You Back

Loving Sports When They Don't Love You Back PDF

Author: Jessica Luther

Publisher: University of Texas Press

Published: 2020-09-01

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 1477322175

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Triumphant wins, gut-wrenching losses, last-second shots, underdogs, competition, and loyalty—it’s fun to be a fan. But when a football player takes a hit to the head after yet another study has warned of the dangers of CTE, or when a team whose mascot was born in an era of racism and bigotry takes the field, or when a relief pitcher accused of domestic violence saves the game, how is one to cheer? Welcome to the club for sports fans who care too much. In Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back, acclaimed sports writers Jessica Luther and Kavitha A. Davidson tackle the most pressing issues in sports, why they matter, and how we can do better. For the authors, “sticking to sports” is not an option—not when our taxes are paying for the stadiums, and college athletes aren’t getting paid at all. But simply quitting a favorite team won’t change corrupt and deplorable practices, and the root causes of many of these problems are endemic in our wider society. An essential read for modern fans, Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back challenges the status quo and explores how we might begin to reconcile our conscience with our fandom.

Issues for Debate in American Public Policy

Issues for Debate in American Public Policy PDF

Author: CQ Researcher,

Publisher: CQ Press

Published: 2018-01-31

Total Pages: 441

ISBN-13: 154430398X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Written by award-winning CQ Researcher journalists, this annual collection of nonpartisan reports focuses on sixteen hot-button policy issues currently up for debate in America. With reports ranging from immigration and the economy to sports and sexual assault, Issues for Debate in American Public Policy, Nineteenth Edition promotes in-depth discussion, facilitates further research, and helps you formulate your own positions on crucial policy issues. And because it is CQ Researcher, the policy reports are expertly researched and written, showing you all sides of an issue. Because this annual volume comes together just months before publication, all selections are brand new and explore some of today’s most significant American public policy issues, including: The Trump presidency Affirmative action and college admissions High-tech policing Immigration and the economy Sports and sexual assault Trust in media And much more! Key Features Chapters follow a consistent organization, beginning with a summary of the issue, then exploring a number of key questions around the issue, next offering background to put the issue into current context, and concluding with a look ahead. A pro/con debate box in every chapter offers you the opportunity to critically analyze and discuss the policy issues by exploring a debate between two experts in the field. All issues include a chronology, a bibliography, photos, charts, and figures to offer you a more complete picture of the issue at hand.

Domestic Violence and Abuse

Domestic Violence and Abuse PDF

Author: Laura L. Finley

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2020-01-07

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

A comprehensive and timely resource for students, activists, educators, and advocates, Domestic Violence and Abuse: A Reference Handbook provides a rich and scholarly assessment of this important social issue while also including stories and profiles for a more personal understanding. Domestic Violence and Abuse: A Reference Handbook provides a thorough review of the most recent research about intimate partner violence. Additionally, a historical review provides readers with a sense of how views on domestic violence have changed over time and how different policies and practices have and have not been successful. Appropriate for readers at the high school level and above, the volume focuses on the scope, extent, and characteristics of domestic violence and offers several unique elements, including profiles of significant individuals, personal stories from advocates, activists and survivors, and a review of controversial issues. The volume also includes a chronology of key events, relevant data and documents, primary source data, and recommended resources.

Blood in the Water

Blood in the Water PDF

Author: Walter Champion

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2021-06-22

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 1793652139

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This book looks at mass tort litigation in a variety of formats including lawsuits against manufacturers and Big Pharma. The authors argue that without the personal injury bar, outrageous examples of rampant corporate greed would continue to this day. The author references many class actions such as the exploding Pinto, Agent Orange, the Opioid epidemic, and concussions in the NFL. Tort reform zealots argue that these lawsuits are bogus and detrimental to the American way of life. This is, of course, ridiculous. The authors argue that attorneys are the only means to alleviate the excesses of corporate greed by showing multiple cases of mistakes that were purposefully ignored because of the quest for corporate gain. Big corporations live by a cost/benefit analysis that allow and even foster the inevitable lawsuit which results from their greed.

