{"id":1091,"date":"2020-08-28T08:50:06","date_gmt":"2020-08-28T16:50:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.raliance.org\/sport-prevention-center\/learning-exchange\/athlete-a-uncovers-a-culture-of-abuse-how-can-sport-organizations-prevent-abuse\/"},"modified":"2020-08-28T08:50:07","modified_gmt":"2020-08-28T16:50:07","slug":"athlete-a-uncovers-a-culture-of-abuse-how-can-sport-organizations-prevent-abuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.raliance.org\/sport-prevention-center\/learning-exchange\/athlete-a-uncovers-a-culture-of-abuse-how-can-sport-organizations-prevent-abuse\/","title":{"rendered":"“Athlete A” Uncovers A Culture of Abuse. How Can Sport Organizations Prevent Abuse?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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https:\/\/athleteafilm.com\/<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Young athletes love their sport, and youth and\nparents place trust in coaches, trainers, and sport organization officials to\nfoster safe environments for personal and athletic development for youth. But\nwhat happens when sport organizations and their leaders don\u2019t prioritize the\nyoung athletes themselves, instead gripping tightly to a \u201cvictory at all costs\u201d\nmindset? USA Gymnastics (USAG) did just that, setting the stage for abuse in\nvarious forms — emotional, mental, physical, and sexual — to flourish,\ntraumatizing the young athletes while USAG raked in profits and medals. A new\ndocumentary, Athlete A, <\/em>exposes this\nsystem of abuse and how survivors of Larry Nassar and other abuse at the hands\nof USAG led to a national reckoning on child sexual abuse in sports. The film\nalso highlights the work of Indy Star <\/em>investigative\njournalists to support and believe survivors and amplify their stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sexual violence does not happen in a vacuum, and\nthe culture around USAG and elite gymnastics was an incubator for abuse. Athlete A <\/em>highlights what sexual\nviolence preventionists have long known: social norms and cultural environments\ncan either foster sexual harassment, abuse, and assault, or they can foster\nhealthy, thriving connection and community. USAG did the former. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The documentary gives first-hand accounts of\nsurvivors of Larry Nassar\u2019s abuse and gymnasts who witnessed other abuses\nwithin USAG and elite gymnastics circles. Maggie Nichols, Jamie Dantzscher,\nRachel Denhollander, Jennifer Sey, and additional survivors recount the\nmultiple abuses they faced at the hands of Larry Nassar and how top USAG\nofficials like the Karolyis and USAG president Steve Penny silenced survivors\nand orchestrated a cover-up to protect the organization over young athletes.\nThe film highlights how a slew of risk factors brewed to create a toxic\nenvironment that allowed Larry Nassar to abuse hundreds, potentially thousands,\nof children and young women athletes. Between shifting the age of initiation of\ntraining to be much, much younger and recruiting young girls to the sport, to\norganizational leadership and structures that put profit and medals above\nathlete safety and dignity, the culture of elite gymnastics was ripe for abuse,\nwith coaches and trainers adopting a standard of cruelty for training athletes.\nThis left the door wide open for sexual abusers like Lassy Nassar to groom\ngirls and young athletes for repeated sexual assault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Athlete A <\/em>exposes the harmful culture that allowed Lassy Nassar to abuse hundreds\nof girls and young women athletes. USAG followed a \u201cwhat not to do\u201d to prevent\nsexual violence within youth-serving organizations and sports environments. How\ncan sports organizations ensure they protect their athletes from sexual\nassault? Here are a few suggestions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n