Hazing, Or An Endorsement Of Intimate Apparel?

When it comes to accusations of boys being forced to wear lingerie and drink hard liquor, I could really go either way. If it's Michael Jackson doing it, then sure, there could be some cause for concern. When it's being done voluntarily by high school baseball players... I'm probably OK with it.

North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, has suspended 17 players and 2 coaches for their roles in some initiation rituals. Freshmen played baseball in their underwear, they drank a lot of alcohol, and they wore women's lingerie. The gentleman pictured above doesn't appear to be that unhappy about his situation, and in fact, it looks as if the soft, silky blue material makes him feel both comfortable and sexy at the same time.

And here's where I get fuzzy on this. The school determined that it was all voluntarily and did not fit under the definition of "hazing," and then put the team on probation and suspended them anyway. For what? Running around looking like women? Eli Manning never gets in trouble for that.

If kids were bullied into it, then fine, suspend the team. But the report here in the Chicago Tribune says that some students opted to either leave the party early, or not drink alcohol. Presumably, there were no consequences for those who left.

Baseball at North Central College Goes South [NCAA Hazing] Naperville college suspends ball players [Chicago Tribune]