For fraternity/sorority professionals, one of the most confounding and frustrating issues is that of the "biased media." Our members (students and alumni alike) are always quick to complain how our organizations are unfairly depicted as safe havens for alcoholism, hazing, sexual violence, chauvinism and bigotry. This image is widespread, and it's such an unfair representation of our movement as a whole. The truth is, the percentage of members who actively engage in these devious acts is statistically minuscule. Most fraternity/sorority members are basically good people who strive to live meaningful and purposeful lives. So of course, we're victims of biased and unfair public image, right?
Of course not.
This image exists, because it's the reality of our community. Whether it's one member or one thousand, their actions will be directly correlated to our organizations and our community, whether we like it or not. Our members can increase their community service hours every
semester for the next fifty years, but if there are still instances of hazing,
sexual assault and substance abuse linked to fraternity membership, those
realities will trump any feel-good story submitted to the campus newspaper.
The fact that a select few tragic events get more media
coverage than the countless positive fraternity contributions is largely
irrelevant, but that’s not something we an easy time swallowing.
For us, it’s difficult to understand how something so important and positive
in their our lives can be viewed with such disdain by the general public. Who can
really blame us? When we work hard to promote something positive, and a
select few individuals’ mistakes contradict any progress we’ve made, we’re
going to feel victimized and unfairly punished. It’s a legitimate tragedy when
a statistically irrelevant portion of a community controls and defines its
image, but that’s the world in which we live. We can't allow our emotions to prevent us from addressing the issue head-on.
Enter, Aaron Hernandez and the slew of NFL players lining up
for mug shots and court dates. If you’re a football fan, you’ve certainly
noticed what seems to be a rise in off-the-field issues with NFL players. It
seems like there’s a new scandal every week involving a DUI, weapons charges,
drugs, steroids, domestic violence or sexual assault. It’s gotten so
widespread, it’s almost comical. The recent Aaron Hernandez murder case has
grown the microscope ten-fold, and it’s hard to imagine how the NFL is going to
find a simple fix to what’s become a very serious image problem. With media
outlets giving round-the-clock coverage to the felonious actions of NFL
players, these indiscretions have taken center-stage.
So with such an obvious increase in these stories, NFL players
must have astronomical arrest rates, right? Wrong. I read an article on
Deadspin recently that cites statistics that blew me away. As of December 2012,
the arrest rate for NFL players was 2.9%. Compare that to the 10.9% of American
males between the ages of 22 and 34, and it’s statistically proven that the NFL
is comprised of a disproportionate number of law-abiding citizens. Given current public opinion, this is
absolutely counter-intuitive, and many NFL apologists are defending the league
and its members with these statistics. Surely, holding the opinion that
professional athletes are mostly thugs is simply wrong if the statistics say
otherwise, right? To me, it’s not that simple. The fact that these incidents occur in such a small portion of the population doesn't mean that there isn't a problem, and the principles of the issue
are identical to the identity crisis of the fraternity/sorority community.
Like college fraternities, the NFL is experiencing
unprecedented growth and popularity. Both are known to be exclusive, and
membership in either of these gives its members a sense of prestige. When a
fraternity is “attacked” in the media, the thousands upon thousands of members
who had positive experiences feel compelled to defend their organization and
shout about the inequity of media coverage that tarnishes public opinion. NFL
fans, by and large, have very similar affinities to their teams, and their
actions mirror those of the fraternity apologists.
When the public starts to question the quality of men on our
professional football teams, fans quickly scour Google (or Bing, if you’re into
that kind of thing) for feel-good stories of their favorite NFL players.
Charitable foundations, community service involvement and various forms of advocacy are constantly used to counter the indiscretions of the select few players who rape,
assault, steal, cheat, smoke, snort and murder.
“Why aren’t these stories making the front page of
ESPN.com?”
“Why isn’t Jeremy Schaap reporting outside of the inner-city
schools where NFL players are working with at-risk youth?”
“The media won’t talk about the good things NFL players do
because it isn’t as good for their ratings. It’s their fault so many people
think athletes are criminals.”
My fraternity/sorority life friends will read those
statements with an intense feeling of déjà-vu, and I think it’s important that
this compartmentalized conversation is elevated to a bigger stage. As long as
NFL players are being arrested for DUI manslaughter. Or dog fighting. Or steroids.
Or street racing. Or rape. Or murder. As long as these issues persist, the
NFL’s reputation as a league of criminals, thugs and misfits will perpetuate.
Peyton Manning can donate all the money he has to Pat Summitt’s Alzheimer’s
foundation, but it won’t bring Odin Lloyd back to life. It won’t save Chad
Johnson’s wife from the years of therapy she’ll need from the abuse she
suffered. It won’t console the victims of these crimes any more than a
successful fraternity philanthropy event will console the families of Blake Hammontree or
Gordie Bailey. Attempting to bury tragedy with feel-good stories won't change the fact that the tragedies occurred in the first place.
To me, it's changed the way I look at these situations. Is it unfortunate that a select few misfits define the communities they comprise? Absolutely, but that doesn't diminish the fact that they reside within these communities. We need to stop trying to bury the bad news with the good. The NFL is going to have to tackle this issue head-on (without leading with their helmet, of course), just as the fraternity/sorority community is doing its best to change the fundamental behaviors of the outlying members who commit these atrocities. It's not OK that these things happen. The good doesn't outweigh the bad. The mere existence of the "bad" is cause enough for outrage.
-Sam
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