Something Was Wrong

S25: Season XXV Preview - Beginning 1/8/2026

January 6, 2026

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  • Despite nearly 50 years since Title IX's passage, violations persist, leading to institutional betrayal that is sometimes worse than the criminal justice system for survivors. 
  • Grooming and manipulation can occur within hierarchical environments like theater or music departments, leading to sexual contact that becomes increasingly non-consensual. 
  • Reporting sexual assault, particularly when the alleged perpetrator is associated with high-profile campus groups like fraternities or football teams, can result in significant secondary trauma from the very systems meant to offer protection. 

Segments

Title IX Anniversary and Failures
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: The Title IX system is criticized for producing more institutional betrayal and fewer accountability actions than the criminal justice system.
  • Summary: Nearly 50 years after its passage, Title IX, the law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in federally funded schools, still faces violations. The system designed to protect students often results in institutional betrayal rather than accountability. One parent states that had institutions done their job initially, their daughter would not have been assaulted.
Grooming and Power Dynamics
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(00:00:49)
  • Key Takeaway: Hierarchical environments outside of athletics, such as theater and music departments, can foster conditions where men occupy the top of the hierarchy, enabling manipulation.
  • Summary: Manipulation and grooming tactics were employed by an individual across multiple young women, suggesting a pattern of behavior. The speaker explicitly identifies this behavior as grooming, where the victim felt completely at the perpetrator’s beck and call. Over time, sexual contact within this dynamic became less and less consensual.
University Failure in Assault Reporting
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(00:01:36)
  • Key Takeaway: Fraternities and football teams are identified as locations on campus where the rate of violence perpetration is known to be higher.
  • Summary: A Utah Valley student filed a lawsuit claiming her university failed to assist after she reported being raped in 2019 because the alleged assailant was a student at the University of Utah. Both universities allegedly failed to act until a police investigation began. Survivors often endure significant secondary trauma from the justice system and protective systems put in place for them.