When Football Enters the Courtroom

Although jurors are routinely admonished to disregard the fact that the defendant and some witnesses are footballers, sport remains integral to courtroom and media narratives. As Chap. 5 shows, football is not a benign or neutral marker, as it grants a privileged status to footballers that works to protect the accused and marginalise the complainant. Focusing on Stephen Milne, Andrew Lovett, and Blake Ferguson, I show how football can be deployed as a marker of moral standing for a male footballer but conversely mobilise victim-blaming stereotypes like the ‘groupie’, maligning the complainant’s character and casting doubt on the claim. Foregrounding the impact of a conviction or charge on a footballer bestows victim status, which marginalises sexual violence and downplays the seriousness of its impact on victims.