What is defamation? According to Dictionary.com, defamation is, “the action of damaging the good reputation of someone; slander or libel.” Defamation not only occurs in the daily news, blog posts, and articles, it also occurs in college athletics. A notable court case that involved defamation was McNair v. NCAA. Todd McNair was a former University of Southern California assistant football coach which the NCAA Committee on Infractions found was a crucial link in the Reggie Bush case. McNair received a one-year show-cause order that as a result got him fired and apparent black-balling from college football. Because of this, McNair sued the NCAA for alleging defamation.

Defamation is and can be frustrating. When you defame someone, you are bringing someone down and ruining their reputation, which is why it is extremely important if you are going into sports broadcasting or journalism that you watch what you say so you do not get caught up in a situation like this. You have to remember that the athlete, coach, or athletic staff member that you are writing or talking about is human and has feelings too. In general, it is not good to talk badly about someone anyway because it makes you look bad and it can ruin your reputation as well.

Which brings us to the solution to this problem. When you are talking about an athlete, coach, or athletic staff member, make sure to be bias about them. That way you do not defame them, hurt their feelings, or potentially ruining their reputation.

What do you guys think? Should there be more serious consequences when someone get defamed? Sound off in the comments below! Don’t forget to share this post and blog to your friends and family!