Why Taunting A Football Player With 'No Means No' Is A Terrible Idea

— -- Context matters.

In many settings, watching three Oregon players chant "No means no!" would be encouraging, a much-needed show of support for rape victims from a few high-profile athletes. But in a different setting, watching Oregon players yell the exact same phrase morphs into something else entirely. The moment begins to look opportunistic, unsettling.

A few places where the chant might feel genuine: the steps of a courthouse, during an on-campus protest, basically any space where the motivation is to create education and awareness.

A really bad backdrop?

During the celebration after Oregon handily defeated Florida State in the Rose Bowl.

This, of course, is exactly what happened Thursday night. The Ducks had just dismantled the Seminoles 59-20, and a few Oregon players decided to do the tomahawk chop -- problematic in its own right -- while smiling and chanting "No means no!" The chant was almost certainly directed at Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, who in 2013 was accused of sexual assault. (No charges were filed.)

In that context, the Oregon players seem to be using rape, and consent, as the fuel for some trash talking against a beaten opponent. In that context, the moment no longer seems like a strong stand by a few socially conscious athletes. In that context, the chant seems tasteless, further trivializing sexual assault, which is actually a very serious problem on college campuses, including at Oregon. In that context, "No means no" is being wielded as a joke, a way to gloat.

In that context, it is not social activism. Those Oregon players are not contributing to a solution. As nice as it would make us all feel if our beloved football -- the sport didn't have the best 2014, after all -- was helping to make positive social change, that's not what happened here.

When a short video of the moment hit Twitter on Thursday night, reactions varied. Some people felt the athletes were bringing awareness to consent, while others pointed to the spirit in which the players were chanting -- the words were not used to offer support and solidarity with victims but rather to mock an opponent. Others mentioned that none of the athletes were prominent players on the team, and that those bit players appeared to be only joining in with the crowd that was already chanting. But if you feel like the point of this conversation is diminished because none of the players had scored a touchdown during the game or gotten Heisman votes, well, you're missing the point entirely.

Below are a few tweets that further put this moment into context:

After the game, Oregon coach Mark Helfrich released a statement about the incident: "We are aware of the inappropriate behavior in the postgame," he said. "This is not what our program stands for, and the student-athletes will be disciplined internally."

Rape isn't a punch line. Lots of things in the world are funny. Like, lots and lots of things.

Rape isn't one of them.