For many American families, Sunday football and the Super Bowl are beloved traditions filled with excitement. ESPN reports that over 18.7 million fans tune in for every game of their favorite team. For the average fan, Sunday football can be something to look forward to each week; but for women, it can be something they nervously fear. The National Library of Medicine conducted a study of the connection between family violence and viewing football. The study found that, “upset losses by the home team (losses when the team was originally predicted to win) lead to a roughly 10 percent increase in the number of police reports of at-home male-on-female intimate partner violence.”
According to a Gallup article, football has been the top sport in the United States since 1972 with 41 percent of American adults claiming it’s their favorite sport. As football has continued to grow increasingly popular, fanbases have begun to intensify. Football fanbases are not just about rooting for a certain team, but they also offer community and can act as a way for people to bond with each other over a shared interest.
Many find football an appealing sport to watch because of the rollercoaster of emotions one game can take someone through. From excitement, to worry and to excitement again, football has it a
ll. Charlie, a junior who wished to remain anonymous, emphasized how football is a huge part of his life.
“I’d say I’m a more intense [football fan] than most people because I’m not a casual fan; I’m a diehard fan,” Charlie said.
While football can create community and give people something to be excited about, it can also incite violence in people. The issue is not the sport itself, but the rise in domestic violence and sex trafficking cases that come from it. Football stadiums can intensify the average fan’s emotions of joy, anger and stress with the real time suspense, loud crowds and increased drinking rates they bring.
“Commonly, if you’re at a game and you see fights, [it’s because] a lot of these people are under the influence which draws out anger more often,” Charlie said.
Trine University reported on an incident happening at Gillette Stadium in 2023 where, “two fans began arguing in the stands, resulting in a Miami Dolphins fan punching a New England Patriots fan in the face.” The incident resulted in the New England Patriots fan passing away. This story serves as a reminder about how high tensions can be during football games and the intensification that alcohol adds.
Meghan Kehoe is an employee for the Center of Domestic Peace, the local protective violence agency in Marin County. She explained how many cases she receives can be due to the effects of alcohol.
“There’s a lot of alcohol. People are stressed out, maybe [they’re] at parties and things get out of hand. Around the Super Bowl, things of that nature [usually] also happen. [There’s] a lot of drinking, a lot of partying [and] maybe some heightened emotions around sports teams,” Kehoe said.
While this is an example of violence inside National Football League (NFL) stadiums, the violence doesn’t always stay inside the stands. Kehoe noted that the organization sees an increase in cases of domestic violence around big holidays and events such as American Independence Day and the Super Bowl. According to the National Organization for Women, 40 to 60 percent of all domestic violence cases have a high involvement of alcohol.
The Center of Domestic Peace defines domestic violence as a pattern of abusive behaviors used to gain power and control over somebody else. Domestic violence isn’t limited to physical pain, it can also cause mental scarring.
“Everything [is] rooted in domestic violence: dating abuse, sexual assault and human trafficking. [Those all] have very different ways of happening, but the root of all of them is someone having power and control over another person,” Kehoe said.
The outcome of football games is not something fans can easily control. As much as some would like to pretend they are experts on the sport and they know exactly how every game will turn out, that’s not realistic. When games don’t go according to plan, the need to find control and power in something more certain, and actions such as domestic violence, can arise. The Trine University article stated that 7.2 percent of NFL fans have been a victim to verbal harassment, physical violence and sexual harassment inside or close to a football stadium.
The issue of violence surrounding football is not limited to verbal assault and domestic violence. An article by the University of South Florida mentioned how sex trafficking cases significantly increase in the host cities of the Super Bowl. Sex trafficking is defined as illegaly forcing others, through methods such as coercion, threats or relocation, into involuntarily preforming sex work and sexual services. World Population Review noted that California is the state with the highest sex trafficking cases in 2021, 2022 and 2023, with a high of 1,338 cases in 2021.
This year, Super Bowl LX is taking place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. With the Super Bowl’s location, the Marin County Sheriff’s Department and the Center for Domestic Peace predict domestic violence, sex trafficking in specific, will significantly increase in the area. Kehoe explained that the reason sex trafficking is so prevalent at big events, such as the Super Bowl, is due to the large crowds.
“Traffickers bring trafficking victims into areas [surrounding football stadiums] because they know there’s going to be a huge influx in the population of people who want to ‘have a good time’ and are willing to spend money and use sex trafficking victims for their benefit,” Kehoe said.
Jamie Scardina, elected Marin County Sheriff, has been alerted to the rise of sex trafficking during the Super Bowl, prompting his team to work with the Domestic Center of Peace to help prevent domestic violence and sex trafficking incidents.
“[The] Center for Domestic Peace has been a great partner in providing training for not only the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, but [also] for the local law enforcement agencies here in Marin County,” Scardina said.
Although the Bay Area is sometimes overlooked when it comes to sex trafficking and domestic violence, Scardina confirmed it is just as prevalent in the Bay Area as it is anywhere else.
“Oftentimes people don’t think things like [sex trafficking and domestic violence] can happen in Marin County or let alone the Bay Area, so I think shedding more light on this topic is great,” Scardina said.
In sensitive situations such as domestic violence and sex trafficking, individuals may feel helpless or trapped when they or someone close to them is in danger. Junior Anna Steeves, a member of Peer Resource, gave her advice from the program on managing these scenarios.
“If you know someone in a situation like this or have heard of anyone in a situation like this, definitely reach out to either a domestic violence abuse shelter – there’s multiple in San Francisco – or contact a trusted friend, parent or adult,” Steeves said.
As Steeves explained, seeking assistance can involve serious risk and may require discretion and measured approach. This risk is tied to the dynamics of power and control that often define abusive relationships. When an abuser realizes their control is threatened, violence can intensify.
“Oftentimes people who use harm feel like they have to [have] some sort of control in their life [and that] they have to have some sort of control over another person. That’s why when someone leaves a relationship or is about to leave a relationship and the abusive person sees that they are losing control is when things become most violent and most dangerous,” Kehoe said.
NFL Sunday Night football and the Super Bowl may always be at the heart of American culture and tradition. While football games do not directly cause domestic abuse or sex trafficking, it amplifies the conditions that can allow these problems to occur. If a friend, family member or individual is in danger, reach out and contact the National Hotline for Domestic Violence, (800)-799-7233, for help.
