Sexual Misconduct and Violence in Physical Activity and Sport Settings
By shining a spotlight on this pervasive issue, this paper serves as a rallying cry for the sports community to take decisive action against sexual misconduct and violence. Creating a safe and supportive environment is not only a moral imperative but also a prerequisite for the success and fulfillment of athletes at all levels.
College of Health researcher(s)
College unit(s)
Abstract
What Was the Question? Through courageous public testimony, elite female gymnasts in the United States exposed their systemic experiences as survivors of sexual abuse and assault (Romero, 2021). Similar maltreatment has been reported by elite female soccer players in the United States (Yates, 2022) and male wrestlers at Ohio State University (Raab, 2021). Are these athletes’ experiences unique? Might others be experiencing lude and potentially illegal behaviors in physical activity and sport settings? Who are the primary perpetrators? Two recent studies shed light on these and other questions (Ahmed et al., 2022; Sølvberg et al., 2022).