© 2025 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Culture Of Sexual Assault In College Athletics Persists

In this Nov. 18, 2018, file photo, Les Miles, left, is introduced as Kansas football coach by athletic director Jeff Long, right, during a news conference in Lawrence, Kan. Kansas has fired athletic director Jeff Long less than two days after mutually parting with Les Miles amid sexual misconduct allegations dating to the football coach’s time at LSU, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Orlin Wagner/AP
/
AP
Les Miles, left, and University of Kansas athletic director Jeff Long, right, during a November 18, 2018 news conference in Lawrence, Kansas. Miles left his job as KU's football coach in March of 2021 amid sexual misconduct allegations dating to his time at Louisiana State University.

Universities and the NCAA have failed in addressing the systemic culture that supports sexual harassment and assault by college sports figures.

The culture of sexual harassment and assault has been a problem in college athletics for decades. One expert says the environment and a lack of accountability are partly to blame.

  • Jessica Luther, author of "Unsportsmanlike Conduct: College Football and the Politics of Rape" & co-author of "Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back"
Stay Connected
When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
As Up To Date’s senior producer, I want to pique the curiosity of Kansas Citians and help them understand the world around them. Each day, I construct conversations with our city’s most innovative visionaries and creatives, while striving to hold elected officials accountable and amplifying the voices of everyday Kansas Citians. Email me at zach@kcur.org.
As senior podcast producer for KCUR Studios and a host of A People’s History of Kansas City, I interview everyday people and dig through old newspaper articles to unearth stories of the visionaries and renegades who created this region. I focus on bringing the past to life, so we can all better understand the city we live in today. Email me at mackenzie@kcur.org.
KCUR prides ourselves on bringing local journalism to the public without a paywall — ever.

Our reporting will always be free for you to read. But it's not free to produce.

As a nonprofit, we rely on your donations to keep operating and trying new things. If you value our work, consider becoming a member.