Male student-athletes were overrepresented in incidents of sexual and physical assault against women. This suggests that certain qualities--such as aggression and taking control, that are highly valued in some arenas--may be defined as deviant when acted out in other settings. It is not clear if the association between athletic affiliation and violence against women was causal or the result of behavior only indirectly related to sports (e.g., hostile attitudes toward women, binge drinking, sex-segregated living arrangements or peer group support for violence). Further, the study does not address what effect judicial affairs offices had on a woman’s willingness to report athletes. Findings support other research that links athletic participation and acts of violence against women in two ways: because they were gathered from official school reports, study data are considered fairly reliable; and, because data were gathered from a number of Division I institutions, they strengthen previous works that focused on single institutions. References