Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Colleges Need to Stop Protecting Sexual Predators

[stevenleser]

http://time.com/3689368/campus-sexual-assault-athletes-yes-means-yes/

We need to reexamine the culture on campus—especially among student athletes

Imagine a neighborhood where dozens of women were violently assaulted on a continuing basis. And that the local police chose not to bother investigating 40 percent of assault victims’ complaints. Would you continue to live in that neighborhood? Probably not. Especially if you had children.

That dangerous neighborhood actually exists in the United States. It’s called college.

This year American parents will be sending about 12 million of their 18- to 24-year-old daughters to attend colleges and universities. Instead of the ivy-covered walls, Homecoming bonfires, administrative support, and lifelong friendships we’d hoped for them, we’ll be sending many of them toward groping hands, drug-laced drinks, administrative indifference, and lifelong trauma. Witness the conviction this week of two former football players at Vanderbilt University for perpetrating and videotaping the rape of a fellow student.

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(more at above link)

Kareem

[salin]

1. powerful essay

Thank you Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for weighing in. Class act.

[mythology]

3. It's good to see that there are some athletes who can speak so eloquently and intelligently.

So many these days care about little more than their brand or their cred, or even worse as in the case of the referenced Vanderbilt football players.

[salin]

4. I appreciated his take on the culture of making athletes "heroes" - and his correction of that

by defining heroes as undergoing great sacrifice in the cause of betterment of the community.

[CrispyQ]

2. I love Kareem!

I remember years ago there was a book or something that was titled "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche." Kareem was being interviewed for something - his outstanding playing, I imagine - & the interviewer asked him about the new book & what he thought of the title & Kareen just smiled & said, "I like quiche."

I miss the finesse of Kareem on the courts. Slam dunking & hanging off the ring just looks silly after Kareem. And don't get me started about travelling. Did they change the definition of it since I was a kid?

Old fart, signing off, now.


on edit: I don't post on FB much, but I shared this along with my thoughts. It will be interesting to see what kind of feedback it generates.

[MinM]

5. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote a novel about Sherlock Holmes’ brother

http://www.avclub.com/article/kareem-abdul-jabbar-wrote-novel-about-sherlock-hol-213678

Kareem is awesome.

The Lansing City Pulse had a good piece on this subject too ..

http://www.lansingcitypulse.com/lansing/article-10046-battling-sexual-assault-at-msu.html

[MinM]

6. Right on cue .. known woman abuser Warren Sapp is arrested

The Daily Beast ?@thedailybeast: Warren Sapp has been arrested for assaulting two prostitutes while covering the Super Bowl. http://thebea.st/1AkMonm

Not a college campus case but another athlete/commentator gets busted.

[smirkymonkey]

7. K&R!

Thanks Kareem!