As Sunday approached, Eagles fans all over the Greater Philadelphia Area prepared to cheer on their team in their fourth-ever Super Bowl. While this was an extremely exciting time for many, it remains of utter importance that people—specifically students on and off West Chester University campus—acknowledge the potential for violent behavior following the game.
A 2015 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research called “College Party Culture and Sexual Assault” found that sexual assaults on campus spiked the same days of Division 1 football games. The study found that there was a 28 percent increase in reported cases of rape and sexual assault by college women age 18-24, on the same days that NCAA Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams played. It also found a 41 percent increase in reported rape cases on home game days, and a 15 percent increase in reported cases on away game days. There were several other studies that showed similar trends following high-profile NFL football games—Super Bowl Sunday, in particular.
Although football is frequently associated with substance abuse and celebrations, the party aspect of football culture is not the main cause of this increase in sexual assaults. “There’s a common idea that party culture causes sexual assault,” said feminist sociologist of gender and Associate Professor in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at West Chester University, Dr. Lisa C. Huebner. “It’s not a causal relationship, at all. Now–does it exacerbate it? Does it maybe increase the likelihood? Is there a sort of research correlation? Yes. So, it can be a factor . . . but it’s not causal.”
Huebner proposes football culture itself is what causes a false perception of masculinity. “[Football] is analyzed in women’s and gender studies, and in sociology as a hyper-masculine field. It’s not just that boys have to be tough and strong . . . but one of the biggest markers of like, ‘I’m a man’ is to be violent. And so, that’s been theorized widely by scholars in both fields,” said Huebner.
“Football in general is a hyper-masculine endeavor,” said Community Outreach/Primary Prevention Supervisor, Joe Myers, of The Crime Victims’ Center of Chester County, Inc.
“It’s built on physical strength and overpowering other people . . . and it’s that mentality that is bred into these boys growing into men that affects the other aspects of their lives as well. So, like . . . an 18-year-old kid showing up on a college campus and becoming a person with a lot of power . . . while they’re also exploring their sexuality, exploring drugs and alcohol, exploring their social lives . . . leads to a lot of problematic encounters, in which that power can become violence—not only for themselves, but for people around them,” said Myers.
“When we talk about violence, we talk about risk and protective factors. There’s certain risk factors that increase someone’s likelihood to commit violence. That includes hypermasculinity, subscription to traditional gender roles, or oftentimes substance abuse . . . and sometimes these things mix together. As those risk factors increase, the likelihood someone is going to perpetrate violence increases, as well.”
Different risk factors could cause different kinds of violent behavior. For example, if the favored team wins, there might be a different reaction than if the favored team loses—although both will likely result in some kind of violence.
Drawing on a knowledge base related to partner violence, domestic violence and sexual assault, Huebner said, “My hypothesis would be, that partner violence increases after the team loses. Because, a dynamic of domestic violence is . . . like when I feel angry as an abuser . . . I’m going to take out my anger and my insecurity, and all that onto my partner. So, if I’m all hyped up for the Super Bowl . . . and maybe I even put money on it . . . and my team loses, and I have a tendency to abuse–will we see spikes in hotline calls, for example? Probably. Sexual assault ranges from happening in partner relationships, but it’s also acquaintances–sometimes strangers.”
There can be risks of sexual assaults and other forms of violence happening after the game and throughout the parade. Myers urges the importance of knowing how to react should something occur. “So, for everyone–obviously, we kind of live in this world, where we’re all at risk of something to happen,” said Myers. “I think it’s important that everyone respects the boundaries of people around them. So, if you’re going to go to a Super Bowl party and you’re going to drink a lot, you need to make sure that those boundaries are understood,” added Myers.
Myers urges students to pursue off and on-campus resources such as the Center for Women and Gender Equity, Office of Wellness, the Crime Victim Center or the 24-hour Rape Crisis Center located on Market Street. The latter has a 24-hour hotline always available. Finally, Myers urges that during any sporting event, “You have a responsibility to make sure that . . . not only are you not committing violence, but that no one around you is committing violence, either.”
Emily Drossman is a third-year student majoring in English writing with a minor in journalism. ✉ ED843305@wcupa.edu.