Court TV's Catherine Crier Live Releases Results of National Survey on Professional Male Athletes and the Law.

Sports Editors 

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 13, 2003

In the wake of the sexual assault allegation against Kobe Bryant, Court TV's Catherine Crier Live has commissioned an exclusive national survey measuring Americans' attitudes toward professional male athletes and the law. The results, which were released today (5:00-6:00 PM/ET Court TV) on Catherine Crier Live, yielded some surprising opinions. Crier discussed the survey with her guests: former Denver Bronco Reggie Rivers, Defense Attorney Victor Sherman, former prosecutor Lisa Pinto, and Alex Stone from KOA radio in Denver.

COURT TV - PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE POLL RESULTS

August 13, 2003

Snapshot of results:

Americans believe that athletes are just as likely to be law-abiding as the rest of the population.

-- Athletes are also viewed as being vulnerable to false

accusations of wrongdoing.

-- The leagues and teams bear responsibility for teaching young

stars how to stay on course.

-- Most Americans do not believe that accusers in sexual assault

cases should be identified.

-- Gender is seen as a factor in jury deliberations.

-- Kobe, himself, gets a split decision on his playing status,

should he be convicted and placed on probation.

-- There are remarkably few differences by gender on these

questions - more of degree rather than direction.

The following is specific detail on these results:

-- Americans believe that professional male athletes are as

lawful as their non-athlete counterparts.

Most adults (57%) say that professional male athletes are not more inclined to act unlawfully compared to the rest of the population. A third (33%) say male athletes are more likely to break the law, while 11% are not sure. A majority of all subgroups agree.

-- Among those who believe athletes are less law-abiding, half

say it is because of the money.

Most (51%) say their enormous salaries make athletes think they can buy their way out of anything. A sense of entitlement is a distant second (20%), followed by temptations (14%), and field aggressiveness (6%). Ten percent volunteer all of the above.

-- Two-thirds of America believes that being a pro makes you the

target of false accusations.

Sixty-six percent of the country says that professional male athletes are more likely to be targets of false accusations, compared to the rest of the country. Twenty-nine percent disagree, with 6% unsure. This feeling is widespread, with at least 63% of all groups in agreement.

-- Americans believe it is up to the leagues and the teams to

show young players the way.

Fifty-five percent of adults say it is the responsibility of the leagues and teams to teach young star players the consequences of improper behavior. However, a sizable 40% say it is not their responsibility and 5% are not sure. A majority of almost every group says the teams must take control in this area.

-- A slight majority of the country (51%) believes that the name

of the accuser in a sexual assault case should not be

identified, while a hefty 40% say the name should be made

public.

Just over half (51%) say the name should not be made public because doing so might keep other victims from coming forward. However, a large segment of the group (40%) say it is appropriate to name the accuser if the accused has been named. Another 9% are undecided. There is only a slight gender difference on this question. Both men and women are opposed to naming names, although men are more split on the issue (49% not appropriate/42% appropriate), while women are more firmly opposed (52% not appropriate/39% appropriate). The only subgroups in the crosstabs who appear to support naming the accuser are too small to cite.

-- There is wide agreement that the gender breakdown on a sexual

assault jury makes a difference in the verdict.

Fifty-six percent of adults say the gender breakdown matters, while 38% believe it does not. Another 6% are unsure. A majority of every group says sex matters, with the exception of midwesterners who are split. While both men and women believe sex matters, men are even more inclined to believe so (61% yes/33% no) than are women (52% yes/43% no).

-- The country is almost exactly split on Kobe Bryant's playing

status should he be convicted and sentenced to probation.

Nearly equal numbers of Americans say Kobe should not be allowed to play (46%) as say he should be allowed (45%). Most groups are rather split on this issue, with the exception of non-whites (66% allowed/29% not allowed). It is perhaps not surprising that those living in the West are more likely than residents of other regions to want Kobe to be permitted to play (56% West/42% NE/MW/South). Additionally, opinions about athletes' law-abidingness and vulnerability to false accusations, appear to be a factor in this issue. Those who say that athletes are more likely to break the law (60% not allowed) and those who think athletes are no more subject to false allegations than the rest of the population (52% not allowed) are more likely to say Kobe should not be permitted to play under probation.

Methodology

This telephone poll of a random sample of 503 United States adults, was conducted for Court TV by Blum & Weprin Associates, Inc. on August 11th-12th, 2003.

The methodology of the survey was a telephone poll of a random sample of 503 United States adults, and was conducted for Court TV by Blum & Weprin Associates, Inc. on August 11-12, 2003. Respondents were selected by a method intended to insure a correct balance. The estimated average sample tolerance for data from the survey is +/- 4.5%.

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