Be it a social circle, a club, a sports team, or a work environment, there are many reasons why a person may want to join a particular group. We may want to achieve a goal that would be impossible to reach on our own.
We may want to access social capital to advance our position in the community. Or, we may simply want to find other people who share our interests. But whatever our reasons, if we seek to join and stay in a group, we will likely want to feel as though we belong in it (and possibly belong to it).
Sometimes, before a new recruit is fully accepted into a group, they will be expected to prove their worth, pass a test or fulfill certain obligations to achieve membership. In sports teams, this might include a form of initiation called hazing.
In some cases, a potential recruit might be tasked with doing chores for senior team members. In other cases, tricks are played on newcomers. Whether it's seen as a bonding exercise or a right of passage, it's generally considered to be "all in good fun."
Of course, sometimes the tricks are not fun for everyone involved. Hazing can often involve degrading, demeaning, humiliating, or even dangerous activities meant to put new recruits in their place and to determine just how badly they want to be part of the established group. And when certain tasks or behaviours reach this level, hazing can all-too-easily cross the line into illegality.
In this blog post, I discuss some recent incidents in Canadian sports in which "hazing" needs to be properly understood as abuse and assault. I also suggest ways to stop this cycle of abuse and explain what options are available to people who are survivors of this type of abuse or assault.
Recent Incidents of Hazing in Sports.
On April 15, 2024, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested three teens for alleged sexual assault in connection with hazing on a hockey team. Two of teens were arrested for sexual assault with a weapon and sexual assault and forcible confinement, and the third was arrested for sexual assault and assault for alleged acts against five other teens. Formal charges were pending.
In a CBC news story about the arrests, the co-founder of the anti-abuse Respect Group, said the one positive element in this horrific story was that the young men who suffered from these acts felt confident enough to speak to someone.
"I applaud the victims in this case for coming forward, because it's not easy at all," Wayne McNeil told the CBC. McNeil, who co-founded Respect with Sheldon Kennedy, a former NHL player who went public with his story of abuse by his junior hockey coach, urged the players affected to prioritise self-care and seek professional help.
Unfortunately, while this hazing incident is the latest high-profile case of abuse and assault in Canadian team sports, many other cases have come before it. For instance, in 2018, a video showing St. Michael's College teenaged football and basketball players sexually violating classmates with a broomstick resulted in a national dialogue on hazing in sport.
However, researchers have found that the news media coverage of abuse in sport has tended to minimize athlete-on-athlete sexual violence in favour of reporting on times when coaches have abused players. In "Sexual assault in the locker room: sexually violent hazing in Canadian sport," Curtis Fogel and Andrea Quinlan also explain that reporting that "downplay[s] the criminal aspects of hazing" have distorted our understanding of the term. Sportswriters, until recently, tended to report hazing in a way to make it appear "fun, traditional, and welcome."
The Varied Experience of Survivors.
While the five teenage players in Manitoba who came forward to report what they experienced to police found that law enforcement was willing to take action, many other athletes who have been subjected to sexually violent hazing choose not to report this abuse. They often worry that they will face dismissive reactions from police or retribution from other players or community members if they do.
This was true for Akim Aliu, a promising OHL player drafted sixth overall. Aliu witnessed team members on the Windsor Spitfires force four rookies to strip before locking them in the bathroom on a tour bus. He chose not to go along with it, but when he later went public with this incident and others, the fallout was immense.
Despite his strong technical skills noted by hockey scouts, he was passed over for invitations to Hockey Canada tournaments and went undrafted by the NHL. One scout, who watched Aliu play for years, confirmed he had superior skills, but said while there was no question he was an "athlete," the real question was whether he was "a player."
It became clear that after Aliu came forward he was seen by many as a troublemaker rather than being recognized for what he was: someone who refused to conform in the face of evident wrongdoing.
Changing Sports Culture That Normalises Hazing.
Maddie Brockbank, a PhD Candidate in Social Work at McMaster University, suggests that attempts to minimise the sexual assaults and abuse within hazing as the product of a few bad apples "overlooks the normalisation of these practices and the bystander behaviours that allow it to continue unabated."
Brockbank says gender-based violence in sport does not exist in a vacuum; rather, it finds fertile ground when hazing dependent on sexism, racism and homophobia is tacitly accepted and legitimised by coaches and other players.
In Ontario, research has found that one in three coaches in Ontario know their teams practise hazing rituals, but either accept it as part of sport culture, condone it and participate in it, or do not feel they have the training necessary to challenge it.
While there are programs designed to educate coaches and players about sexual violence, Brockbank explains that one-and-done training sessions are much less effective than sustained efforts. And those efforts should include zero tolerance policies and alternative team-bonding practices.
Moreover, cycles of violence which are designed to perpetuate a hierarchy in a team can and should be broken by people who have achieved status and rank within the group. While rookies may feel powerless to challenge "traditions" and fear for their future if they report what happened to them, senior players or former players can use their privilege to shut down this abuse.
If You or a Loved One Has Been Abused or Assaulted During Hazing.
Sports team hazing disproportionately affects teenagers. Parents who discover what has happened are understandably upset and often determined to do something about it.
However, as with any type of abuse or assault, the survivor must have control over decisions about if, how, and when to proceed with any actions. As a sexual assault lawyer, when I'm contacted by a survivor or one of their loved ones for an initial consultation, the advice that I provide is situation dependent.
Generally the sooner a survivor comes forward the better - even if it's only to learn about their rights and options under the law. But, ensuring that you are mentally prepared to discuss a traumatic event or proceed with certain options is essential. Therefore, identifying and potentially accessing support groups for survivors, counsellors, therapists, or trauma-informed lawyers, may assist a survivor in making an informed decision.
There is some general information that may have a bearing on how a survivor may want to proceed with a sexual assault case. While Canada no longer has a statute of limitations against pursuing criminal charges or civil actions against assailants who commit sexually violent acts, charges or civil actions based on peer-to-peer physical violence must be commenced within two years (or within two years after a minor reaches the age of 18).
You do not need to pursue criminal charges in order to file a civil lawsuit for damages and compensation against your assailant(s) or an institution (a sport team or league) that facilitated conditions permitting the abuse.
As someone who has participated in team sports, I understand how important it can be for players to form bonds, build rapport, and establish their position within the membership. But there are ways to accomplish these goals without degrading, humiliating, and outright abusive hazing rituals.
If you've been hurt by abusive sports hazing and you would like to know more about your legal rights, contact me today. Our team of Toronto sexual abuse lawyers at Jellinek Ellis Gluckstein will meet with you to find out more about your situation and advise you of your options for pursing a sexual assault lawsuit and assess next steps for compensation and resolution. We are here to help.