Sports and Sexual Assault

Hundreds of college and professional athletes, along with some college and Olympic coaches, have been accused of sexual assault in recent years, including gang rape. While athletes have gone to prison for their sex crimes, studies show that relatively few accusations lead to arrest or conviction. Researchers say schools, leagues and Olympic organizations frequently have failed to investigate credible allegations and that sports programs have ignored or covered up sex crimes by star athletes, who often receive preferential treatment from schools, teams and police. While no sport is immune from allegations of sexual abuse, researchers say extremely aggressive sports, such as football, can fuel what they call a culture of rape. Still, some athletes have been falsely accused, and universities are under pressure to improve their methods of distinguishing guilt from innocence. Meanwhile, professional leagues are implementing new policies for dealing with sexual and domestic abuse and are requiring assault-prevention training.