11/9/13
The emotional abuse allegations by Jonathan Martin from his Miami Dolphin teammates with Richie Incognito as a primary instigator are unprecedented yet not surprising in an environment where physical prowess and intimidation are valued. The reports that are now surfacing about Richie Incognito are indeed disturbing if they prove to be true: in addition to bullying, sexual assault against a female volunteer, “mandatory” team meetings at a strip bar, establishment of a culture of coercion. These among other allegations of violence suggest a lack of empathy, akin to antisocial behavior. What I am curious about is the culture of football itself and the violence inherent in it, where controlled physical aggression is a skill–can empathy be turned on and off like a light switch? Where a common goal is the physical and mental domination of another human being–does a lack of empathy make a better football player? In Incognito’s case, a better lineman?—as with each and every participated play, overpowering your opponent is crucial for success. I believe without an establishment of character and a flexibility of identity, you can see how a football player without such cognitive reserve and alternatives may be limited in strategies to meet their needs. If fear and physical domination is what you are valued for and paid handsomely to demonstrate, it is understandable to see how this can spread off the football field, in the locker room, and in the interpersonal life of an individual such as Incognito. For such an individual and those of a similar frame of mind, what may be reparative is the processing of past trauma (in Incognito’s case, the intersection of being bullied himself and his own personality traits) and developing a sense of self that is beyond the limitations of a narrowed identity.
Evolution MC 