by Melanie Jacob
Journal Editor
Anyone who hasn't been living under a rock for the past two weeks would have certainly heard about the Ray Rice incident. If you did go AWOL, here's my helpful little breakdown of events:
On Feb. 15, word got out that Rice and his then-fiancée, Janay Palmer, were released from jail on simple domestic assault charges. Nobody knew what happened, but Rice's attorney claimed it was a "minor physical altercation."
Four days later, TMZ released a video clip that showed Rice dragging Palmer's unconscious body from an elevator. While evidence was mounting, fans' reactions were mixed and many of them were still defending Rice, saying nobody knew the full story. Finally, after various legal negotiations, Rice got off light with the courts and a two-game suspension. After his suspension was over, Rice was given a standing ovation when he walked onto the field.
On Sept. 8, TMZ released the video of Palmer hitting Rice and him responding with a knockout punch. Despite this, many fans continued to defend him and put up signs that said things like "STOP!!! CASTING STONES WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES."
And that right there is the crux of the problem.
It seems more and more athletes are getting involved in violence outside the field and yet the fans seem as devoted as ever. It's one thing to recognize that encouraging aggressive behaviour in a sport like football will likely seep into an athlete's personal life, but what happens when that blind support continues in spite of it? I'll tell you what- you have situations like Rice's where athletes get off easy and are even cheered by crowds of adoring fans. They become arrogant and think themselves above the law and not subject to the same rules of moral decency.
Take Kobe Bryant, for example. He was accused of rape and yet was still voted to be the starter in an All Star game. Even worse, fans of his made the accuser's life so difficult that she dropped the charges. Bryant got off scot-free.
It's this sort of fanaticism that's unhealthy and dangerous, but nobody seems to realize that it's not just enabling the problem- it's encouraging it. Without the public condemnation to keep a rein on the aggressive tendencies of these athletes, they'll continue to push the boundaries with impunity. Simply put, fans that support these criminals are just as accountable for the crimes they commit.
Unfortunately, fixing the problem isn't easy. It's not just a matter of raising awareness; it would have to be a complete shift in perspective. As a friend and I argued about the fans' reactions, I told him that regarding an athlete as a hometown hero isn't an excuse to defend reprehensible actions. He responding by stating the core of the problem better than I ever could:
"But that's the thing. He really was some kid's hero. (He was the hero to) poor kids who got to go to his camps and maybe got to talk to him and get an autograph.
"(He was the hero to) the parents who only ever knew him as a charitable guy who cared about kids and was a vocal anti-bullying advocate. It's hard to just say, 'Okay, this guy's a scumbag now,' and shut all the rest of it out."
How do you change the minds of people who only ever saw and interacted with his public image? How do you convince people to doubt what they saw and heard with their own eyes?
On the one hand, we want people to have faith and not be so easily swayed by tabloids and sensationalized headlines. But how do we tell people to stop cheering for men who beat their wives?
While these situations seem to only happen in the United States, the pervasive "Rider mania" in Saskatchewan means residents here should be leery of falling into the same trap. Already Rider athletes have shown they can succumb to the same violent tendencies. As such, fans here should take care to show the same level of suspicion and condemnation they would to any other Joe Blow on the street.
