New research has shown that female football supporters blame "predatory female fans for seducing high-profile players accused of sexual misconduct.".
Wait, let me check my calender. Oh. It IS 2009, not 1959. I’m shocked.
The Australian research reveals groupies who "throw themselves” at
footballers in nightclubs are viewed as responsible for inciting
alleged rapes and sexual assaults.
According to newspaper reports on the weekend:
Sydney and Melbourne supporters in the study also identified
alcohol, high testosterone levels and team culture as contributing to
sexual aggression.The findings come three weeks after three Brisbane Broncos players were accused of sexual assault in a nightclub toilet.
A rape charge against Wests Tigers star Anthony Laffranchi was
dropped earlier this year and Canterbury Bulldogs players were
embroiled in an alleged gang rape in 2004."When asked about how allegations of sexual assault against
footballers may arise, several women identified women’s desire to sleep
with celebrity players as a possible cause,” the study authors wrote."While the respondents universally condemned sexual violence, some
reasoned it could be an outcome ofmoves initiated by the victims.”Fans believed other women wanted to sleep with well-known
footballers to build their own reputations, bragging to friends “if
they did score with any”.The Deakin University study, Rogue Men And Predatory Women, was co-authored by Dr Kim Toffoletti.
Look, I’m not naive. Yes, we all understand that some women take their ‘support’ of their team a little too far and no doubt they throw themselves at players. But are these big boofy blokes powerless to resist?
What, they can defend themselves against other big boofy blokes charging them on the field but in a nightclub after a few beers, they’re suddenly the victims of these female ‘predators’.
Give me a break. Football players – just like other men – have to take responsibility for their own actions, on and off the field.
Top Comments
Hi all,
I would just like to comment on how absolutely terrible this made me feel as a survivor of sexual abuse.
It absolutely devastates me to hear that people, even in this day, are still blaming the woman.
I am not going to go in and nit-pick all the little details of the arguments some of you have made, because I am not here to start an argument.
But I really encourage you all to do some more research into this issues before you cast such strong and potentially harmful judgements on people who have been assaulted.
This is very hurtful, and it's really not okay to assume that if a woman leads a guy on, then she wants to be raped. It also shocks me that it has been suggested that 'women need to take more responsibility for their actions. This is an amazing comment in all the wrong ways. I wonder if maybe it's time for the men who rape women to start taking responsibility for their actions?
I really urge you all to consider this. And I remind you that statistically, 1 in 3 of your female friends have been sexually assaulted. If one of your female friends told you that she was raped, would you tell her that she needs to take more responsibility for herself?
Gig, we have been here and done that before so I'm not going to get into again.
I would just suggest you get your facts straight, there has been NOTHING reported to say that the young woman involved in the case previously discussed decided the next day that she was raped.
Reclaim the night is an opportunity for people who have survived domestic violence and/or sexual assault as well as other women and children who believe in the right to feel safe in their communities, how can you argue with that?