Theorizing Feminist Abolitionist Approaches to Gender-Based Violence: A Descriptive Case Study of Gender-Based Violence in SportsWorld

Abstract

Gender-based violence has long been a concern for feminist scholars and activists. Second-wave feminists agitated for the criminalization of violence, and more recently, feminist abolitionists have articulated the dangers and risks of relying on the criminal legal system to effectively address gender-based violence. Here we theorize the application of feminist abolitionist principles for addressing gender-based violence in the institution of sports in the United States, with the goal of addressing harm and reducing future acts of violence. After analyzing data from our unique data set, which documents gender-based violence in college and professional sports and tracks noncarceral sanctions imposed by professional leagues, teams, and colleges, our analysis reveals few consequences for perpetrators coupled with relatively high rates of serial abuse. Despite failures in the implementation of these noncarceral sanctions, we theorize the potential of sport organizations to intervene in and prevent gender-based violence in ways that advance feminist abolitionist goals.