2026/01/01 by Katelyn E. Foltz
Social Sciences · #Gender Diversity and Inequality #Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies #Sports, Gender, and Society
paper · doi:10.1123/ssj.2025-0237
openalex publication_date 2026/01/01 · openalex created_date 2026/07/30 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
This article interrogates gender-based violence in SportsWorld by introducing the market value index, a conceptual and empirical measure designed to assess how an athlete’s economic value influences institutional consequence. Drawing on data cataloged in the Gender-Based Violence in Sports database housed at the University of Delaware’s Center for the Study and Prevention of Gender-Based Violence ( https://smithandhattery.com/gbv/ ) and analyzing cases from a subsample that relies exclusively on the sport of professional American football in the National Football League, the findings demonstrate a patterned dynamic: As an athlete’s market value increases, the likelihood they will experience a consequence from their sport organization after an incident of gender-based decreases. These results support the argument that the SportsWorld institutions absorb and redistribute the costs of gender-based violence in ways that protect economically valuable actors while minimizing institutional disruption.