ESPN Commentator: We Need to Reprogram How We Raise Men

On ESPN’s “SportsCenter” earlier this week, espnW columnist Kate Fagan argued that the big picture in the controversy surrounding former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice’s domestic violence allegations.

According Fagan, the problem needs to be tackled at the so-called grassroots level when men are in their formative years.

“Well, I think right now we’re talking so much about firing Goodell or punishments. You know, should it be a three game, a two game, a six game, a full year ban? But I think that’s a little reactive and not proactive. Domestic violence is something that happens in anger, in the moment and it’s very unlikely that perpetrators are worried about whether it will be a two, a six, a 12-game suspension. This is behavior that is happening at the grassroots level that is born through years of our culture like raising like men to want to not be like women and using language like ‘sissy’ and ‘you throw like a girl’ that demean women. These are all contributing factors. And I think if we want to hold the NFL’s feet to the fire over this issue, we shouldn’t be looking at the number of game suspensions because I don’t think that will change the problem. I think it should mean getting them to throw the kitchen sink at domestic violence. To invest millions of dollars in grassroots organizations, in going into middle schools and high schools and colleges and talking to young men about dealing with anger, about how they treat women. I think that’s where you’re going to see change. I think that right now all of this reactive behavior is not going to change it, as much as going in and going into the school system and the younger spaces and really reprogramming how we raise men.”

(h/t Grabien Media)

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