Calling All Sport Constituents

Abstract

Sport-related sexual misconduct appears to be more common than we think. Sport constituents, including sport and exercise psychology professionals (SEPPs), coaches, parents, and athletic directors are invited to partner with us to help identify, dismantle, and prevent sexual misconduct from occurring in our children’s sport spaces; we can all join part of a larger movement aimed at making the culture of sport safer as well as more accepting and inclusive. In other words, beyond developing a basic understanding of sexual misconduct in sport, we call upon sport constituents to work with us to become agents of change with regard to child welfare. This undertaking will require all of us to engage in critical self-reflection as well as action. To start this process, we first define sexual misconduct and then present a potential framework for exploring sexual misconduct in sport at multiple level; we also include a set of critical questions for self-reflection. Especially important is the fact that violent and aggressive behaviors like sport sexual misconduct are related to power and power dynamics embedded in larger social issues. To rid sport of sexual misconduct and abuse of power, we invite all sport constituents to jump in and explore solutions with us.