One of the more entrenched Super Bowl traditions is the reminder that the annual NFL championship game is linked to a spike in human trafficking. The statement is solemnly repeated by law enforcement officials, elected leaders and news outlets, although the details are left to the imagination.
The theory is that thousands of men travel to the host city, which this year is Inglewood, California, and while waiting for or recovering from the big game, they go looking for sex, which is provided by women and girls who have been forced into sexual slavery by traffickers.
It’s a myth. It has been debunked many times over, including by some leading organizations that fight trafficking. Academic studies and serious news reporting have found no connection between trafficking and the game and no uptick in trafficking activity as game day approaches.
