This weekend Nashville drew one of its biggest ever crowds to an event. An estimated 300,000 people attended part of the three day NFL draft event. The number of people in one place at one time may not be as great as some other events since attendees were spread between Lower Broad and the Nissan stadium and not everyone attended all days. The four day CMA fest draws 250, 000 people but not all attend all four days and the event is spread to various locations. Between 175,000 to 200,000 people attended the Jan. 1, 2019 “Jack Daniel’s Music City
Midnight: New Year’s Eve in Nashville." The last Fourth of July Let Freedom Ring event drew 250,000 people. Whether the largest event ever in Nashville or not, the NFL draft drew a lot of people.
District Attorney Glen Funk's office issued a stern warning to NFL Draft visitors about domestic violence. He warned that if they're arrested for domestic violence there is a mandatory
12 hour hold in jail, more court dates after they make bond, extra
expenses for an attorney not being allowed to
be around the victim until the charge is resolved.
Domestic violence has been a major focus of his administration. Still, I question why he issued a stern warning prior to the NFL draft event. I do not know of him doing so prior to the New Year's Eve event, the CMA Fest, the 4th of July event or the Lawn and Garden show. Why the NFL draft event? Since a lot of professional football players are thugs and are high profile people and seem to be credibly accused of domestic violence at a greater rate than the other groups, maybe it was appropriate to highlight the issue of domestic violence when some of the players who are accused abusers will be being cheered and in the public spotlight.
Maybe, Funk is going to increase public awareness of the issue and this just happened to be his first of more to come public warnings. Maybe. Still it seems somewhat insulting to think NLF fans need a special warning about domestic violence when other visitors to our city do not.
A few years ago there were somber public service announcements played during the Super Bowl about domestic violence. Feminist surmised that the Super Bowl builds up a lot of testosterone and adrenaline in men and mixed with heavy drinking, Super Bowl Sunday was a day in which women were at increased risk of domestic violence. Maybe Funk remembers those PSAs and thought the same factors would be at play during the NLF draft event as at a Super Bowl Sunday. It turns out this claim that Super Bowl Sunday results in greater domestic violence is a myth. The myth has been thoroughly debunked. There is no evidence that NFL fans are more likely to commit acts of domestic violence than any other group of people. Maybe Funk didn't get the memo. Funk needs to explain why he felt the need to issue a stern domestic violence warning to NLF fans visiting our city.
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