Abstract
This article addresses the issue of sexual assaults committed by college athletes. The existing research is not conclusive but does suggest that athletes are more involved in sexual misconduct than non-athletes. The larger institutional factors that could explain the higher rates among athletes are then discussed and how new guidelines and regulations from the Department of Higher Education have changed the way colleges must deal with sexual assault. The final part of the article discusses how colleges should handle cases of sexual assault by athletes. The major theme is that to change public perceptions and lessen assaults, athletic departments and coaches must limit their involvement in these cases to ensure that athletes and non-athletes are treated equally.
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Crosset, T. 1999. Male Athletes Violence Against Women: A Critical Assessment of the Athletic-Affiliation Violence Against Women Debate. Quest, 51, 244–257.
Luther, J. 2016. Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Football and the Politics of Rape. New York:Akashic.
McCray, K.L. 2014. Intercollegiate Athletes and Sexual Violence: A Review of the Literature and Recommendations for Further Study. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, 16(4), 438-443.
Rose-Young, B. et.al. 2016. “Sexual Coercion Practices Among Undergraduate Male Recreational Athletes; Intercollegiate Athletes, and Non-Athletes”, Violence Against Women 23(7), 795-812.
The Drake Group Inc. 2016. Position Statement: Institutional Integrity Issues Related to College Athlete Sexual Assault and Other Forms of Sexual Violence. Available at: https://thedrakegroup.org/2016/09/11/drake-group-calls-for-strong-actions-to-address-collegiate-athlete- sexual-and-other-violence.
Wade, L. 2017. American Hook-Up: The New Culture of Sex on Campus. New York:W.W.Norton & Co..
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Beaver, W. College Athletes and Sexual Assault. Soc 56, 620–624 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-019-00426-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-019-00426-w