Male student-athletes and violence against women: a survey of campus judicial affairs offices.

This study examines the institutional dimensions of violence against women through an analysis of officially reported incidents of violence against women. The data included records from 10 judicial affairs offices over a 3-year period from 1991-93. The findings reveal that male college student-athletes, compared to the rest of the male student population, are responsible for more than their share of the reported battering and sexual assault complaints to judicial affairs offices on the campuses of 10 Division I institutions. However, it needs to be emphasized that it is uncertain whether the association between athletic affiliation and violence against women is casual or the result of behavior only indirectly related to sport. These findings relate to other research because they are based on official reports and they strengthen previous works on athletes and violence against women that center on single institutions.