The heavily masculine nature of football teams fosters a culture of misogynistic behaviour that makes young players see themselves as powerful and privileged, and anyone else - including women - as lesser objects, an academic believes.
University of South Australia sport psychology expert Dr Murray Drummond - who completed a comprehensive study on the culture of the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) - said football clubs across all three codes needed to address their long-standing "masculinised cultures".
------------------ GALLERY: Rugby's rogues ------------------
Money, celebrity status and a throng of adoring fans could see many football players, especially those new to the professional arena, view themselves as "powerful and indestructible", Dr Drummond said.
"If you are in a position of power and people admire you and ask you for your autograph all the time and that sort of thing, there is this notion of being powerful," he said.
"Being an elite sportsmen and being revered ... players could perceive other people - and not just women - as being lesser."
The conduct of footballers has again been raised following allegations three Brisbane Broncos players sexually assaulted a woman in the male toilets of a Fortitude Valley nightclub on Saturday night.
Dr Drummond said he was not surprised by other allegations that some footballers regularly engaged in consensual group sex with women and other players as a form of "team bonding".
The term "groupies" is also used to describe women who willingly have sex with one or more football players. The act of group sex is about more than team bonding, Dr Drummond said.
"It has to do with that hegemonic masculinity as well as power and dominance, and issues associated with misogyny and the way these guys view women."
Most young footballers leave high school at 17 or 18-years-old and are thrust into a dominant and masculine environment, which sees them adopt the personas of older players.
"Most of these young players come straight from Year 11 or 12 at school where they are relatively unknown, into a sporting culture where they are heavily revered by fans," Dr Drummond said.
"It's quite an interesting sort of experience and often the young players take on the personas of the (older) players ... if you've got behaviours and attitudes that are not socially acceptable, then it's a problem."
The behaviour of players could also be mimicked by young male fans, and all players needed to be educated by their clubs on personal development.
"These young players go into the football system and immediately become role models, whether that's good or bad, but the question is whether they are given sufficient skills to become good role models."
Griffith University sports college manager Michael Jeh is the co-creator of a leadership and life skills program for elite athletes and believes bad behaviour in sport is becoming too common.
"Each day, it seems a fresh story breaks concerning another professional sportsperson's transgression and lapse in judgement," Mr Jeh said.
"Elite athletes are leading increasingly pampered lives and are missing out on many of the essential 'life skills' that other young people learn.
"This most recent indiscretion is exactly the type of behaviour we hope to discourage through this program."
Dr Drummond agreed and said players needed to learn how to treat all people - men and women - and become aware of their place in the community.
A DVD produced by the AFL for players on sex education and the treatment of women was a step in the right direction, but a multi-faceted approach was needed.
"You can only train so much ... there's a lot of time spent twiddling your thumbs, so there is an argument these players should be involved in other forms of education or put something back into the community.
"The codes will argue they are doing that already, but it needs to be done better."
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