Domestic Violence, Athletics, and the Media

I was in an abusive relationship for several years and I continue to suffer. I take to heart these stories and reports on domestic violence. I have a hard time yet talking about my personal experiences concerning intimate partner violence, but I do not have trouble criticizing the way in which media outlets report violence against women.

I woke up this morning to this headline: Oregon Football: LaMichael James arrested
So what happened? Why was he arrested? Oregon running back LaMichael James was booked into Lane County Jail on Wednesday morning on domestic violence charges, continuing a string of off-the-field issues plaguing the Ducks football program. James has been charged with assault-4, which is a misdemeanor that carries a potential one-year prison term, as well as with strangulation and menacing, both misdemeanors.

According to Sgt. Tom Borchers of the Springfield Police Department, James was taken into custody Tuesday, a day after getting into a fight with his girlfriend. James’ girlfriend, according to the police report, said the running back grabbed her around the neck and pushed her to the ground. She complained of pain to her neck and of abrasions from being pushed down in a parking lot.
He assaulted his girlfriend and now is part of a statistic that indicates rising numbers of domestic violence incidents among young people. More disturbing however, the trend of news outlets reporting this as a "sports related" topic, tying in the person’s alleged actions to the impact said actions could have upon his team-not how his actions impact the victim or society at large.
Evidence of this can be found in the first paragraph of the story, in which the author, John Hunt, ties in the incident with other "off-the-field issues plaguing the Duck’s football program:

Oregon running back LaMichael James was booked into Lane County Jail on Wednesday morning on domestic violence charges, continuing a string of off-the-field issues plaguing the Ducks football program.

The insinuation here is that the allegations are, first and foremost, negative because he is an athlete and the allegations damage his athletic charm,  his team’s potential or future success, and his ability to become a Heisman Trophy candidate or winner;  the victim (a woman in this case) and her well-being, is portrayed as the secondary object.
From reading this article, the message seems to be that it is more important to report the University of Oregon Football team may be without their star running back next season, than the facts of the case- LaMichael James has been arrested on charges of domestic violence. Period. The investigation is ongoing. Period.
Sadly, this reporting style and media trend is not new. The media both locally and nationally, often sensationalize graphic incidents in order to gain viewer ratings. The media also marginalizes victims, mirroring and in some cases creating, the notion that victims of domestic violence must have done something to deserve the abuse. There have been several incidences in which reports dehumanized a victim of abuse, substantiating the criminal act committed by the one in power (usually a male), by casting the victim in a negative light. Although this isn’t readily apparent in the specific article cited above, the insidious implications are along these same lines.
My conclusion is there is a valid concern that reporting on domestic violence in this manner contributes to stereotypes and constructs of race, class and gender.
To learn more about Domestic Violence in Oregon visit the Domestic Violence Resource Center.