The NFL War Zone, Essay Example

Domestic violence is a serious crime that lately, the NFL not taken care of well. Many NFL stars are domestic abusers. Domestic violence is very common, but people often do not feel comfortable talking about it, which is harmful to women. Stacia M. Fleegal, author of “Neutral Zone Infraction: Why Violence Against Women Hasn’t Yet Turned Me Away from Football or Writing”, discusses domestic violence, football, and writing by providing a description of her personal experience with football and domestic violence (2014) Ultimately, there is a need to stop domestic violence and it is import for the NFL to take an effort to prevent it. They can do so by educating their players about domestic violence and by preventing their players from participating in games if their violation of this human right is in question. Furthermore, the NFL should take accountability for these problems and not make the domestic violence issue a war zone.

There are many things in this world that are not perfect, but we have the ability to change some of these things by using self-reflection. Such a method can be used to end domestic violence. The NFL has been in the spotlight lately for these issues involving a few of their star players. In “Revolution John”, Stacia M. Fleegal wrote about this issue from the female perspective. The female opinion is crucial in these situations because a majority of the time these individuals are the victims (Fleegal, 2014). Presently, 45% of NFL fans are female, so their interests should be represented by the sport. It is therefore important for the NFL to crack down only on domestic abuse, but also crime in general. The NFL the most popular sport in the USA, but if they do not make changes, it stands to lose money and popularity. This issue can be prevented by providing education programs to their players and by publicly demeaning star players for their violent actions.

It is common knowledge that Ray Rice used his wife as a punching bag in the elevator of an Atlantic City casino. What is truly remarkable is that his fiancée became his wife, even after that vicious left hook to the face left her unconscious. Domestic violence is a serious and complex plague of society that affects all, but women make up the largest number of victims, according to most case studies. Even though Rice was suspended for four game, this did not happen until a videotape of the gruesome act was released. Rather than supporting Rice’s punishment, the NFL claimed they did not know about the case. Such a reaction is harmful because it is apparent that the NFL was aware and simply did not want to get in trouble with the public.

Stacia M. Fleegal recounts that growing up as Pittsburg Steeler’s fan, she was surrounded by a misogynistic dynamic that continues to surround football (2014). Fleegal recalls a situation during a football game where the discussion of Ray Rice’s incident came up, and a guy stated, “Stab her. Don’t punch her.”, referring to OJ Simpson killing his ex-wife. Another incidence of misogyny occurred when Fleegal was discussing Ben Rothlisberger’s second rape accuser and a guy said, “Don’t follow a football player into the bathroom. As if the rape were the accuser’s fault. Both comments go to show how riddled with sexism the football world can be”. This shows that the NFL perpetuates the idea that abuse is okay by not standing up for victims.

The NFL is imposing stricter rules and a zero tolerance for domestic violence. The question isn’t so much how to punish, as it is how to prevent the abuse from even happening. The focus needs to be put on viewing women in a light that they deserve to be in. Stacia M. Fleegal knew more about the game of football than the majority of football fans know, yet because she was a female, she had to constantly prove herself worthy of being deemed a true fan. In her article, Stacia M. Fleegal states that loving a football team is the same as loving a band, a TV show, or a writer. You want to see what they can do next. You want to see them perform better in the face of criticism or doubt.” What will the NFL do next? What steps will happen and what conversations will start to deal with the root of domestic violence NFL? Stacia M. Fleegal suggests she will remain loyal to the game, but demand more from those who want to discredit the abused. Overall, it appears that it will be important for the NFL to be accountable for the actions of their players if they wish females to continue enjoy the game and to feel safe during the process. It is important for the NFL to educate their players about this issue so that it could become less common.