Ray Rice & Misogyny

A while ago a video surfaced of an altercation between Ravens RB Ray Rice and his wife, including a disturbing scene of Rice dragging her while seemingly unconscious. Now what was his punishment/suspension? 1 year? Not even close. 8 games? Nope. 6 games? Sorry, but no. 4 games? Getting warmer. A grand total of 2 games with a $58,000 fine, essentially a parking ticket. As expected, there's been plenty of reaction, with the usual hot-takes. But the reaction has really opened up our eyes to a bigger problem.

First off, there's the hypocrisy when compared to other suspensions. A first time offense of using marijuana can result in 4 games, multiple usage can bring it up to a year (see Josh Gordon). An allegation of wrong-doing (without any charges) can get you 4 to 6 games. Yet a domestic incident with video evidence results in just 2 games? It certainly shows the NFL's priorities, Marijuana over domestic abuse.

Meanwhile, the NFL has been working hard to appeal to a greater female base  . What kind of message does this situation send to those efforts? Its rather simple, the NFL cares about its profits, and that's about it. Hence the talk about adding another wild card team, or extending the season. Its all about the $$ for the NFL, and they'll do anything for it.

Just as disturbing was the response from a minority of fans, particularly in response to comments made by ESPN Sportsnation's Michelle Beadle, and ESPN reporter Samantha Ponder. I won't give those twitter replies the time of day, but a quick search will show the mindset of those responses, trying to belittle their takes on Ray Rice and the NFL's response. However, even some media outlets stepped in it regarding Ray Rice. For one, ESPN First Take's Stephen A. Smith. While it may not have been the point Smith was trying to spread across (although he does have a history of similar comments). Its important to avoid victim blaming or "provocation" when discussing domestic abuse. It doesn't help to solve anything.

In general in sports though, it seems female sports journalists aren't taken as seriously. From a lack of air-time, to going through twitter replies, it can be an uphill climb. One may point to the "locker room culture", but in general, it seems that (especially in football), that female reporters aren't taken as seriously. As a society, we need to see and examine this situation and media response and look to improve. Look to remove talking about how women "provoke" domestic incidents, or victim blame. Only then can we move forward.