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Criminal Acts in Sport; Getting Away With Murder Introduction The amount of crimes that occur in and around sports has been a growing topic of conversation over the last decade in our society. Sports participants and spectators alike have been committing crimes on far more frequent basis over the last few years and in the minds of some, this is an issue that is getting or has gotten out of hand. There is a question that is asked by many, "Where does part of the game become a crime?" as well as; "Why are sports the cause of so much aggression?" This and many other questions relating to crime, in and around sports, are seeking an answer that may never be completely resolved. When examining the issue of criminal acts in sports it is easy to realize that there are many places where these acts occur. The range of these acts is far more vast than just in the professional arenas. This is, however, what the public sees and hears about most often.
While this is one of the major topics of this paper, criminal acts are found in all of sport ranging from professionals, to college, high school, and in youth sports, including the reaction of the fans. This paper will take an in-depth look at the four major points regarding criminal acts in sport: the acts themselves; the consequences of those acts; the possible reasons for the acts occurring; an analysis of a few major events that have occurred and the possible solutions to the problem of criminal acts in sport. In the section about fan reaction to sport, there will be an overall account of the individual acts and not personal cases due to the overload of personal events that occur. During the evaluation of the events in each topic area there are some legal terms that may need to be defined. These terms may also be defined differently depending on the state that the event occurs in. At the end of this paper there is a list of definitions that describe what a certain legal action could mean.
All forms of government view these definitions similarly, however, each state may have differing consequences for each of the crimes. Professional Sports INTRODUCTION In the world of professional sports there are many criminal acts that are committed both on and off the playing surface. In this section we are going to look at a few cases where criminal acts have occurred. Thereafter, we will look at what the underlining issue may have been that caused them to occur and how these actions could be prevented from happening in the future. CASE 1 Todd Bertuzzi of the Vancouver Canucks was charged with assault causing bodily harm by the Criminal Justice Branch of the Ministry of the Attorney General in British Columbia, Canada. Todd Bertuzzi was charged for assaulting Steve Moore from behind while on the ice in the third period of a game between the Vancouver Canucks and the Colorado Avalanche. "Team doctor Andrew Parker said Moore broke two vertebrae and the nerves in his neck were stretched, but there was no paralysis or evidence of spinal cord trauma.
He also sustained a concussion and deep lacerations when Bertuzzi hit him from behind and drove him to the ice... " (web) The hit was claimed to have been retaliation for an act that occurred between Moore and another player on the Canucks in a prior game. The charges were filed on Thursday June 24 th 2004 in British Columbia; this charge was filed four months after the attack occurred. If tried in local courts Bertuzzi could face a maximum penalty of 18 months to 2 years in jail. However, if tried in the supreme court of British Columbia, Bertuzzi could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in the B. C. prison system.
The NHL made a point of suspending Bertuzzi for the remainder of the 2003 / 2004 season and postseason with the stipulation that when the 2004 / 2005 training camps open they will reconsider the status of the situation and determine the amount of time Bertuzzi will sit in that season. The suspension cost Bertuzzi over $ 500, 000 and he was left off the roster for Canada's World Cup team for the fall 2005 games. Bertuzzi also cost the Vancouver Canucks over $ 200, 000. Why did this occur? It has been said for many years that the sport of hockey has far too much violence. The actions of Bertuzzi do not help disprove this theory.
In fact, the violent actions of Bertuzzi occur far too often in Hockey, fortunately, most of the time, on a far less damaging scale. On every team in the NHL there are three types of players; the finesse players, the big names that the public loves for scoring goals and "wheeling" around all the players on the ice like Wayne Grey. Secondly, there are the enforcers. Enforcers are the players that go out and protect the finesse players.
People enjoy these individuals for their "fighting skills." They take no prisoners, and spend most of their time in the penalty box. The third type of player has both of these abilities, they fight and score goals, and this is the Todd Bertuzzi type of player. This is an integral part of hockey; player's fight and protect the stars of their teams, that's what they are paid to do. What Bertuzzi did was part of the game, he was trying to send a message that said no one could go after the star player of his team; unfortunately, he went too far. Steps taken to prevent this type of act from happening again Within the NHL, the image put forth is that the league is attempting to crack down on these events by increasing fines and the length of suspensions. The legal system is making it known that when people get hurt due to this type of event, they will not stand for it and the individuals involved in these acts will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
This could mean that they serve time in the prison. CASE 2 Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens was charged with double murder, for stabbing two men outside an Atlanta nightclub. Lewis as well as two other men, named Reginald Oakley and Joseph Sweeting, were charged with the murders. This event occurred hours after the end of the Super Bowl. The event involved six men that attacked the two victims then fled the scene in a black stretch limousine. As the car drove away at least five gunshots were heard.
Even though gunshots were heard, the two men died of stab wounds. The car was later found in the parking lot of a nearby hotel. Police later revealed that a trail of blood was found leading them to a room at the hotel used by Lewis. Blood found in the room was identified as being from one of the victims as well as Lewis and Oakley. In the event they were found guilty, the three men could serve up to life in prison.
