Hope Solo: The Other Side of Domestic Violence

Last week Hope Solo received a 30 day suspension from the Women's National Soccer Team. This stemmed from two incidents that quickly spiraled downhill. Solo's first offense is the result of domestic assault charges. The police report states that Solo assaulted two relatives, hitting her nephew and sister and leaving visible injuries. The police report also states that Solo was intoxicated and visibly upset. Secondly, Solo's husband was charged with driving under the influence one early morning while Solo was in the passenger seat. (Hope Solo Suspended, 2015)


Solo is quoted saying, "I accept and respect the Federation's decision, and more importantly, I apologize for disappointing my teammates, coaches and the Federation who have always supported me." A post on Solo's Facebook reads, "I think it's best for me to take a break, decompress from the stress of the last several months, and come back mentally and physically ready to positively contribute to the team." (Hope Solo Suspended, 2015, para 4).



After witnessing the media's coverage on Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson's domestic violence charges, Hope Solo's charges are not receiving much attention nor scrutiny. While the WNT suspended Solo for 30 days, it pales in comparison to the stance the NFL is finally taking against these male athletes.




There is an extreme double standard between the treatment of male athletes and female athletes. Male athletes not only receive more attention in the media, but they are held to higher standards than their female counterparts. Domestic violence is absolutely unacceptable, whether the victim is male or female. Abuse is inexcusable whether the offender is male or female. Regardless of the circumstance, it is never justified to physically injure or cause harm to another person. How does the media portray double standards between male and female athletes? Why is there a discrepancy between the treatment of abusive male and female athletes? Does the media not consider Solo's case as pertinent or violent as Peterson or Rice's cases?

I think the WNT did a fair job with punishing Solo. While they did not address the issue when it initially occurred back in June, they did eventually take the appropriate steps in attempting to prevent Solo from behaving in this way again. Hopefully, this 30 day suspension will help Solo regain her composure and realize her actions are forming a negative reputation not only for her as an individual, but also for female athletes in general. Did the WNT appropriately punish Solo, or should they have acted differently?

By Kali Morgenstern


References:

Ellis, R. (2015, January 22). Hope Solo suspended from U.S. Soccer team for 30 days. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/21/sport/hope-solo-suspended/




                             

The Ongoing Battle Of Marshawn Lynch vs. The Media

By Alexx Klein

The saga began in last year's Super Bowl with "I'm just 'bout that action, Boss."

Then, his blatant disregard for the media, and the NFL's rules surrounding it, continued through to this season. Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has been putting on a spectacle with the media all year, which has now carried into the Big Game.

According to an ESPN article, in the 2014-15 season alone, Lynch "had been threatened with a $500,000 fine by the NFL if he skipped media day and has accumulated $131,050 in fines since the start of the regular season for violations of the league's media policy as well as on-field conduct" (Marshawn Lynch, 2015, para 12).

Likely fearing harsher fines and punishment from the league, Lynch honored (some of) the regulations of the Super Bowl interview sessions and attended. He did, however, wear apparel from his line Beast Mode, which will undoubtedly earn him a decent sized fine.

Lynch got creative this time around, adding some variety to his Super Bowl Media Day press conferences. In his defiant refusal to give the media the information they were looking for, Lynch stuck with the phrase, "I'm just here so I won't get fined," for five straight minutes at Tuesday's session. Wednesday it was, "you know why I'm here."




However, it was after Thursday's Media Day session that it became apparent why he was behaving the way he was, and it's because he genuinely does not care about the media, or anything they stand for. On Thursday, he gave shoutouts to his hometown, his family, his teammates, his charity and his hat- all things that he is passionate about and that carry great importance to him. At the end of the day, he cares what his family and his teammates think of him, not how the media want to portray him to the sports fans of the world.

As a current member of the media, it is often frustrating when athletes do not allow you to easily do your job. However, taking a step back from my profession, I have come to a conclusion that I never thought I would in a situation like this.

It's brilliant. And I respect it.

He stood true to what he believed in, and despite criticism from the media around him, never backed down. Washington Redskin's safety Ryan Clark said it was "the perfect end to what he's done with the media all season." He finally let us in to his thoughts, what drives and motivates him, and what his perspective was on all of this.

