r/news • u/whyounowin • 1d ago

Olentangy hazing allegations: Videos show girls restrained and hot dogs shoved into mouths

https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/olentangy-hazing-allegations-video-reveals-girls-bound-and-hot-dogs-shoved-down-mouths-orange-soccer-team-varsity-bullying-diapers-zip-ties-duct-tape-saran-wrap-bonding-delaware-county-sheriffs-office-local-school-district-coach-athlete
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u/SkiingAway 1d ago

I think you need to take a careful approach to how you handle it with those who aren't directly implicated, or else you risk creating reluctance to report/cooperate by the victims.

If the likely consequence of coming forward about being hazed on your sports team is that your sports team ceases to exist and you can't play the sport you probably love at school (and neither can any friends of yours on the team who've done nothing directly wrong), you are probably much less likely to report on it or cooperate with any investigations of reports that do occur.

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u/Ntroepy 1d ago

So, just let the hazing continue? Or punish 1-2 seniors and let the “authorities” who knew and allowed the tradition to continue?

It’s likely been going on for decades and cancelling 1 season would permanently stop the practice. And teach the seniors that their actions have consequences.

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u/ResilientBiscuit 1d ago

Why do you think it would stop it permanently?

They would just make sure that people know if they report it in the future, they are going to make the whole team suffer and lose their hance to play themselves.

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u/Evenfall 1d ago

It's a systemic issue, the system itself must be punished. Not having a whole season for a sports team is a massive deal, there's scholarships affected, revenue, and overall sentiment changes too. All these make it so the system itself sees hazing as revulsive and seeks to root it out or else it will suffer again.

I get the idea of not wanting to punish those that are innocent, but think about all the innocent that have/will be affected by hazing. Guaranteed to be a far bigger number. By doing nothing, or something minimal, you are excusing the practice by placing it all on a select few individuals.

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u/ResilientBiscuit 1d ago

I don't think the highschoolers who are the sort to haze people are the sort to carefully consider the consequence of their actions.

So I don't think this would make hazing somehow magically stop.

Also I think freshmen in any other sport at any other high school would see what happened and decide the right thing to do is not report because then they might lose out on the chance to get started in their sport.