Why deadly hazings could be about to get worse in US sports

Initiation rites have killed at least one person a year since the 1950s. And the end of the pandemic may result in a rise of problems, writes Tom Dart

As US and Canadian third level and high school institutes return after the pandemic, there is a growing concern that there will be a boom in hazing among collegiate athletics programmes. Especially among colleges that have long-standing traditions of team pranks, hazing, and worse.

Nolte McElroy, a 19-year-old player for the University of Texas football team, died from electric shock when he crawled through mattresses charged with electric current during a fraternity initiation ritual in 1928.

Nearly 100 years later, hazing is still a pervasive and sometimes deadly element of college and high school culture.