Blog Post #7 My Case

The case that I'll be exploring is the case of Duke Lacrosse vs Crystal Mangum, which began in 2006 and reached a clear innocent/guilty verdict in 2007. The year long process was caused by an alleged hate crime by 3 white Duke lacrosse players accused of raping Crystal Mangum, a black escort/stripper who attended NC Central University. After long deliberation, harsh evidence, and falsely suspending coaches and the athletic program for the remainder of the 2006 season, the three lacrosse players were found innocent. This is a case of reverse racism, for lack of a better word. A lot of times throughout history, african-american athletes and students have been tried for allegedly raping caucasian females, however this twist adds another dynamic to the story. I am going to focus on this case because it dabbles in all of the ideas I'd like to touch on; Privatization, brand logic, student athletes + crimes, and most importantly, would the case have been handled so readily had the alleged suspects not been Duke lacrosse players?