Sport in Society and the Boston Red Sox team up for a second season
(3-28-06) BOSTON, Mass. For the second consecutive year Peter Roby, Antonio Arrendel, and Jeff O�Brien from the Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University traveled to Fort Myers, Fla. to train Red Sox minor league players in violence prevention. The Boston Red Sox were the first Major League Baseball team to take a proactive approach and invite Sport in Society to train their players with it�s nationally renowned Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program.
MVP, an innovative gender violence prevention and education program uses a unique curriculum of leadership training, has contracts with two other Boston based teams - the New England Patriots, who have trained their rookies and free agents for seven years and most recently the Boston Bruins. They have also provided training for the New York Jets, the Toronto Blue Jays, Major League Lacrosse, and more than 100 college campuses across the country.
"The partnership between the Red Sox and Center for the Study of Sport in Society is an important one," said Dr. Charles A. Steinberg, the Red Sox' Executive Vice President/Public Affairs. "And we are grateful to put Sport in Society�s expertise to such good use. It is, of course, vital for our players to know how serious and unacceptable domestic violence is, and this program effectively addresses this issue."
�We are pleased to be back to re-engage the Reds Sox in the important work of MVP,� says Peter Roby, director of Sport in Society, �We are continually appreciative of the Red Sox leadership with regards to providing players with the tools necessary to make good decisions and represent themselves and their team well.�
MVP is a leadership program that motivates men and women to play a central role in solving problems that historically have been considered "women's issues": rape, battering, and sexual harassment. Utilizing a unique bystander approach to prevention, the MVP program views men and women not as potential perpetrators or victims, but as empowered bystanders who can confront abusive peers. This emphasis reduces the defensiveness men often feel and the helplessness women often feel when discussing issues of men's violence against women.
�We had been searching for an effective way to educate our minor league players about gender violence and the issues that surround it. Minor League players represent a unique and important audience when it comes to this issue. We also knew it would take a certain type of presentation to be effective given the audience. The staff at the Center for the Study of Sport and Society clearly �get it� when it comes to communicating with athletes and their MVP program was exactly what we were hoping for. I know our players and staff benefited from the program and we look forward to a continued relationship with the Center.�
About the Center for the Study of Sport in Society
The Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University is one of the world�s leading social justice organizations that use sport to create social change both nationally and internationally. The flagship organization located in the heart of Boston, Mass. was founded in 1984 by Dr. Richard Lapchick and touts branches in Baltimore, Md. and Phoenix, Ariz. Through research, education, and advocacy the center promotes physical activity, health, violence prevention, and diversity among young people and college and professional athletes. Sport in Society�s innovative programs are all staffed by former college or professional athletes and have been awarded America�s most successful violence prevention program by Lou Harris, the Peter F. Ducker Award as the most innovative non-profit program in the social sector, and have been cited as the National Crime Prevention Council�s 50 Best Strategies to Prevent Violent Domestic Crimes. For more information please visit http://www.sportinsociety.org.
