Roll Red Roll: Rape, Power, and Football in the American Heartland

by Nancy Schwartzman

Many women and girls were vocal about their disapproval of Jane Doe on these forums, despite the gendered allegiance one might expect or at least hope to find. In fact, the compartmentalization of identity in these circumstances and the desire to side with the more powerful entity even if it doesn’t include or recognize you is common in these situations. “In ‘separate sphere ideologies’—societies and cultures where men and women are thought of as different species, where roles are complementary but are actually always hierarchical [such as] institutionalized in patriarchal religions, single sex education, and sports culture like football—rape myths and stereotypes tied to gender norms flourish,” explained Soraya Chemaly, activist and award-winning author of Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger. “Girls are no less likely to act in ways that are deeply sexist, misogynist, and racist. Girls police other girls. It’s learned behavior early on, and includes slut shaming.”

Yet the intersection of football and rape culture is long and storied. According to a 2019 Miami Herald article, hotlines and shelters see increased instances of assaults on women on football game days. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found a 28 percent increase in rape reports by college-age women on days when Division I football teams played. The increase was greater when there were home games (41 percent) versus away games (15 percent).

Ultimately, the parody pointed to parallels between football and assault and the conflicting messages teenage players receive when Charles says, “How do I get through to you boys that football isn’t about rape? It’s about violently dominating anyone who stands between you and what you want! That other team—they ain’t just gonna lay down and give it to you. You gotta go out there and take it!”

Even if Today was asking the right questions, they also framed the story as a “sex scandal” to draw viewers in, feeding on rape myths. What does it mean to interview an alleged perpetrator on a major TV show, but not have anyone speak for Jane Doe or even mention her absence? To not have the victim, or a representative, present in this discussion to describe the impact of this assault, the emotional consequences and humiliations?

Trump’s bullying behavior toward women wasn’t alarming enough to dissuade voters. In his first week in office, he declined to form a new White House Council of Gender Issues or Sexual Assault, which effectively dissolved it. He didn’t fill positions in the Office of Violence Against Women, making his priorities clear.