Before last year's Super Bowl, a profile on Lynch was done by Michael Silver. This profile explains why Lynch reacts the way he does to the media. He said, "Football's just always been hella fun to me, not expressing myself in the media. I don't do it to get attention... I'm not as comfortable, especially at the position I play, making it about me. As a running back, it takes five offensive linemen, a tight end, a fullback and possibly two wide receivers, in order to make my job successful. But when I do interviews, most of the time it'll come back to me" (Marshawn Lynch's, 2014, para 36 and 38).

I agree with Clark, Merrill Hodge and all of the other commentators who have praised Lynch for his behavior this week. This is not to say that I condone breaking league rules and policy, but hey, he warned the media early on: he is not interested and does not appreciate the attention. He was upfront and nobody respected his wishes.

On Thursday he told reporters he was here to prepare for the game, now let's see if preparation pays off.

Do you think Lynch was wrong to not cooperate fully at the press conferences? Do you think the media should have left him alone to prepare the way he wanted to? Should anything be done by the NFL to change the rules for interviews moving forward to ensure something like this doesn't happen again?

References:

Marshawn Lynch Offers Statement. (2015). ESPN. Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/12248321/marshawn-lynch-seattle-seahawks-offers-statement-media-answer-questions

Marshawn Lynch's Quiet Power Behind Seahawks' Super Run (2014). NFL.com. Retrieved from http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/story/0ap2000000318651/article/marshawn-lynchs-quiet-power-behind-seahawks-super-run

Winning At All Costs- Brandon Browner's Advice to his Teammates

Brandon Browner spent the first three years of his career as a member of the Seattle Seahawks’’ secondary, formally known as the “Legion of Boom”. Browner was serving a suspension during last year’s Super Bowl and did not play in the game. A year later, he now finds himself playing his former team and has some suggestive tactics he encourages his teammates to use.








Browner did an interview with ESPN’s Josina Anderson in which he discussed his former teammates (Earl Thomas & Richard Sherman) who are currently battling injuries and the approach he suggests his teammates take. “At the end of the day, this is about the Super Bowl” said Browner (“Patriots should go after injured Seahawks”, 2015, para. 3). “I’m gonna tell my teammates, ‘Go hit that elbow. Go hit that shoulder. Most definitely. Try to break it if you can.’ You’re gonna be my best friend after the game, but I know you want the Super Bowl just as bad as I do.”

What may come as a surprise to most, is that the Seahawks are perfectly fine with Browner’s words of advice. In fact they're actually very understanding of it. Wide receiver Doug Baldwin explained how he felt along with why the fans should too ("Seattle Seahawks players not upset", 2015, para. 6),
“I mean, I’d expect nothing less. This is the Super Bowl. What do you expect?” said Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin. “I understand the fans want it to be classy said publically and everybody be publically correct, but that’s the truth of the matter. We want this game just as much as they do and they want this game just as much as we do. I expect nothing less from Brandon Browner. We’ll go after them in an aggressive fashion just as much as they’re going to go after us.” Baldwin is not alone with those same feelings.


A crucial part of football is exploiting the weaknesses of the opponent. In college football, a classic example is an experienced cornerback getting injured and a younger, less experienced backup replaces him. The majority of the time, the opposing team will start throwing passes in his direction to see if he's able to keep up. In this instance, the weakness is injury. Many suggest that the Patriots should start the game by running an outside toss play towards Sherman's side of the filed to test his elbow. The Patriots may not be intentionally trying to cause any specific harm to Sherman, but the game is extremely violent and if he isn't 100% healthy, they will know right from the start. The Seahwaks seem to have no issue with it and neither do I. People don't seem to understand that football is held in a high regard because it is a violent sport played by some of the toughest athletes in the world. If you're going to trot out onto the field with a busted shoulder or elbow, you better be ready to bring it be cause the opponent know you are weaker and they WILL try to make you tap out.

Do you believe that it's right for the Patriots to go forward with this mentality? Is it wrong for the Patriots to go after injured members of the Seahawks? What's your reaction to the Seahwaks' players having no real problems with it?  Do you think it sends the wrong message to younger players? Do you acknowledge that this is a major part of the sport?

