Media outlets that previously dismissed and ignored the sexual assault allegations against Ronaldo are now racing to get the story out.
In this day and age superstar players and athletes of many global sports such as football and basketball are held in the highest regard in the eyes of the public. This is usually due to the fact that the global sports media that report on them are used as a pillar of support for the reputations of these star athletes. These media outlets seem to be so focused on things like the athlete’s performance, daily lives, fashion choices, even what they eat and who they hang out with the night before a big game that it feels as if they are not talking about, or even worse, ignoring accusations and/or charges of sexual assault against these people. These allegations have usually received little to no attention until recently when accusations of sexual assault against footballing superstar Cristiano Ronaldo resurfaced.
This past month, sports media outlets have raced to be the first with stories regarding the Ronaldo sexual assault allegations. These are the same sports media outlets that previously dismissed these Ronaldo cases in the past as quick cash grabs by the accusers. However, with the recent #MeToo movement pushing the public and other stars to come forward with their own stories and experiences, it has come as no surprise to see that Ronaldo’s past allegations have become too big to ignore and have come back to haunt him.
These sexual assault claims against the Juventus superstar originate back in 2005, while he was still playing for English giants Manchester United. He was arrested in London then, however, the woman involved didn’t press charges. Then again 2009, in a separate incident, another woman named Kathryn Mayorga went to police with a story about being raped by a powerful man in a Las Vegas hotel. There was proof that Ronaldo was with Mayorga that night with a video that showed the two dancing earlier that night. Despite this, Mayorga agreed to stop pursuing criminal charges against Ronaldo after they settled on a $375,000 payment. The story remained outside the public eye until German publication Der Spiegel somehow gained access to documents related to the case in 2017.
Even after Der Spiegel reported these charges and accusations against Ronaldo, most sports media still decided to ignore them. Even when the cases were covered the sporting media portrayed them as obstacles or distractions for the footballer to overcome. Why is this? Is it because both the public and sports media are too disinterested in the accusations against Ronaldo, or is it because he is too high and mighty of an athlete and personality to be brought down by these charges and allegations.
It seems as if Cristiano Ronaldo is untroubled by this, channelling US President Donald Trump in his rebuttal calling the claims “fake news” on his Instagram page to his 143 million followers. Apparently, his lawyers have also threatened the German publisher with a number of lawsuits. His denials of the event occurring are also being presented as fact by sports media which is also equally as troubling as them ignoring the case in the first place.
While there is almost no way to prove her story as it is her word against Ronaldo’s and his lawyer’s there is no doubt the pain that Mayorga is facing right now is intense. She recently spoke to Der Spiegel about her experience and how after almost 10 years of seeing of seeing Ronaldo being presented as a hero, a standup father, and a role model to the youth was excruciating for her. Even when travelling she says that seeing his jersey being worn by so many children was traumatising.
This must change, sports media and publications have protected their stars for far too long often choosing to ignore serious accusations against them. These people are backed by the media, coaches, organisations and fans that will do anything to protect the image of their favourite superstar athletes. Sports media must use the Ronaldo case as an example of how not to describe these cases while also aiming to release stories that can shape a future of reporting with accountability and truth, no matter the superstar athlete.
Bodie Edwards
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Original article – https://rewire.news/article/2018/10/09/sports-media-is-finally-covering-one-of-the-biggest-stories-of-the-year-why-did-it-take-so-long/
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