For years, hazing was a common practice in American sports. When new players wanted to be part of the team, they had to endure it.
The world of American high school and college sports is often tough, and it's accompanied by the phenomenon of so-called “hazing”. This term covers humiliation, sexual harassment, forced drinking, or physical assaults, usually committed by older athletes against younger ones to “earn” their spot on the team.
There have been cases where these activities ended in death. According to surveys, 41% of young athletes in top university sports have encountered hazing. Some scandals ended up in court or led to the entire team being disbanded.
One of the most well-known cases of hazing occurred in the Northwestern University football team in Illinois. Older players forced younger ones to simulate sex or practice football moves while naked. After the scandal broke, the head coach was fired, and over 50 former athletes sued the university.
Before diving deeper into how hazing works in university sports and the various humiliating rituals, often involving sexual harassment, victims had to endure, we’d like to remind you that creating quality content is possible thanks to members of Refresher Club. Become one and enjoy all its perks.
- The humiliating ritual with elements of sexual harassment that players call the “human car wash”.
- How older players at Northwestern University forced younger ones to practice American football naked.
- Tragic cases where hazing victims died.
- When “hazing” first appeared in human history.
- How universities are fighting against hazing and if it still remains common practice in sports teams.
Human Car Wash
One of the students who sued Northwestern University anonymously described the practices older athletes used to punish younger students.
According to him, they were often forced to drink as many sports drinks as possible within ten minutes, and if they refused, there was another punishment called “running”. Several players would disguise themselves, lock the young player in a dark room, and simulate sex on them. Other practices included the “Shrek Clap” – players would circle around a teammate who made a mistake during training and clap over their heads.
At the human car wash, older players stripped, stood in line in front of the showers, and spun around – younger teammates had to brush against them to get to the shower. Other times, they were forced to strip and practice American football moves. Coach Pat Fitzgerald had led the team since 2006. In 2023, after the scandal broke, he was fired for tolerating and doing nothing to prevent degrading practices in the team.
Similarly, America was shaken by a case from New Mexico State University. Three former basketball players were charged with sexual abuse. Young players on the basketball team were forcibly restrained and grabbed by the genitals. The university prematurely ended the 2022/2023 competitive season.
Hazing isn’t just a problem in traditional team sports. In 2023, Boston College in Massachusetts faced a major scandal. The school indefinitely suspended its men’s and women’s swimming programs. Older athletes forced younger ones into excessive drinking and tied vomit bags around their necks. Some vomited, others fell unconscious. In this case too, coaches were dismissed for failing to prevent such practices in the team.
Hazing isn’t only faced by university students; many sports teams start with it in high school. In New York, eleven students, lacrosse team players, voluntarily reported to the police after a harsh hazing ritual. One victim described how after a match they were taken to the woods where the perpetrators pretended to be lost. Masked players emerged from the woods with knives and weapons. They put pillowcases over the victims' heads, bound them, and loaded them into a car trunk. Some managed to escape.
Hazing has Been Around Since Ancient Times, Some Cases End in Death
The history of hazing goes back to ancient Greece. According to journalist and hazing culture expert Hank Nuwer, Plato observed these practices among students. New students were commonly punished at European schools in the Middle Ages. From the mid-19th century, it became common practice in fraternities and sororities at American universities.
Sports teams tolerate hazing more because their hierarchical structure relies heavily on senior vs. junior dynamics. Humiliating rituals are often justified as building solidarity.
Hank Nuwer’s research indicates that from 1959 to 2021, at least one student or player died every year due to hazing. Fatal outcomes usually involve alcohol or physical exhaustion.
The media first reported on hazing in 1978. It wasn’t in a sports team but in a fraternity. Fraternities in America are known for their extreme initiation rituals that often have even more tragic consequences than sports hazing.
During an extreme alcohol consumption incident, 20-year-old Chuck Stenzel died. Stenzel was a new member of a fraternity at Alfred University in New York. He was forced to drink an extreme amount of alcohol during an initiation ritual. He was found dead in a car the next morning.
According to Nuwer, hazing is so popular because it is driven by the desire for social connection and friendship. “The collective need to belong somewhere is very strong,” he says.
Victims often become perpetrators in time because they see it as tradition. Researchers Elizabeth Allan and Mary Madden highlight in their study "Hazing in View: College students at risk" that students and athletes often can't distinguish what’s harmless and what constitutes hazing.
Awareness Rises, Hazing Persists
Awareness about hazing is much greater than a few years ago, yet most cases remain unreported. Many universities have preemptively banned all initiation rituals in fraternities, sororities, and sports teams. They also offer anonymous reporting of hazing and provide guides on their websites to clearly outline unacceptable behaviors so students can better recognize them.
They’ve also tightened laws. Currently, 44 states have anti-hazing laws, yet those accused typically receive only mild fines. Victims are often compensated by the university to settle cases and avoid damaging its reputation. Only perpetrators of the most serious cases, those ending in death, go to prison.
Despite stricter laws and increased awareness, hazing continues in American sports. Experts warn that completely eliminating it will be challenging because it's deeply ingrained in the culture of team sports and the notion that new members have to “earn” their place.