References

A few Seahawks’ reactions to the comments made by Brandon Browner about injuring Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas. (2015, January). Seahawks Blog retrieved from  http://blogs.seattletimes.com/seahawks/2015/01/26/a-few-seahawks-reactions-to-the-comments-made-by-brandon-browner-about-injuring-richard-sherman-and-earl-thomas/

Brandon Browner Conversation. (2015, January). ESPN retrieved from http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=12230456

For the most part, Seattle Seahawks players not upset with Brandon Browner’s comments. (2015, January). Providence Journal retrieved from http://www.providencejournal.com/sports/patriots/content/20150126-for-the-most-part-seattle-seahawks-players-not-upset-with-brandon-browners-comments.ece

By Eric Vendemia

"A Fumbled Opportunity?" - Dealing with Concussions in Sport

The articles assigned for today relate to concussions in football, but athletes in multiple sports can suffer concussions. In youth sports, football accounts for over half of all concussions suffered by males, while soccer is the leading cause of concussions among female athletes. There is compelling evidence of the serious nature of concussions based upon the number of NFL players who have died or committed suicide. Below I briefly describe circumstances surrounding the deaths of three former NFL players who have suffered the tragic consequences of concussions.

"Iron Mike" Webster (above) was the prototypical Pittsburgh Steeler of the 1970s. Webster was described by Steelers' Coach Chuck Noll as "the best center who ever played the game" ("Former Steeler Webster," 2002, para. 18). He prided himself on playing despite being injured. Unfortunately, "that tough-guy insistence on playing hurt may have led to the brain damage. Webster's doctors said the concussions during his career damaged his frontal lobe, causing cognitive dysfunction" ("Former Steeler Webster," 2002, para. 9). Mike Webster became the first player to raise awareness of the serious nature of concussions. He was referred to as "Patient 0 in the NFL's League of Denial."

Dave Duerson, Defensive Back for the Chicago Bears (1983-1989). Like Webster, Duerson was 50 years old when he died after shooting himself in the chest to preserve his brain. Duerson reportedly "left a note asking that his brain be given to the NFL's Brain Bank" for further study ("Dave Duerson," 2011, para. 6). It was confirmed by the researcher who diagnosed him that Duerson had "moderately advanced" brain damage related to blows to the head" ("Dave Duerson," 2011, para. 1).  

Junior Seau, Linebacker, San Diego Chargers (1990-2002), Miami Dolphins (2003-2005), New England Patriots (2006-2009). Seau was only 43 when he died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds in May, 2012. He too was later diagnosed with CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). Seau's family ultimately sued the NFL, accusing them of "deliberately ignoring and concealing evidence of the risks associated with traumatic brain injuries" ("Junior Seau's family," 2013, para. 2).

The tragic circumstances that led to the premature deaths of these and other former NFL players cannot be undone. However, one of the ethical issues that arises is whether the NFL and other sports leagues respond by being transparent about the evidence that is available. Since Frontline aired the program League of Denial, the PBS site has tracked the number of concussions that have occurred during each NFL season via a "Concussion Watch." As of this date, 123 were reported for the 2014 NFL season. When it is broken down by position, the cornerback position appears to be most vulnerable - with 24 players at that position who reported suffering concussions.

It is apparent from our discussion in class that more and more people are taking concussions seriously - whether it be athletes, athletic trainers, and/or hopefully also coaches. Here are some questions for your comments: Is the NFL doing enough to deal with the repercussions of concussions? What about other sports - is enough being done to expose the dangers of concussions so that they are fully addressed? I asked how many in class might rethink their willingness to allow and/or encourage their children to play a sport in which there is a likelihood of concussions occurring. What are your thoughts about that in light of the reading(s) and discussion in class? Did our discussion influence you to rethink your sports involvement - as a coach, athlete, trainer, etc?

