Deviance in Sport

Former tight end of the New England Patriots, Aaron Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on April 15th.  At his trial in Massachusetts, he was found guilty for first degree murder on his onetime friend Odin Lloyd.  He was also found guilty for having an unlawful possession of a firearm, and an unlawful possession of ammunition. Odin Lloyd was Hernandez's soon to be brother in law, and also a friend of his.  Assistant District Attorney William McCauley described the murder as an extremely cruel and atrocious killing.  Aaron Hernandez will be serving his sentence in Walpole, Massachusetts, which is about 1.5 miles from Gillette Stadium, home of Hernandez's former team, the New England Patriots.

To read more go to Aaron Hernandez guilty of murder in death of Odin Lloyd   

This article connects directly to what we learned in class on April 7th, when we learned about deviance in sport.  We learned specifically in class on April 7th, about examples of deviance in society, which includes:

• Using illegal drugs
• Violent crimes (murder, rape, battery, and abuse)
• Stealing/ robbery of a bank

In class on April 7th, we also learned that violence in sport parallels the reality of violence in society as a whole.  What we learned in class, and what I learned from this article directly relates to deviance problems in sport today.  It comes as no surprise to hear Hernandez's murder was extremely brutal and cruel.  NFL players like Hernandez, are told to hit their opponent as hard as they can, and to do whatever it takes to stop them from winning.  When athletes are trained to essentially be violent on the field, does it surprise anyone to see athletes translating this violence off the field?  Athletes should know not commit violent crimes, but it has commonly became more of an issue, especially in the NFL this past year.  Domestic violence is becoming a major problem in the NFL and other leagues, and it needs to come to a stop.  Young children are looking up to athletes such as Hernandez, and children will think these actions are normal and okay because their favorite player has done it.  I believe the New England Patriots handled the situation well.  As soon has allegations came out about Hernandez, they released him right away. They also allowed fans with Hernandez's jerseys to trade them in for another player currently on the team.  The Patriots, and any other professional team, do not want to be associated with this kind of deviant act.  There is no place in sport for deviant acts, especially murder, which is arguably the worse possible crime a person could commit.  Aaron Hernandez rightfully received what he deserved, with a life sentence in prison for murder.  Even though he is an athlete, he did not get any special treatment, and he was treated just like a regular citizen.  It is a shame to see someone with such great talent, and a great career ahead, to just throw that all away with a deviant act of murder.