Most males know and knew guys like Gym-ini-cricket Jordan ..

[PCIntern]

Of course the women knew them as well, but I’m referring to the context only of male-to-male athleticism and the “relationships” thereof.

As described in Catcher in the Rye, the protagonist reflects upon the basketball team member who borrowed the coach’s car to take a girl on a date. Now that of course is fairly innocuous compared to the scandal surrounding this particular asshole here, but these creepy guys find each other in the world of inter scholastic/intercollegiate sports (the pros are a whole different discussion).

There was a long-unused term, homoaffiliative, which describes these guys. They have a distaste for women and, like the RW, can justify any behavior of one of their own. And I know this first hand.

Even though I am relatively small of stature, I was a varsity soccer player for four years and played second singles for our tennis team for three, and first doubles in my freshman year, all in high school. I had joined the teams primarily so the big guys wouldn’t pick on me anymore and sure enough, they stopped immediately when they observed my prowess on the field and on the court. I found it both relieving and disturbing, for the criteria for being a victim were trumped (sorry) by athletic skill. These guys live in a world of their own and let me tell you, it can be very very creepy at times. I have about a thousand stories involving these guys which I would never repeat here because they’re misogynistic and/or disturbing but suffice it to say that I exhibited zero surprise when I read the accounts of what went on in that locker room and showers and of course, the doctor’s office. The last would be a whole long thread in and of itself someday perhaps.
In summary, these guys are rarely taken to task for gross behavior, and I mean gross/stomach-turning at times. When I publish my novel you can all read about it.

[MineralMan]

1. I'm glad I was a band geek instead of a jock.

Really.

[Lochloosa]

3. All y'all did was drugs.

I knew lots of band geeks

[MineralMan]

14. Well, my day was a little before many drugs were around.

We had other ways to amuse ourselves, though.

[bitterross]

23. Not a rock band, the school band/marching band. I was a band geek too.

We were pretty much all straight-arrows. Very boring. No drugs, no alcohol.

There was this one time at band camp though...

[Aristus]

19. Me too.

Although I came in for my own kind harassment. I was a tuba player, and the guys in the trumpet section were always stuffing things inside the bell of my tuba when I wasn't looking.

[pangaia]

22. ME TOO ...

[MotorCityBeard]

28. Raising hand, another band geek here

My first post, but have been on this site since 2000. My old log in was on an ancient email and couldn't recover it.

We had some "stoners" in band, but the majority of the members were, like myself, the "good" kids who did not do that and actually cared about our grades. We still got a lot of harassment, we were called "Band Fags", and such.

We laughed about it and called ourselves that.

[gopiscrap]

31. welcome to DU

[calimary]

30. I'm glad my son was "the music kid" instead of a jock!

He was in a rock band for ten years. Not a geek, though. Front man.

And he was one of those who didn’t care about grades or homework. EVERY parent-teacher conference in the middle of the school year began with the same assessment - from eight different teachers, 1st thru 8th: “well he’s REALLY smart, and I know he can do the work. But...”.

A few years later he was packing the Viper Room, touring the US, crowd-surfing at festivals, and signing girls’ chests - at THEIR request.

All he had to do was open that mouth and start singing, and even the hard-ass grade school principal shut up, stopped complaining, and sat down to watch. Last time he was called into her office, she was asking him to audition for the school musical, even though he wasn’t old enough yet. They only allowed the 7th and 8th graders to do the school musical. But they made an exception for him in 6th grade, and once in, they assigned him a big solo. He ALWAYS had a voice. Even before pre-school.

[Generic Other]

32. Me too

Band prepared me for a lifelong love of music. Way better than sports which I could care less about.

And yes, the jocks at my school did things other students discussed in whispers. I will never forget what a cheerleader tearfully confessed to me that happened to her.

[Kid Berwyn]

2. Here in Meeesheeegun...

...one of the great football powerhouses, a parochial school, forfeited all of its victories and the rest of the season because of behavior by members of the team. Hazing perversions included broom handles and places where the sun doesn’t shine. Parents and others were surprised. Those who are into the history of ultra authoritarianism not so much.

Look forward to the novel, Doctor.

[Mike Nelson]

4. I would add...

... that Jordan and the enablers sometimes think young men are not affected because they are usually stronger and more "manly" at a young age. They think an athletic young man is going to fine... it's not true... they are still kids and this is more than slapping a towel or masturbating -- there are sex acts that are not agreed to... and some constitute rape. There can be decades of emotional problems... to let a adult doctor "get away" with any kind of sexual behavior with any student is never acceptable.

[PCIntern]

5. Horrifying beyond belief... nt

[MotorCityBeard]

29. Couldn't agree more. Jordan disgusts me beyond words and I feel I need a shower...

...any time I see a clip of his smarmy, repulsive self.

A hell of a lot of those abused Ohio wrestlers will be struggling with what they experienced at the hands of that doctor for years That piece of shit knew what was going on and did nothing to stop it. Being a gay man who had a really bad first sexual experience with a trusted family member, I know what I'm talking about.

Of course, we all realize if he had a D beside his name, he would have been crucified by the media the minute the first wrestler came forward and would have immediately resigned.

