Home-Field Disadvantage: Domestic Violence and Sports
After taking a commanding lead with a goal in the fifth minute of last week’s FIFA World Cup semifinal match up against Croatia, England seemed poised to roll into their first finals appearance since 1966. A late goal by Croatia tied the match, sending it to extra time. Having clawed tooth-and-nail through most of their previous tournament matches, post-regulation play in the semifinals seemed like a welcomed challenge that would hopefully become just another page in the storied book of an English team destined for World Cup glory in 2018. However, in the 109th minute Croatia scored on a short-range shot that eked its way past England’s goalkeeper, giving Croatia the lead that proved to be insurmountable by an England team that would continue its World Cup finals appearance drought with a 2-1 loss. Croatia’s deciding goal may have sank the collective hearts of soccer fans throughout England, but the ones who would suffer the most for this loss are the victims of increased domestic violence in England during World Cup play.
As unfortunate as it might be, we have sort of grown accustomed to seeing news reports of athletes from high-profile sports being linked to domestic violence charges and accusations. One thing we don’t really get to see are reports of the correlations between sports viewership and domestic abuse. Furthermore, just because we don’t hear about it doesn’t mean it’s nonexistent. In fact, a recent study published in BBC News shows that domestic violence rates against women increase by 38% in England when the national team loses during the World Cup and there’s a 26% increase when they win or draw. When you pair numbers this alarmingly high with the social and cultural emphasis many nations place on sports, it seems reasonable to believe that sporting events have the ability to play an integral role in the rise of domestic violence rates.
We are not talking about the kind of violence that comes in the form of angry mobs causing post-game street riots or opposing fans punching each other in angry and drunken stupors (though these actions can be catalytic for domestic violence). We are talking about the guy who loses a bet on a game then feels the need to violently take his frustrations out on his partner. When something like this happens, are we to chalk it up to passion for the game, or is there something deeper to explore? One source believes it’s due to the fact that people who display abusive tendencies use sporting events as a cover for their already-aggressive behavior.
In this sense, the “holy trinity” of sports, alcohol, and hegemonic masculinity allows men who are generally powerless in their own lives for a number of reasons— be it holding onto a bad childhood, a job they don’t like, or something else of that nature which generates anger and negativity— to seek control by establishing a false sense of dominance over their partner with physical or verbal abuse. While these internal conflicts go beyond the outcomes of the sporting events that set them off, their cultural identifiers within the “holy trinity” give these types of men an easy excuse for lashing out— and the only way to end these erroneous acts of violence is through awareness.
What’s the best way to increase awareness of domestic violence in sports? For organizations that are associated with the violence to take action. Many charities joined forces with police throughout England to launch a brilliant anti-domestic violence campaign that appealed to soccer fans during the World Cup. The Nation Football League has stepped up its contributions to local communities about domestic violence and sexual assault education over the past couple of years. Thousands of National Hockey League fans even went as far as to create and sign a petition to urge the league’s owners to enforce a no-tolerance policy on abuse and assault. The more we bring attention to the relationships between domestic violence and sports, the easier is its for sports organizations and fans alike to give “domestic abuse the red card.”
