Sex, Sport & Power

In my most recent book, Night Games, I follow the rape trial of a young footballer and explore top-level football and its treatment of women. From here, I look at issues such as consent and the uncertainties involved in ascertaining and giving it, athlete adulation and the sense of entitlement this can create, male behavior in groups and how it can get out of hand, rituals of humiliation, gender and inequity in sport, as well as the difficulties in prosecuting sexual assault. It is important to note however, that Night Games and my subsequent sessions, is not and are not anti-sport. The opposite in fact – I also explore the history of women in sport and the importance of maintaining a presence in a world that was once thought to belong to men.

Topics:

• Consent, rape, empathy & responsibility
• Sport, gender and power