References

Concussion and Sports. (2015). Brainline.org  Retrieved from http://www.brainline.org/content/2008/12/concussion-and-sports.html

Concussion Watch. (2014). PBS.org  Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/concussion-watch/

Dave Duerson had brain damage. (2011, May 3). ESPN Chicago  Retrieved from http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/news/story?id=6465271

Former Steeler Webster dies at age 50. (2002, October 3). ESPN Classic. Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/classic/obit/s/2002/0924/1435977.html 

Iron Mike Webster: Patient zero in the NFL's League of Denial. (2014, September 29). Frontline. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwVm_9Sfv2I 

Junior Seau's family sues NFL. (2013, January 23). ESPN.com Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8872778/junior-seau-family-files-wrongful-death-suit-vs-nfl

"Twirl-gate" More Interesting than Deflate-gate?

By Dr. Spencer

While media in the U.S. have been obsessed with "Deflate-gate,"  the Australian Open was the site of an incident known as "Twirl-gate." It happened Wednesday, when seventh-seeded Canadian Genie Bouchard was interviewed by Ian Cohen after winning her second round match against Kiki Bertens (NED) 6-0, 6-3. In the interview, Cohen asked her to do a "twirl" for the fans. Seemingly embarrassed by the request, Bouchard asked, "A twirl?" Yes, Cohen responded - "a twirl, a pirouette" for the fans so they can see your dress (TasiaDMail, 2015). Genie reluctantly complied, not knowing the 'outrage' that would ensue following the request. Asked about it at the press conference, Genie replied, that "it was very unexpected. I mean, yeah, I don't know, an old guy asking you to twirl, it was funny" (Dean, 2015, para. 10).

Not everyone took the same view of the request, including Billie Jean King who called it "sexist." King pointed out that you wouldn't ask the male players to "twirl" so the crowd could admire their outfits. King added that "If you ask the women, you have to ask the guys to twirl as well" ("Billie Jean King accuses," 2015, para. 4). King suggested that we should "focus on competition and accomplishments of both genders and not our looks" (para. 5). Bouchard had a different take, suggesting that it was all right as long as they asked the guys to flex. Some felt that Bouchard was further reinforcing stereotypes by suggesting that males be asked to do something related to strength while females were asked to do something related to appearance. When Serena was asked about the request to twirl, she said she "wouldn't ask Rafa (Nadal) or Roger (Federer) to twirl," but acknowledged that she didn't know if it was sexist ("Billie Jean accuses," 2015, para. 9).

"Twirl-gate," as it has been referred to, is not the first time female players have been asked questions that seem out of line. At last year's Australian Open, Bouchard was asked who her dream date would be, and she replied, "Justin Bieber" (Dean, 2015, para. 10). Also at the 2014 Australian Open, Maria Sharapova was asked about her relationship with fellow player, Grigor Dimitrov. Meanwhile, Victoria Azarenka whose boyfriend at the time was Redfoo, was asked when they were going to get married. Although it was obvious that the topic was embarrassing for Azarenka, the interviewer continued to press her on the issue. When was the last time a male athlete was asked about his girlfriend or who he would like to date?

Here are some other questions about "Twirl-Gate." If you were an athlete in this situation, how would you respond? Do you think the interviewer's request for Serena and Genie to 'twirl' was appropriate or inappropriate? Was it sexist? Explain your response. Do you think there is a double-standard in media interactions with male and female athletes? Should media members be penalized for asking inappropriate questions during interviews? If so, what should happen?

References

Billie Jean King accuses interviewer of being 'truly sexist' after asking Eugenie Bouchard and Serena Williams to twirl. Mail Online. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-2922570/Billie-Jean-King-accuses-interviewer-truly-sexist-asking-Eugenie-Bouchard-Serena-Williams-twirl.html

Dean, S. (2015, January 21). 'Disrespectful and pervy': Sexism backlash after commentator asks embarrassed Canadian star Eugenie Bouchard to 'twirl' at the Australian Open... But Channel 7 says he doesn't work for them. Daily Mail. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2920538/Canadian-tennis-star-Eugenie-Bouchard-embarrassed-old-guy-TV-presenter-asks-outfit-Australian-Open.html

TasiaDMail. (2015, January 21). Watch Eugenie Bouchard 'twirl' after... Youtube.com Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r35Dyk9fze4 

Introduction to HMSL 6340 Class Blog - "Deflate-Gate"

Beginning Monday, January 26, we will use this Class Blog to post entries and/or comments related to ethical issues in HMSLS. A blog offers the advantage of making your voice public, just as the Discussion Board did, but it also provides the added benefit of posting comments. In this way, we should be able to continue the dialogue we began in class. Our topics will be related to the assigned readings for class, which means that you are encouraged to reflect on the readings and perhaps elaborate on how they relate to you.

