Unnecessary Roughness: Gender and Racial Politics in Domestic Violence Media Events

Abstract

Media accounts of physical assault perpetrated by male sport figures against women offer some of the most visible accounts of domestic violence available. This article examines these representations as media events that convey gender and racial meanings. Critical analysis of the Wilfredo and Ana Cordero domestic violence case and the Dan and Brenda McCarney domestic violence case suggests that, when acknowledged, violent abuse is often constructed as a matter of individual pathology without sustained critique of male cultural power. Yet, from the perspective of a White-dominated culture, violence perpetrated by men of color also suggests racist characterizations of cultural deficiency. While offering contradictory meanings, representations of these domestic violence incidents provide sites for the consolidation of male and White privilege.

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