[Pepsidog]

6. Excellent post. I have never heard of this term. Very interesting and explains a lot.

[dlk]

9. There was a recent, similar scandal with the La Vernia, Texas high school football team

This type of male-on-male sexual abuse is much more common than most people realize and has lasting traumatizing effects on the victims Unfortunately, it is seriously underreported due, in part, to our rigid male stereotypes. There is much healing to be done.

[PCIntern]

27. The term is rarely used these days...

I have never heard a reasonable answer as to the question, Why not?

[Wounded Bear]

7. K & R...for visibility...nt

[Scarsdale]

8. Gym Jordan is a nasty

piece of work, even apart from the ignoring of sexual complaints. How many of these wrestlers and their families voted to put him into office, I wonder? If anyone put one of my sons through this type of behavior, I would have reported it to authorities, until someone with a conscience acted. I am amazed that Gym does not wear his wrestling togs to "work".

[dlk]

11. I would venture a guess most voters in Jordan's district don't know or don't care

The traumatizing impact of male-on-male sexual abuse is too often minimized and swept under the rug.

[Bob Loblaw]

10. I hear these stories and wonder

how no "jock" ever kicked the shit out of the guy. Honestly.

[dlk]

15. It makes you wonder how many "jocks" are complicit

[smirkymonkey]

12. Now you have piqued my curiosity, since I have no idea as to what goes on

among these types of people. I can imagine that it's pretty awful. Can you share one or two of the less horrible anecdotes so we can get a better idea?

[extvbroadcaster]

13. I thought gym class was weird

I thought the whole thing of of high school gym class was weird. We had it at like 10 in the morning. So you woke up and got dressed and rode a stinky bus to school, went to a couple of classes and then had to confront some BS like dodge ball with a bunch of steroid induced morons throwing a ball at your head. And then, you were forced to get naked and shower with these same assholes. What a load. When I was a senior one of the perks was no gym class. A small bonus for being put through 3 years of crap by a bunch of gym jocks. Those that can't do, teach. Those that can't teach, teach gym. About says it all.

[malaise]

16. Publish that novel

please

[dalton99a]

17. Look, he can lift a jacket

He does own a jacket which he uses as an umbrella when there is no rain

[BlancheSplanchnik]

18. Of course. Women have known about the "go-along" guys for ages.

Nice that the issue’s finally raised, now that it’s about men.

[the_sly_pig]

20. "I just could not look the other way".....

Should be the start and end of each response from witnesses to each of Gym Jordan’s questions.

[Midnight Writer]

21. I know this is purely anecdotal, but I was talking to a guy who is a landlord in a college town

He owns dozens of off campus houses that he rents to students.

He told me that he will not rent to anyone on the college wrestling team.

He has in the past, and he says they absolutely wreck the property. They knock holes in the walls, rip toilets from the bathroom, bust windows. In addition, he is often called by the police at all hours to go to the house because of nuisance complaints, noise complaints, underage drinking, or because they have an arrest warrant for someone they believe is at the house. He also has problems collecting for damages beyond the security deposit, and has had these kids threaten him physically.

Of course he sometimes has problems with other students as well, but the issues with wrestlers are consistent and way over the top.

He says these kids try to act as outrageous as "Pro" wrestlers.

[Hekate]

24. I must be showing my age, but I immediately understood "homoaffiliative"...

I've known that term all my life, it feels like, but as we both know its use has been superceded by other concerns and other terms.

Yet it encompasses and explains so much that you have discussed in your fine OP.

Thank you.

[hunter]

25. They were some of the worst homophobes.

Yeah, they'd masturbate with other guys, but then they'd beat the hell out of anyone they considered "gay."

These guys started harassing me in middle school and it didn't end until I quit high school.

P.E. was required in high school so I took coed swimming and tennis for my own personal safety.

I suffered some horrible assaults in middle and high school and the only counseling I got was to act more like a "man." I was a skinny, squeaky, highly reactive autistic spectrum kid so that wasn't going to happen.

[Initech]

26. Oh yeah I had a stalker and harasser in high school.

Thankfully the POS finally got expelled after I spoke up about it toward the end of my freshman year. I wouldn't be surprised in the least if he's in jail right now. Later on I found out their family were campaign volunteers for the GOP, which really says a lot about the current political climate that we live in. If only I had known then.

[LiberalFighter]

33. Never had the experience back in the 70's.

I was a team manager for football, wrestling, and track in high school. The city was about 50,000. Never saw any instance of Gym Jordan crap in the showers or with the athletic trainer. Nothing could be done without others knowing about it.

I was a also a team manager at a state college in a small town (less than 20,000 or so) for the same sports. Later hired as equipment manager responsible for all sports. Football had their own locker rooms and training facilities in the stadium. Nothing funny happened like Gym Jordan there or at the main sports facility in the locker rooms, showers, or trainer's office.

No hazing. At least not on campus. Was not involved in a fraternity while at college.

[PCIntern]

34. You're lucky. Nt

[LiberalFighter]

36. I agree.

I don't know if it is different now though. Hopefully not. And hopefully, this serves as a warning.

[lunatica]

35. Please write that book!

It might well put a spotlight where one is desperately needed. Write it for the victims, past and future.

We need the male version of #MeToo.

Look at what has happened with the Catholic Church being exposed regarding pedophilia. Sports needs that exposure.