You’d think by now that people would realize that a listserv is not a safe space to air your disgusting thoughts about women, but here we go again: the New York Times reports that the Princeton men’s swimming and diving team has been suspended due to “vulgar and offensive as well as misogynistic and racist” comments made in their listserv about the women’s swimming and diving team.
A statement made by Ford Family Director of Athletics Mollie Marcoux Samaan made it clear that this kind of behavior is entirely unacceptable:
“We make clear to all of our student-athletes that they represent Princeton University at all times, on and off the playing surface and in and out of season, and we expect appropriate, respectful conduct from them at all times. The behavior that we have learned about is simply unacceptable. It is antithetical to the values of our athletic program and of the University, and will not be tolerated.”
The specifics of the comments have not been disclosed, but Princeton University spokesman John D. Cramer confirmed to the Times that the comments in question were directed at members of the women’s swimming and diving team.
This is the third such incident occurring at an Ivy League university in as many months. In October, the Harvard men’s soccer team was punished for creating a “scouting report” that rated members of the women’s soccer team on their sexual attractiveness. A few days after the soccer team was suspended, the cross country team at Harvard produced their own document, a spreadsheet that featured various comments about members of the women’s cross country team and a GroupMe chat that discussed notes from past seasons that might be incriminating. In November, the men’s wrestling team at Columbia was put under investigation after screenshots from a group text were published in the student newspaper Bwog.
These are examples that have come to light via human error and, in the case of the Harvard cross country team, out of a desire to try and get ahead of any scandal before it bites them in the ass. One can only assume that if this is happening in the hallowed halls of Princeton, Harvard and Columbia, it’s happening everywhere. Of course, this is just locker room talk, right? Nothing more than that.
Princeton was scheduled to compete in two meets in the new year but in light of recent events, they have been suspended.