Lewis was given a plea-bargain that would allow him to avoid murder charges and jail time if he would plead guilty to a misdemeanor and testify against his two co defendants. Lewis was charged and pled guilty to obstruction of justice and was sentenced to twelve months probation. This is the maximum penalty for a first time offender. During the probation period Lewis cannot use any drugs or alcohol. Why did this event occur? When it comes to football it has long been said that players have had a difficult time "turning off the switch" of anger and aggression from their position on the field to their home and or social lives.
It has been documented that in many of the cases of violence involving NFL players off the field, the cause has been attributed to the inability to make the change mentally from the playing field to the real world environment. This kind of behavior is seen and heard about quite often among players in the NFL and it seems that there is nothing being done to change the behavior. What is being done to prevent this event from happening again? "You have a guy like Ray Lewis, who I thought he was pretty much my friend. This is a guy, double murder case, and he could have been in jail, but it seems like the league embraces a guy like that. " (Terrell Owens, web).
Here is an example of the NFL not doing anything in order to prevent events like this from happening again. In the time after the murder charges the reputation of Lewis has slowly improved and he is now known as one of the most prominent player to have ever played the game. The NFL has not done anything to punish Lewis for his involvement in the crime, and unfortunately, it appears that they are willing to accept what their players do off the field as long as they bring in the fans when they are on the field. CASE 3 Kobe Bryant was charged Friday July 19, 2003 with a single count of felony sexual assault against a nineteen year old woman at a spa where he was staying when he went for knee surgery in Colorado.
Bryant has admitted to committing adultery but pled not guilty to the charges of sexual assault. Bryant has a reputation of being the "squeaky-clean" type of guy in the NBA, and is one of " the NBA's most recognizable and marketable stars. " (web). According to Burns Sports & Celebrities Inc. Bryant was the third best product endorser in sports; he falls behind Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. If found guilty he would have faced a minimum of 4 years to life up to a maximum of twenty years to life, probation, and a $ 750, 000 fine. Other consequences would have been the loss of millions of dollars in endorsements, the loss of his NBA career, and the loss of watching his daughter grow up with out knowing her father.
Why did this event occur? There are two ways of looking at the reasons for this event occurring; if we believe in our legal system then Kobe is not guilty of committing a crime in the legal sense; he is however guilty of a moral crime. If we are to believe that the legal system is incorrect from time to time then it is possible that Kobe was guilty and that there was more than just an injustice done to the victim of Kobe's lust. In the first case professional athletes are targets for people looking for money, they travel a lot and are known for partying and wanting to have "a good time." They also are away from their significant others for a great portion of time. In the case of Kobe, he had a reputation for being the one player that was good and "squeaky-clean" (web).
He also is making a great deal of money for both his team and the companies he endorses. As a star Kobe has many fans, the woman that accused him of raping her could have been a fan that wanted to "get to know him a little better." By allowing this event to occur Kobe set himself up to be accused. His ego and lack of good judgment caused him to be the victim of a greedy fan, he was in the wrong situation at the wrong time. In the second case some of the same elements are relevant, the woman could still have been a fan that showed an interest in the multi-million dollar star. Kobe also could have let his ego and lack of good judgment cloud his mind into thinking that he was above the law and wouldn't have to worry about the consequences of his actions.
It is entirely possible that he was thinking that even if she was saying no, he was providing her with a story that she would be able to tell for the rest of her life. Now he has a story that he can tell. For the rest of his life he has to live knowing that he made the mistake of having sexual relations with a woman that made him out to be a rapist and an immoral person. What is being done to stop these events from happening again? This case does nothing to prevent athletes from thinking they are above the law, if anything sports allows participants to believe that with enough money it is possible to get away with doing things that cause harm to others. Due to the case's dismissal nothing has been done to Kobe by anyone in the NBA or any of the companies that he endorses.
Although the NBA has taken no action to prevent such a thing from happening again, the "victim" is pursuing a civil lawsuit in the hopes of holding Mr. Bryant accountable for his actions. COLLEGE SPORTS INTRODUCTION In college athletes are often looked upon as "Gods." There are schools where athletes can do anything or nothing without any consequence of any kind. In a way, a successful college sports team could be considered similar to the Mafia. A star player goes out and crashes his car when drunk, running over a few mail boxes, and other property along the way; the player get arrested and later is released on bail. The player goes to his coach explains the situation and what might happen if he is not helped.
A few days later the charges are dropped just in time for the player to take to the playing surface and do what he is there to do. Another example of this does not involve the players or students at the school but the coaches. Every year coaches go on recruiting trips looking for new talent to help the team in the seasons to come. Sometimes a coach wants a particular player to come to the program so badly that he will do anything to get the player on the team. This includes doing things like giving gifts, throwing parties that may or may not involve attractive members of the opposite sex providing "entertainment" for the recruits. It seems that maybe the Mafia has not dissipated the way we all thought that it had.
It is scary to think that maybe there is a new Mafia in college sports. Throughout this section it will become clear that there is something wrong with the way that college sports are run today. The question really is; is it really possible to change? This is not always the case. There are times where players and coaches are caught and dealt with in a reasonable manner. These cases may help to change the way in which colleges look at how they treat their star athletes.
CASE 1 Two Texas A& M football players were arrest...
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Research essay sample on Criminal Acts In Sport
