Assaults with an assist: Gender violence in the National Hockey League and league reputation based on crisis communication

Assaults with an assist: Gender violence in the National Hockey League and league reputation based on crisis communication

    Presenter(s)

    Yana Crossland

    Comments

    Presentation: 3:00-4:00, Graduate Student Showcase, Roesch Library Gathering Place

    Description

    In October of 2022, an anonymous Twitter user under the pseudonym Emily Smith published a Tweet that contained a screenshot of a very long statement which alleged that Ian Cole, a defensemen for the Tampa Bay Lightning, had groomed and sexually assaulted her. The last paragraph of the statement says that “the NHL [National Hockey League] fosters a culture of misogyny”, and because of this, players feel “emboldened” to commit these acts of violence towards their victims (Smith, 2022). The NHL conducted an investigation in which they determined Cole was innocent (Associated Press, 2022). There are multitudes of instances in which players commit acts of gender violence (rishcast, 2021). When such incidents occur, the NHL may find it necessary to formally release a statement regarding the incident. This study examined how such a response impacts league reputation, word-of-mouth, behavior intention, and attitude, using the lens of situational crisis communication theory (SCCT).

    Publication Date

    4-17-2024

    Project Designation

    Graduate Research

    Primary Advisor

    Alan S. Abitbol, Jenn Freitag, Jen K. Ptacek

    Primary Advisor's Department

    Communication

    Keywords

    Stander Symposium, College of Arts and Sciences

    Institutional Learning Goals

    Scholarship; Critical Evaluation of Our Times; Traditions

    Assaults with an assist: Gender violence in the National Hockey League and league reputation based on crisis communication

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