Penn State Scandal Case Study: Societal Perception and Stereotypes

This case study examines the Penn State child abuse scandal involving Jerry Sandusky and its profound impact on the university and broader society. It begins with an overview of the events, starting from Sandusky's establishment of The Second Mile charity to the eventual exposure and conviction for sexually abusing children over a 15-year period. The study highlights the challenges the scandal posed to Penn State, including the dismissal of coach Joe Paterno and the severe damage to the organization's reputation. Furthermore, it analyzes how the incident reinforced negative stereotypes about men in sports and those in positions of power, contributing to a widespread defamation of the organization. The case study concludes by emphasizing the need for sports organizations to be vigilant against potential predators and to foster a culture of reporting suspicious behavior. This document is available on Desklib, where students can find a wealth of academic resources and study tools.

Running Head: SPORTS AND SOCIETY
Sports and Society
Name of Student
Name of University
Author note

1SPORTS AND SOCIETY
Section 1
The Penn State child abuse scandal was widely covered by media over a period of 15
years and continue to be one of the most debatable cases in the history of recorded sexual abuse
in sports organizations. Although the incident(s) took place way back in the late 1970s to early
20s, they were not revealed until late 2011 when the grand jury released a report containing the
testimony to the crimes of Jerry Sandusky, former defensive coordinator of Penn State. This
assignment summarizes the incidents and effects it had on the societal perception of sports
organizations. The latter section of the paper discusses how the incident reinforced stereotypes
the organizations have perpetuated.
A: an overview of the case
On 22nd June 2012, former defensive coordinator of Penn State, Gerald Sandusky was
charged and found guilty of sexually abusing children over a period of 15 years. The scandal left
the entire community of the university in pieces. The timeline of the events are as follows:
Sandusky established a foster home aimed at helping out troubled boys, named The Second Mile
in 1977. As the program evolved into a state charity program, prominent sports figures were
made its board members. Skip to 1994; a man of 26 reports being sexually abused by Sandusky
as a child, when he spent Friday nights at his house(Viera, 2018) . In May 1998 an 11-year-old
boy tells his mother after returning from an outing with Sandusky, that they took a shower
together and that the coach made unnecessary physical contact with him while in the shower.
The investigations started with the mother informing the police of the incident and Sandusky
admits to the charges in front of the jury. The report encouraged more victims of Sandusky to
come out and take a stand against the crime. After Sandusky retired from the football program,
he was not denied access to the campus which enabled him to continue with the crimes. There

2SPORTS AND SOCIETY
were increasing number of witnesses who were willing to testify the charges against Sandusky.
In 2002, a graduate assistant saw the coach abuse a minor and reported it to the police and the
matter was finally escalated to The Second Mile Charity. The following years witnessed a series
of charges brought against Sandusky, either by the victims or by their guardians. It was not until
the end of November 2011 that an official civil lawsuit was finally filed against Sandusky. A 29-
year-old plaintiff, John Doe reported that he was repeatedly abused by Sandusky when he was
between the ages 10 to 14. In December the same year, Sandusky was asserted on the charges of
having abused two more young boys. The court proceedings commenced from January, 2012 and
the jury finally found the accused guilty of as many as 45 counts of sexual abuse in June 22nd
(NPR.org, 2018)
B: Challenges the incident presented to the organization
Joe Paterno, the chief coach of the football team was dismissed by the Pennsylvania State
University Board of Trustee with the accusation that he had failed to prevent a 15-year-old cycle
of routine sexual assaults by his former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky. However, accused
Sandusky, who was earlier associated with a charity organization dedicated to helping out needy
children, was bailed out of jail for a ransom of 100,000 dollars. The entire case was presented to
the media as one about a compulsive sexual predator who utilized his position and power within
the university premise to recurrently pretty on minors and get away with it for a long time. Under
the assistance of Mr. Sandusky, the Penn State football team reached the top tiers in interstate
sports and the abuse case and it has deeply affected reputation of the organization. The people
who prioritize social values expressed strong disdain towards the authorities of the committee
and severely criticized their callousness towards issues as sensitive as child molestation. The
organization was a well-reputed and reliable forum for sports enthusiasts and guardians of young

3SPORTS AND SOCIETY
sporty children unhesitatingly sent their children to the club for honing their skills. The news of
multiple accusations of sexual abuse sent shockwaves around the city and was soon to gain
widespread notice following the extensive media coverage ("centredaily.com", 2018). The case
had soon become an international issue and the Penn State was under severe scrutiny for
investigating sexual predators who are closeted in reputable social ranks.
Section 2
A: The defamation of the organization following the incident
Something that needs urgent attention is the fact that a sexual offender is privileged enough to
bail out of prison despite having committed heinous crimes against innocent children. Sandusky
was not given a due punishment for his crimes as justice has clearly not been served to the
victims. Although it must be pointed out that the incident triggered rather extreme responses
from the local crowd who demanded the complete abolition of the organization, along with the
termination of all sports association that operate independently, without allowing any intrusion
from the government.
Stereotypes and cultural norms re-enforced by the incident
The incident reinforced the stereotype that is predominant among the ordinary crowd of
the state: men associated with sports are characteristically vindictive and spiteful. This also
reinforced the idea that men in power have will take every opportunity they can get to misuse it.
It is debilitating that despite the eye-witnesses, the valid proofs and the authentic details of the
heinous incidents, Sandusky was able to fake his alibis and get away with his unpardonable
misconducts with little hassle. The entire incident is a testimony to the fact that sexual predators
are nothing close than what they are expected to be; and power, position does a lot to shield these
offenders while they perpetuate their malpractices with little guilt or difficulty. Currently, the

4SPORTS AND SOCIETY
organization is suffering massive defamation on account of the disturbing events that reached the
entire nation and beyond. It will take a while for the association to recover the damage impinged
on its image. Moreover, organizations like these must be on the lookout for sexual predators like
Sandusky and train members to report if they notice anything remotely suspicious.

5SPORTS AND SOCIETY
Reference and bibliography:
Delirium, P. (2018). Marketing Strategy H&M. Retrieved from
http://www.academia.edu/12881172/Marketing_Strategy_H_and_M
Centredaily.com. (2018). Retrieved from
https://www.centredaily.com/news/local/education/penn-state/article221351815.html
NPR.org. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2011/11/08/142111804/penn-state-abuse-
scandal-a-guide-and-timeline
Viera, M. (2018). Jerry Sandusky, Former Coach At Penn State, Is Charged With Abuse.
Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/sports/ncaafootball/former-coach-
at-penn-state-is-charged-with-abuse.html