Sport Crime - Aggravated Assault In The Pros
The interaction between crime and sport is a pretty interesting phenomenon
. There are many circumstances where an athlete can do something on the field of play which wouldn't ever be allowed in "real" life. Take a look at boxing, mixed martial arts, or football. In the ring, grown men are allowed to punch each other in the face with no legal retribution. Even in a case where both men consent to fight on the in an everyday public setting, both would be guilty of numerous criminal charges. I asked a professional fighter why he competes and he responded, "How else can I legally beat the crap out of someone?"
I might not ever understand the mindset of an athlete, but I certainly understand the laws that apply on the sporting field.
By far the most common criminal offense that occurs on the sporting field is assault. This isn't really surprising if you think about it. Incredibly competitive athletes in the midst of an intense physical competition tend to be highly emotional and volatile. In addition, "trash talking" can lead to people being directly provoked into physical altercations.
Assault isn't what people usually think it is; believe it or not, no physical contact even has to occur in order for assault to exist. In truth, the only thing that matters is that someone believes that he or she might be physically harmed.
For example, if I'm on the baseball field and I tell an opposing player that I'm going to smash his head in, I might be guilty of assault. The main determinant is whether or not the opposing player actually believes that I might carry out the threat. Technically, if the threatened party thinks that I'm going to do some face smashing, I am guilty of assault and a case could be filed against me.
You might think that this is ridiculous, especially on a field of play. However, police would be required to investigate the matter as seriously as they would with any other crime.
Most people consider assault to be some unwanted act of violence. If someone punches you in the face, then you've been assaulted. This is obviously true. The severity of any type of attack is graded in different degrees of assault. A typical fistfight is usually either a third or fourth degree assault. However, it could be a second degree if enough injury is caused.
When it comes to sports, the assault line isn't always clear. The issue of "consent" must be taken into consideration. A professional boxer is obviously consenting to being punched in the face. A quarterback is willing to be tackled to the ground by a huge human being running as fast as possible and ramming a shoulder into his back. Since these athletes are willing to subject themselves to this type of abuse fundamentally in their sport, no true legal assault is present.
However, a fistfight on a football field could certainly be considered assault. It just usually isn't. The league will undoubtedly fine both players, but neither will typically end up with a criminal charge. Now, if one of the players removes his helmet, and tries to bash the other player over the head, charges can certainly be filed. In addition, a hard, heavy football helmet could undoubtedly be ruled as a lethal weapon. Now we're actually talking about a pretty serious assault charge.
Many professional athletes operate seemingly above the law. They get away with stuff that normal people wouldn't even consider. This often includes assault, but that's just by virtue of choice. Since most of the "assaulted" parties on the field typically keep a "no harm, no foul" policy, these charges go without being pressed.
by: Travis Tormey
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