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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