This Week in the Mercury
Thursday, July 2, 2009
News Rape Allegations: Another Side Effect of Big Soccer?
Posted by Matt Davis on Thu, Jul 2, 2009 at 6:16 PM
Three or four Portlanders may still be unaware, but the Rose City is going through some pretty intense troll wars soul-searching over the value of Major League Soccer right now. More here. Economists say MLS is unlikely to make Portland any actual money, so the mayor has been pushing soccer as an "amenity" for the "community" over recent weeks. Still I was struck pretty hard this afternoon by another inevitable side effect of overpaying testosterone-loaded young men to kick a ball about occasionally: Rape allegations. They happen against football players in England, all the time!
Now Multnomah County has one. As Stranger editor Christopher Frizelle reported earlier, a suit was filed Tuesday right here in Portland alleging that Seattle Sounders player (and last week's man of the match) Nate Jaqua sexually assaulted a woman when she was attending the University of Oregon on a soccer scholarship in 2007:
At midnight, she headed home alone, but says Jaqua insisted on walking with her for several blocks.And there I was thinking soccer fans just sang about "shagging" strangers.That's when Jaqua attacked the plaintiff and "subjected her to a brutal, forcible sexual assault," the lawsuit claims. Jaqua allegedly penetrated her vagina and anus with his fingers and penis, and then ejaculated and urinated on her.
The alleged victim is seeking $5million in damages, and of course it should be stressed that these are all just allegations at this stage. Calls to her attorney and to the Seattle Sounders are yet to be returned.
1
And this has what to do with having a Portland MLS team exactly?
So maybe if a teacher raped a student somewhere we should start rethinking this school thing....?
We've already seen NBA players accused of such things, perhaps we ought to just kick the Blazers out of town then?
While we're at it, I've heard that a lot of rape takes place in prisons - perhaps we should toss that idea out the window?
So maybe if a teacher raped a student somewhere we should start rethinking this school thing....?
We've already seen NBA players accused of such things, perhaps we ought to just kick the Blazers out of town then?
While we're at it, I've heard that a lot of rape takes place in prisons - perhaps we should toss that idea out the window?
2
correlation != causation, Matt. Do you really think there's anything of value about this post? Feel free to clarify...
3
"of course it should be stressed that these are all just allegations at this stage"
there was a time that i felt your opposition to MLS was a good counterbalance to the sometimes hysterical timbers army, but this really is a large pile of football hating shit. you really need to take a good long look in the mirror and explain to yourself the value of this post.
way, way over the top.
there was a time that i felt your opposition to MLS was a good counterbalance to the sometimes hysterical timbers army, but this really is a large pile of football hating shit. you really need to take a good long look in the mirror and explain to yourself the value of this post.
way, way over the top.
4
Ugh. These bare allegation things really suck. I hope nobody ever makes some bare allegations about me that may or may not be true we really have no idea.
6
Yeah, I don't really want to be a jerk about it, but I have to agree with everyone else. You can't be honestly implying that a valid argument against MLS is that people are going to get raped if we let them in our town.
However,
If you are desperate to play the rape card (its, um, your prerogative?), there is some documentation that once a professional athlete is accused of sexual assault, they are statistically less likely to be either prosecuted or convicted than your average Joe the Alleged Rapist. But that's not to say they are more likely to rape people than any other group of people. (And for the record, soccer isn't even mentioned in the report)
(http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2003-12-21-…)
However,
If you are desperate to play the rape card (its, um, your prerogative?), there is some documentation that once a professional athlete is accused of sexual assault, they are statistically less likely to be either prosecuted or convicted than your average Joe the Alleged Rapist. But that's not to say they are more likely to rape people than any other group of people. (And for the record, soccer isn't even mentioned in the report)
(http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2003-12-21-…)
9
I'm just surprised Matt didn't post this under smirk's byline.
Well in, Trolly Trollington. Let's hope this gets a lot of hits so Humpy can feel okay about you continuing to sell the Merc's journalistic reputation (such as it is) down the shitter (no pun intended). Still running the editorial desk out of the sales office?
