Behind Closed Doors: Law, Institutions, and Culture in the Minimization of Sexualized Hazing in Men’s Sports

Sexualized hazing in men’s sports is a systematically minimized form of gender-based violence that remains underexamined in scholarly literature and legal practice. This study examines how institutions, law enforcement, and cultural norms rooted in hegemonic masculinity collectively enable and minimize sexualized hazing in high school male athletics. Drawing on a qualitative content analysis of 25 documented cases among high school male athletes in the United States (2010–2025), incidents were coded across four dimensions: severity of the hazing act, legal responses, institutional responses, and framing by legal and institutional actors. Findings reveal that 60% (15 of 25 cases) involved sodomy; yet only 3.9% of perpetrators were incarcerated. Of 103 identified perpetrators, 28% were never charged; of those formally charged, at least 43% had charges reduced or dropped. Institutional responses prioritized reputation over accountability—coaches were suspended or formally removed in 40% of cases, but players were expelled in only 24%. Cover-up behaviors, including evidence destruction and non-disclosure agreements, were documented across multiple cases. Within this sample, these findings indicate that the “hazing” label functions to minimize sexual violence, and that reform requires clearer legal standards, mandatory reporting protocols, and cultural interventions targeting hegemonic masculine norms in sport.