The Campus Rape Frenzy

The Campus Rape Frenzy PDF

Author: KC Johnson

Publisher: Encounter Books

Published: 2018-05-22

Total Pages: 334

ISBN-13: 1594039887

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

In recent years, politicians led by President Obama and prominent senators and governors have teamed with extremists on campus to portray our nation’s institutions of higher learning as awash in a violent crime wave—and to suggest (preposterously) that university leaders, professors, and students are indifferent to female sexual assault victims in their midst. Neither of these claims has any bearing to reality. But they have achieved widespread acceptance, thanks in part to misleading alarums from the Obama administration and biased media coverage led by The New York Times. The frenzy about campus rape has helped stimulate—and has been fanned by—ideologically skewed campus sexual assault policies and lawless commands issued by federal bureaucrats to force the nation’s all-too-compliant colleges and universities essentially to presume the guilt of accused students. The result has been a widespread disregard of such bedrock American principles as the presumption of innocence and the need for fair play. This book uses hard facts to set the record straight. It explores, among other things, nearly two dozen of the cases since 2010 in which students who in all likelihood would have or have subsequently been found not guilty in a court of law have, in a lopsided process, been hastily and carelessly branded as sex criminals and expelled or otherwise punished by their colleges, often after being tarred and feathered by their fellow students. And it shows why all students—and, eventually, society as a whole—are harmed when our nation’s universities abandon pursuit of truth and seek instead to accommodate the passions of the mob. As detailed in the new Epilogue, some encouraging events have transpired since this book was first published in October 2016. A majority of the judicial rulings in dozens of lawsuits by male students claiming their schools treated them unfairly and discriminated against them based on their gender have rebuked the schools for their handling of these cases. And Education Secretary Betsy DeVos called for fairness to accused students and accusers alike, revoked most of the guilt-presuming Obama-era policies, and began a protracted rule-making process designed to compel procedural fairness and nondiscrimination.

Violence, Silence, and Rhetorical Cultures of Champion-Building in Sports

Violence, Silence, and Rhetorical Cultures of Champion-Building in Sports PDF

Author: Kathleen Sandell Hardesty

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2022-12-23

Total Pages: 113

ISBN-13: 1000844676

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This book takes a close look at systems and rhetorics of silencing in sports training. Using the case study of the Larry Nassar abuse scandal at Michigan State University and within USA Gymnastics, the book explores multifaceted problems of speaking, silencing, and listening in youth and college athletic organizations, investigating the cultures of abuse and discursive practices that silence victims while protecting abusers. The author foregrounds the victims’ voices through an analysis of victim impact statements and victim interviews, while examining other textual artifacts to understand the institutional behaviors and actions both before and after the case caught public attention. Exploring the issue far beyond the single organization, the author discusses the norms, values, ideologies, and expected behaviors of youth and college sports programs as institutions to help describe “rhetorical cultures of champion-building.” This innovative study offers new perspectives that will interest students and scholars of sport communication, rhetoric, organizational communication, criminology, and feminist theory.

The Hunting Ground

The Hunting Ground PDF

Author: Kirby Dick

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2016-05-17

Total Pages: 180

ISBN-13: 1510705783

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The debate over sexual violence on campus is reaching fever pitch, from headlines about out–of-control fraternities, to the ”mattress protests” by female students at Columbia University and other colleges. The Hunting Ground, the new documentary by award-winning filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, has taken this debate to a new level, becoming a galvanizing catalyst for discussion at the hundreds of campuses where the documentary is being screened each month. The film has sparked calls for legislation by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo of New York and other prominent public figures and sparked a backlash from university administrators, fraternities, and conservative groups. Now, in a new companion volume to the film, all those concerned about the “rape culture” on campus will be offered an inside perspective on the controversy, as well as reactions to the film from a range of leading writers and guidance on how to learn more and get active. As in the film, it’s the gripping personal stories told by female students—and the obstinate refusal of college administrators and law enforcement authorities to recognize the severity of the problem—that will rivet readers.

Football, Culture and Power

Football, Culture and Power PDF

Author: David J. Leonard

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-10-14

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 1317410882

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

What does it mean when a hit that knocks an American football player unconscious is cheered by spectators? What are the consequences of such violence for the participants of this sport and for the entertainment culture in which it exists? This book brings together scholars and sport commentators to examine the relationship between American football, violence and the larger relations of power within contemporary society. From high school and college to the NFL, Football, Culture, and Power analyses the social, political and cultural imprint of America’s national pastime. The NFL’s participation in and production of hegemonic masculinity, alongside its practices of racism, sexism, heterosexism and ableism, provokes us to think deeply about the historical and contemporary systems of violence we are invested in and entertained by. This social scientific analysis of American football considers both the positive and negative power of the game, generating discussion and calling for accountability. It is fascinating reading for all students and scholars of sports studies with an interest in American football and the wider social impact of sport. Chapter 14 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.