Domestic Violence in Pro Sports: Culture, Marketing & PR

Introduction

In 2014, Ray Rice, an NFL player, was given an indefinite suspension and released from his contract with the Baltimore Ravens (Bien, 2014). With the events beginning in February of that year and the suspension occurring only in September, the long delay generated significant media controversy. It may be argued that the Baltimore Ravens were in a difficult position: one of their players had been accused of domestic violence, but he was an economic asset with a previously good reputation, which management and representation indicated they trusted. However, evidence also emerged to indicate he was guilty of domestic violence. This creates a difficult position for sports clubs — how should claims regarding domestic violence be handled?

Sports people are in the public eye and receive a great deal of publicity. Therefore, even if they do not wish to influence society, their actions will be viewed by followers and fans and can shape subsequent behavioural norms (Furedi, 2010). Issues that need to be considered include the way in which an ethical approach may be adopted, especially when the media will often assume that accused athletes are guilty until proven innocent. However, given the potential influence sports personalities have, and the level of media attention that domestic violence stories attract, it is also essential for the good reputation of sports clubs, and the industry as a whole, that they are not perceived as sheltering or supporting those committing domestic violence.

The issue may be further complicated when it is recognised that the culture of unity within the professional sports industry may be a significant factor in predisposing athletes towards social violence (Sonderlund et al., 2013). The primary hypothesis of this paper is that the highly masculine and aggressive culture within professional sports leads to a higher-than-average incidence of domestic violence among professional athletes. A secondary hypothesis is that until the culture within professional sports changes, domestic violence will continue to be disproportionately represented in this population. Assessing this hypothesis is important, especially for those involved in marketing and public relations, as it indicates a potentially high-risk issue that will need to be managed effectively to avoid harm to sports reputations.

The paper considers the issue of domestic violence within professional sports by examining the way in which it may manifest and its broader impact, followed by the theoretical issues that underpin its occurrence. This understanding is necessary for marketers and public relations professionals to deal with the issues effectively.

The Ray Rice Case

Examining the Ray Rice case, the events leading to the suspension began in February 2014, when news broke that Rice had been arrested on a simple assault charge regarding an altercation with his fiancée in Atlantic City (Bien, 2014). Following the initial story, further evidence emerged: a video appeared to show a serious assault by Rice on his fiancée, including knocking her unconscious (Mandell, 2014). This incident of domestic violence gained significant media attention and effectively ended Rice's career, in addition to resulting in a charge of third-degree aggravated assault. The incident reflected badly not only on Rice himself, but also on his team and the sport as a whole. Notably, this incident resulted in the NFL changing its policy regarding how domestic violence cases are handled (Mandell, 2014).

In the initial stages of the case, his team and representation appeared to back the player, with Rice only being suspended for the first time in July 2014, and then for only two games (Bien, 2014). By that stage, it was apparent that Rice was guilty and was likely to face jail time as a result of the indictment (Bien, 2014). It was only in September that his contract with the Ravens was terminated and the NFL suspended him indefinitely (Bien, 2014).

Unfortunately, while the Rice case demonstrates what may be perceived as a questionable approach to handling domestic violence, it is not an isolated incident. Many other athletes across different sports have been accused, documented, and convicted of domestic violence offences. Examples include, but are not limited to, Ray McDonald and Chris Cook of the San Francisco 49ers, and Kevin Williams and Tony McDaniel of the Seattle Seahawks (Schuppe, 2014). Schuppe (2014) states that in the NFL alone, between 2000 and 2014 there were a total of 87 arrests of football players for domestic violence. Furthermore, research by O'Hear (2001) found that athletes were disproportionately more likely to commit domestic violence crimes compared to the general population, with professional footballers accounting for 49% of domestic violence cases among all athletes.

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