Since the coming week is the week leading up to the Super Bowl, there are a variety of issues related to Super Bowl XLIX between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. It doesn't take  much imagination to guess that "Deflate-Gate" will be one of the main discussions (admittedly, I got it wrong when I called it "Inflate-Gate" in class). So what are the issues related to Deflate-gate? Since our last class, both Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have held (multiple) press conferences in which they were asked to comment on what happened.

Bill Belichick held the first press conference, in which many felt that he threw Tom Brady under the bus. In Tom Brady's press conference he was "peppered with questions for 45 minutes" (Kim, 2015), as seen in this clip. Brady surprised many by saying that he had not yet been questioned by the NFL. He was asked directly if he was a cheater, to which he replied, "I don't think so," adding that this wasn't about ISIS. What do you think? Were Tom Brady and/or Bill  Belichick telling the truth? Whether or not they were telling the truth, someone must have known about the footballs being deflated. So who bears responsibility? And what should be the consequences? One question that I raised in class was why someone didn't say something during the game.

While earlier reports suggested that D' Qwell Jackson noticed that the football that he intercepted seemed to have less pressure than usual, why didn't he (or someone else) report it? Jeff Darlington spoke to Jackson, who said that since that was his first interception in a playoff game, and the pass was thrown by Tom Brady, he wanted to keep the football as a souvenir. Time will tell whether Jackson eventually receives the football as a keepsake. For now, the NFL has confiscated all the footballs in order to examine whether they were purposely deflated.

On Saturday, Bill Belichick held another press conference, saying at the outset that in the past few days, he had dedicated himself to learning more about "bladders, air gauges, stitching, pressure, game day ball preparations," and so forth (Stone, 2015). He provided this explanation to account for the difference in air pressure: "We all know that air pressure is a function of the atmospheric conditions. It's a function of that. So if there's activity in the ball relative to the rubbing process, I think that explains why when we gave it to the officials and the officials put it at say [12.5 psi], if that's in fact what they did, that once the ball reached its equilibrium state it probably was closer to [11.5] psi" (Stone, 2015, para. 5). Since I am not schooled in how 'rubbing a football' might affect the air pressure, I turned to the "Science Guy" (Bill Nye), who basically said that Belichick "didn't make any sense" (Schwartz, 2015). I must say that I am more inclined to believe Bill Nye's assessment than the other Bill guy.   

Given that the science of air pressure may not fully explain what happened to produce under-inflated footballs, how do you think this issue should be settled? Should players, teams, and/or coaches be punished? If so, what should be the penalties? Should penalties be applied before the Super Bowl? Will this controversy ultimately put a damper on the Super Bowl? And/or will it affect the outcome?

References

Darlington, J. (2015, January 22). Colts' D'Qwell Jackson: I didn't know football had less pressure.
NFL.com  Retrieved from http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000462315/article/colts-
dqwell-jackson-i-didnt-know-football-had-less-pressure

Kim, S. (2015, January 23). Deflate-Gate: NFL players pile on New England Patriots Quarterback
Tom Brady. ABC News.  Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/deflate-gate-nfl-players-
pile-england-patriots-quarterback/story?id=28428275 

Stone, A. (2015, January 24). Bill Belichick dropped science knowledge in surreal press conference. USA Today. Retrieved from http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/01/bill-belichick-dropped-physics-knowledge-in-surreal-press-conference

Schwartz, N. (2015, January 25). Bill Nye 'The Science Guy' says Bill Belichick 'didn't make any sense in press conference.' USA Today. Retrieved fromhttp://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/01/bill-nye-the-science-guy-says-bill-belichick-didnt-make-any-sense-in-press-conference?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=206567