Drawing on extensive interviews with athletes, victims, attorneys, coaches, team officials, and others, the book provides in-depth examination of several incidents of rape, gang rape, and assault by successful sports figures. It confronts such controversial issues as race, class, the groupie phenomenon, the sexually permissive lifestyle of many athletes, the consensual sex defense, and the sports industry's indifference to recruiting or drafting talented athletes with criminal records. Among the topics considered are sexually transmitted disease, infidelity and domestic violence, the exceptional scrutiny and harassment endured by women who accuse athletes of rape, and the difficulties in securing convictions. The book includes proposals for implementing sanctions at both the college and professional levels to reduce the number of violent crimes committed against women by athletes. Notes, references, appendix, index