Thinking about health care needs of student athletes sent me to the Health Center website of Middlebury College in Addison County to see what issues were mentioned. While there, I noticed a number of links to student life policies and the Hazing Policy caught my eye.
I've always been fascinated and repulsed by the idea of hazing. I remember hearing stories from my freshmen year roommate who was on the swimming team. While it seemed innocent enough at the time, it isn't hard to find stories of hazing rituals getting out of hand and causing serious injury and loss of life. Of course alcohol represents a major threat in these settings, as well as assault, not to mention psychological trauma. ESPN.com outlined a variety of sports-related hazing stories from 1980-2000 drawn from around the nation from high school, college, and professional sports teams.
Reading through Middlebury College's Hazing Policy made me feel better that the issue was being addressed in a more direct way than perhaps it was five years ago. I think these traditions are still intrenched in various sporting cultures and it will take a lot of education and support to remake those experiences into something healthier and more positive for student athletes.
I've always been fascinated and repulsed by the idea of hazing. I remember hearing stories from my freshmen year roommate who was on the swimming team. While it seemed innocent enough at the time, it isn't hard to find stories of hazing rituals getting out of hand and causing serious injury and loss of life. Of course alcohol represents a major threat in these settings, as well as assault, not to mention psychological trauma. ESPN.com outlined a variety of sports-related hazing stories from 1980-2000 drawn from around the nation from high school, college, and professional sports teams.
Reading through Middlebury College's Hazing Policy made me feel better that the issue was being addressed in a more direct way than perhaps it was five years ago. I think these traditions are still intrenched in various sporting cultures and it will take a lot of education and support to remake those experiences into something healthier and more positive for student athletes.
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