Jeff Benedict

According to Jeff Benedict in the following viewpoint, news reports of athletes committing crimes, especially crimes against women, are becoming more and more common. However, he asserts, participating in sports does not cause men to batter and sexually abuse women. Instead, the fame and idolatry surrounding college and professional athletes contributes to their deviant behavior, he argues. Benedict contends that when society and the sports establishment refuse to punish athletes for their criminal actions, the athletes believe they are above the law. Benedict, the former director of research at the Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University, is the author of Public Heroes, Private Felons: Athletes and Crimes Against Women.

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1. What are the two most commonly cited reasons for the mass exodus of teenagers...