Bullying in school - sports

The recent spate of news about NFL bullying confirms to me what I witnessed over the years as a teacher; organized athletics are a spawning ground for bullying among children, coaches, and parents. The athletic child is celebrated and easily forgiven for misdeeds, while the scholarly or artistic child is often mocked and humiliated by other children, coaches, and parents.
I taught at an exclusive private school where the athletic teams were really not good, but the culture surrounding them was reverent. Some of the specific incidents I witnessed over the years:
1. A coach hitting his wife on a bus ride after the team lost.
2. a "student athlete" not reprimanded for loudly calling the modern dance team rehearsing on the gym floor "cows" that needed to get off his basketball court.
3. The entire school forced to leave class to stand in the rain to wave off the volleyball team leaving for district championships
4. A teacher who had credit cards stolen by a star athlete, threatened with her job by the administration if she reported the incident to the police.
5. Soccer louts celebrating victory honking their car horns outside of the theater with full knowledge that a play was being performed.
6. Two trial lawyers coaching a little league team berating and bullying a teenage volunteer umpire
over a call as shrieking parents joined the fray.
Beyond the individual horror stories, there simply is a sense of entitlement for the athlete that is nurtured by the school environment that in turns leads to unabated bullying. I never recall a chess club member pushing a football player into a locker.
Of course not all athletes or coaches are bullies, and sports do teach teamwork and commitment, but until scholastic athletics are put in the proper perspective, school sports remain a haven for bullies of all ages and genders.