Enterprise Journalism — May 6, 2010
Corrective Rape
E:60 (Tuesday, 7 p .m. ET, ESPN)
ESPN.com
One of the former top female soccer players in South Africa, Eudy Simelane, was raped and murdered. She was a lesbian and her story is part of an epidemic of rapes against openly gay women in the country. Jeremy Schaap, who recently won an Emmy for Sports Journalism for an E:60 feature, traveled to the impoverished, crime-ridden townships of South Africa to report on the disturbing trend of ‘corrective rape’ in the country hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He interviewed three South African women soccer players who say they were beaten and raped because they are gay. Their haunting stories — and an interview with Simelane’s mother — are the backbone of E:60’s report.
“The whole world is going to be focusing on what’s going on in South Africa this summer, and during our visit in March it was disturbing to find that there is so much violence committed against lesbians, including lesbian soccer players,” said Schaap. “It was also disturbing that the authorities in some cases don’t seem to pursue these crimes with the same vigor that they do crimes against straight women. It’s a very sad story and an important one because an entire community in South Africa, the lesbian community, lives in fear. I hope this story affects some positive change.”
Swimming’s Dirty Little Secret
Outside the Lines (Sunday, 9 a.m. ESPN)
ESPN.com
One coach calls it swimming’s “dirty little secret:” predatory coaches having sexual relationships with their under-aged athletes. This week, USA Swimming’s board of directors approved a seven-step plan to increase its attention to the decades-long sexual abuse problem. Reporter T. J. Quinn examines this issue through the eyes of the victims, some of whom were molested as early as age 11. He also visits a California prison and speaks with a former coach who is now serving a 40-year sentence after being convicted on 20 counts of molestation. Bob Ley hosts Sunday’s show, which also includes Quinn’s interview with USA Swimming Executive Director Chuck Wielgus.
“A lot of times, when I would go to bed to sleep, I’d run through this in my mind — Andy molesting my daughter. I can’t imagine my ever forgetting what has taken place. Just about every day I have some thought about what Andy’s done to her.” — Chuck, father of Julia, a molested swimmer, who agreed to speak to OTL on the condition that her identity be protected and her surname not be disclosed
“It started on the way to a swim meet and he pulled off on the side of the road because it was just me in his car. And he pulled over into a state park, and there was nobody around, and I was 11 years old, and he kissed me. I was panicked, and I remember thinking, is anybody around to see this? He’s so much older than me, why is he doing this to me?” — Debbie Denithorne, one of Andy King’s victims
Mariano Rivera Revealed
E:60 (Tuesday, 7 p.m., ESPN)
Widely considered one of the greatest closers in Major League Baseball history, Mariano Rivera has seldom opened up about his private life. E:60’s Tom Rinaldi, with unprecedented access, traveled into his world, including a visit to Rivera’s home, favorite restaurant and birthplace in Panama.
Boxing Faces Questions about Culture
ESPN.com
It’s been a brutal year in the world of boxing. Four high-profile fighters — Alexis Arguello, Arturo Gatti, Vernon Forrest and Edwin Valero — have died in the past 10 months, prompting questions about the culture of the sport.
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