Introduction

Sexual abuse in sports is something that’s been happening for years. For years coaches have been getting away with abusing their athletes. Everyone knows, but for some reason no one talks about it. Even when it’s reported, the papers end up stored away somewhere in a file.  However, there was a case that shocked the nation. The case that shed a light on abuse in sports, and started a dialogue. The case I’m referring to is, of course, the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal. 

The Case

Larry Nassar was a well known and well respected gymnastics doctor. He’s had a long career, and worked with some of the most talented athletes. He was known as a kind, friendly, and funny person. He was supposed to be friends with these girls and women. Instead, he used his status and power to sexually abuse these girls and young women. Since 1994, there have been complaints about Nassar. At the trial, 156 women gave impact statements. There are over 200 victims that we know of, including Olympians such as Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles, Aly Raismen, etc. What did Michigan State University officials do? Nothing. They stood by Nassar for years until his arrest in 2016. What did Steve Penny (the CEO of USA Gymnastics) do when it was brought to his attention? Nothing. He told the parents not to say anything and that an investigation was underway (which was a lie). Why was he allowed to get away with this for decades? There were 50 reports filed against Nassar, but nothing was done. It wasn’t until Rachel Denhollander made a public statement about Nassar’s abuse that things started to change. When he was arrested for having child porn, that’s when the sexual assault charges started to pile on. Now he’s going to spend the rest of his life in prison.

Did we learn anything? 

Since the case, there have been some changes made to ensure the safety of athletes. In 2017, the U.S. Center for SafeSport was created to reduce the sexual abuse of athletes. An act has also been passed that has made it mandatory for coaches to report abuse. This should be a good thing right? Things are finally changing for the better. But have we really learned anything from the Larry Nassar case? The U.S. Center for SafeSport only has so much power. They don’t have the ability to collect data or conduct investigations like the police do. By the time I’m writing this article, a coach in Michigan has just been sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexually abusing minors. And don’t even get me started on the emotional and physical abuse, but that’s an entirely different topic that deserves its own article.

My point in saying all of this is that this problem was preventable from the beginning. If someone had just listened, if someone had just done the right things from the start, there wouldn’t be this many victims. It’s because we as a society, and the people in charge, created a space where abuse is normalized and welcomed. We have to do better to protect our athletes.