We see it everywhere these days professional athletes, celebrates,
and millionaires getting special treatment because they are famous and have
money, getting away with violent crimes while others (non-elite) are convicted
of the same crimes. Although this topic isn't centered on the sport of
snowboarding, I am still choosing to write on this topic because it hit close
to home. Growing up in a snowboarding town I was able to witness the privileges
that professional snowboarder and skiers would receive, and what they got away
with.
In my experience with professional
snowboarders and skiers they already have a cocky attitude and consider
themselves about the law as I’m sure many professional athletes do, but when
they are under the influences of alcohol they tend to take it too far and have
cause a great deal of damage. I have experienced many professional athletes,
trash hotel rooms, destroy houses at parties, steal snowboards & gear, and
even raped one of my classmates in high school. Never being charged or held
responsible for their actions, professional athletes’ pushed the limits even
further the next time. My classmate never reported the rape. I'm not sure as to
why she didn't press charges against him, and unfortunately he and his friends
treated it like a joke because he was never charged for the rape, he never
realized the consequences of his action and the affect it had on my classmate,
leading him to believe that he was above the law.
This experience is just one of the many
examples of professional athletes getting away with violent crimes. In the same
book by Bergen, that I mentioned in my previous post about this same topic she states
that in "our examination of 217 felony sexual assault complaints against
athlete’s reveals that, compared with a national sample, athletes are more
likely to be arrested and indicted. However, despite aggressive actions by law
enforcement officials when charged with sexual assault these same athletes are
far less likely to be convicted."
Its cases, such as the one with my
classmate, professional athletes are committing violent crimes and getting away
with them, which has lead to this blog post. It’s terrible that we as a society
are almost willing to look the other way and let them get away with these
crimes because of their influences in our society. Children looking up to these
professional athletes thinking how they want to grow up and be just like them
one day, we don't want them to see their favorite soccer play/ football player/
snowboarder go to jail for rape or other crimes; however, these athletes just
like other citizens should be held responsible for their actions.