Well in, Trolly Trollington. Let's hope this gets a lot of hits so Humpy can feel okay about you continuing to sell the Merc's journalistic reputation (such as it is) down the shitter (no pun intended). Still running the editorial desk out of the sales office?
12
To echo others: and this has WHAT TO DO WITH PORTLAND MLS??
Regardless of whether you are for or against the MLS deal (I am for), this article you've done up calls your journalistic integrity into question.
Regardless of whether you are for or against the MLS deal (I am for), this article you've done up calls your journalistic integrity into question.
14
I've always stood behind Matt Davis' attempt to bring certain issues to light, whether about the sit-lie law or the fiscal state of the city, but this article is absolute bullshit. The Portland Mercury has an incredible reputation of journalism that other outlets could only dream of, but somehow implying that Portland's MLS bid is in anyway related to a Seattle Sounder soccer player's alleged criminal misconduct is absurd. Frankly, I'm disappointed the Mercury stands behind this guilt-by-vague-association article. If you want to dig up more numbers on the economics, politics, or ethics of spending public tax bucks on a stadium, well, that's journalism. If you want to write hit-jobs like this, it proves that you aren't trying to cover city hall politics but rather create grudges by slandering and misrepresenting the very people you are supposed to be objectively critiquing. Gah, where's Amy Ruiz when you need her?
15
"The Portland Mercury has an incredible reputation of journalism that other outlets could only dream of"
Wut?
Oh, and to your question about Ruiz: Amy got bought off by a corrupt [yet lulz-generating] mayor. Do try to keep up...
Wut?
Oh, and to your question about Ruiz: Amy got bought off by a corrupt [yet lulz-generating] mayor. Do try to keep up...
16
I think that the Portland Mercury does a great job of covering certain aspects of stories that other journalism outlets in Portland tend to ignore. The Mercury has been at the forefront of discussion about the CRC, the Sit-Lie laws, and the Lents debacle.
I was asking about Amy Ruiz because she would never run this sort of bullshit as an argument against MLS2PDX.
oh and @swings & roundabouts, if you don't like the Mercury, don't read it.
I was asking about Amy Ruiz because she would never run this sort of bullshit as an argument against MLS2PDX.
oh and @swings & roundabouts, if you don't like the Mercury, don't read it.
17
Well, Amy was a better reporter than Matt, by far. Look at their articles, this isn't a subjective opinion. Sadly, Amy's no longer a reporter.
Additionally, the "if you don't like it, don't read it" nonsense is the sort of thing that leads people to be so myopic and unaware of the media landscape that they end up saying things like "The Portland Mercury has an incredible reputation of journalism that other outlets could only dream of". Once they work out the basics of factually correct reporting and competent copy-editing, perhaps the Merc can can move on to being the envy of the 4th estate. I'm not holding my breath.
Additionally, the "if you don't like it, don't read it" nonsense is the sort of thing that leads people to be so myopic and unaware of the media landscape that they end up saying things like "The Portland Mercury has an incredible reputation of journalism that other outlets could only dream of". Once they work out the basics of factually correct reporting and competent copy-editing, perhaps the Merc can can move on to being the envy of the 4th estate. I'm not holding my breath.
18
Dearest Matt,
Remember when you had fun yelling the same chants, said the whole thing stank of civic pride, and then wrote about it? I do.
http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/Blogto…
Remember when you had fun yelling the same chants, said the whole thing stank of civic pride, and then wrote about it? I do.
http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/Blogto…
19
"The Portland Mercury has an incredible reputation of journalism that other outlets could only dream of".
Now that has to be the funniest, and most delusional, thing I've ever read on here. Which other "outlets"? Please, do tell! I'm in need of more laughs today.
Now that has to be the funniest, and most delusional, thing I've ever read on here. Which other "outlets"? Please, do tell! I'm in need of more laughs today.
20
This is ridiculous. Is there a way to get the Blogtown RSS feed sans Matt "The Bullshitter" Davis's drivel?
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