I was disturbed by Brian Kimmes’ article “Basketball suspension affects more than team.” Exactly what message was he trying to convey? The message I got was, “If you are ever sexually assaulted by an athlete, you better make sure that you were really, really assaulted before reporting it. Otherwise, it will make our teams play poorly and hurt our school’s image.” Sexual assault is extremely underreported as it is, and I do not find it necessary to deter victims from reporting these crimes any further. I would imagine that a victim of sexual assault has enough to worry about without taking the basketball team’s performance or the school’s enrollment into consideration. I believe the responsibility needs to be placed on those who commit sexual assault and other crimes, not the victim. If athletes are shown disproportionately in the media, then perhaps they should be on their best behavior.
I do not believe that athletes “carry a higher burden of responsibility.” No one is asking athletes to live pious or ascetic lives; they are just expected to follow the laws like everyone else.
Klaire B. L. PearsonSenior
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