At the beginning of each season, it is common to see reports of rookie hazing during training camp. The last few years, however, the number of reported incidents in professional sports is staggering. Over a three week period during the month of August, Google Alerts for the words “haze,” “hazed,” and “hazing” produced news stories on incidents involving more than a dozen teams of the National Football League, Major League Baseball and even Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment! The culprits included:
New York Yankees made rookies and support personnel dress up like characters from Batman.
San Francisco 49ers haze a rookie in front of reporters - what is happening behind closed doors?
A series of "NFL Pranks" from various teams was also reported by ESPN.
Of course, the increasing volume of these reports is one issue. Of larger concern is that players, coaches and reporters consistently demonstrated a casual, matter-of-fact attitude about each hazing practice. “It's all part of being a rookie” commented David Weinberg of the Press of Atlantic City. As quoted in The Gazette, Alphonso Smith of the Denver Broncos said, “We’ve just got to have fun with it.” And ESPN reporter Laura Lane signed off on the list of NFL antics with, “Happy Hazing!”
Regardless of the harm, fun or consent involved, these practices need to be viewed by the public as a major problem. Each report provides validation to young fans who seek to emulate their heroes. Snickering bystanders only worsen the impact by teaching that hazing should be entertaining, expected and accepted without a second thought. In the end, as explained by Hank Nuwer, students become confused and surprised when they get in trouble for mimicking their role models. Thanks to the actions of these “heroes,” we are now challenged to reeducate the next generation of leaders, athletes and citizens about the danger, ethics and true effects of hazing.
To see the impact of their poor choices on high-school students, you won’t need to look any further than these reports from that same three-week period.
Students on a high school hockey team were paddled with hockey sticks.
We certainly appreciate that athletes need opportunities to let loose and have fun, and that many of the activities of the pros may sound harmless, but the hazing being done by younger athletes is not - much of it involving sexualized activity, some meeting the legal definition of rape or sodomy. There are many ways to accomplish team bonding without sacrificing a person’s dignity or safety. Like professional baseball’s blinders during the steroids travesty, we wish coaches, players and commentators would realize the impact this has on the strength of their team and on their generations of fans.
It’s time to challenge our sports “heroes” to earn their title. They have an incredible opportunity to reverse the growing trend of hazing incidents by standing up for what is right at a critical moment: when the eyes of their young fans are upon them. And we should demand their accountability.
So start taking action: Call out the coaches. Confront the players. Bring attention to the negligence of your newscasters. Join HazingPrevention.Org in a campaign to raise awareness by writing a letter to your favorite sports team.
TAKE ACTION
Write a letter or send an email to a team or news outlet (including ESPN). Better yet, start a letter-writing campaign in your organization or on your campus to let teams and sports journalists know that hazing in any form is not ok, and neither is making light of it in an article or television broadcast. Please copy info@hazingprevention.org so we can track the campaign. There are some tools below to help you get started.
