Abuse Of Athletes Research Articles

Framing Perceived Emotional Abuse by Former Intercollegiate Student-Athletes into Categories Based on Power

ABSTRACT Although contemporary researchers suggest that abuse is especially prevalent in sport, athletes’ experiences of coaches’ emotional abuse are not well understood. To address this gap, the present study was designed to examine how former intercollegiate student-athletes described experiences of emotional abuse in the coach-athlete relationship. Twenty former student-athletes were interviewed, and an inductive comparative analysis was utilized to interpret and situate the data. Results were framed in terms of power and were organized into four distinctive categories. Results highlight a critical need for institutions to reflect on current policies and practices regarding the prevention and investigation of athlete abuse.

When Athletes Become Victims: The Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Psychopathological Consequences of Interpersonal Violence in Sports

The “Magglingen protocols” and other cases of abuse in sports have attracted public attention to the problem of interpersonal violence against athletes. This article summarizes the scientific literature on the prevalence of different forms of interpersonal violence in sports, on personal, organizational, and cultural risk factors for victimization, and on psychopathological consequences of athlete abuse. In conclusion, recommendations for trauma-informed interdisciplinary prevention and intervention programs are outlined.

THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN ESPORTS: PROSPECTS AND PROBLEMS

The article analyzes the use of artificial intelligence in esports. It is noted that the fact that AI technology has been developing rapidly in recent years makes its impact on the gaming industry particularly significant. On the one hand, games created with advanced artificial intelligence allow players to improve the gaming experience by creating a more interesting game (creating a more realistic virtual environment). On the other hand, AI-enabled games provide better game mechanics and help players train and improve their skills. These circumstances necessitate the study of the legal regulation of artificial intelligence in esports. The study pays special attention to the role of AI-based bots that can simulate real-life scenarios and provide players with the opportunity to train and improve their skills, and to the analysis of opportunities to provide players with realtime feedback on their performance. At the same time, the author analyzes the complexities of legal regulation of the use of artificial intelligence in various spheres of life, including esports. The author analyzes the provisions of the European Union acts on this issue. It is concluded that, in general, artificial intelligence plays an important role in the esports industry. Thus, optimization of video games through the use of artificial intelligence, training, and analytics help players become more competitive and create the tools necessary for teams to succeed. However, there are problematic issues regarding legal regulation and abuse of athletes. It is concluded that as the esports industry continues to evolve, artificial intelligence remains an important component of the gaming experience and there is a need to adapt legislation to meet new challenges.

Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine Position Paper: The Clinician's Role in Addressing and Preventing Maltreatment in Sport-10-year Anniversary.

In 2011, the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine released their first position paper on Abuse, Harassment, and Bullying in Sport. Since this time, there have been significant advancements within the global sport landscape, including the emergence of regulatory bodies and initiatives aimed at prioritizing athletes' health and well-being. While the shift to a more proactive approach for safeguarding athletes is evident and promising, athletes continue to be affected by cases of maltreatment. To advance safe sport, it is critical that all supporters of safe and healthy performance are aware of their roles and responsibilities for preventing and addressing maltreatment, including the Canadian sport medicine community. In this updated position statement, recent advancements in research on issues of maltreatment are summarized and specific recommendations are provided on how the medical community can contribute to appropriately identifying, treating, and preventing harm in sport, as well as their role in advocating for the health and well-being of athletes in their care.

Trauma-informed abuse education in sport: engaging athlete abuse survivors as educators and facilitating a community of care

ABSTRACT The need to focus on abuse prevention in sport has been prioritized due to widespread athlete maltreatment occurring across many sports, levels and regions. One recommendation to prevent athlete maltreatment is through evidence-based education. Despite this recommendation, surprisingly little has been done in this area. A recently proposed idea is that athlete abuse survivors could collaborate with sport organizations in maltreatment prevention initiatives (e.g. speaking invitations, sharing their stories, education initiatives). However, researchers have warned that when collaborations between survivors and sport organizations occur, and trauma-informed practices are not implemented in a way that engages everyone safely, re-traumatisation may result. The present study is one of the first to explore how abuse survivors can be placed at the forefront of education initiatives that are underpinned by international trauma-informed principles. Two abuse survivors from swimming and rowing facilitated education programs that taught about abuse with other athletes in their sports. Evidence-based trauma-informed practices were embedded throughout the educative process to prevent unintended further harms, in turn creating a ‘community of care’. Embedding trauma-informed practices were imperative given the lived experiences of the survivors, and the possibility the education recipients (i.e. athletes) could also be victims of maltreatment. The ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ of trauma-informed practices are outlined to show the application, and value of this process to not only maltreatment prevention initiatives, but to other levels of sport (e.g. when abuse is reported, selection policy, coach pedagogy).

Confronting Child Maltreatment in Youth Sports.

Confronting Child Maltreatment in Youth Sports.

International Council for Coaching Excellence Position Statement “Professionalisation of Sport Coaching as a Global Process of Continuous Improvement”

The contribution that sport coaches make to society has received growing recognition among policy-makers over the last decade. Sport coaching is no longer only associated with professional and Olympic sport, trophies, and medals, and it is regularly proposed as an activity that contributes to the development of individuals, communities, and societies. Unfortunately, sport coaching has also been associated with negative outcomes, such as institutionalized doping, abuse of athletes, and match fixing. The level of scrutiny and expectations on coaches are higher than ever, and, therefore, more and more countries and sport organizations are examining how coaches are currently recruited, educated, developed, supported, employed, represented, and recognized. In the current landscape, the need to review the existing International Council for Coaching Excellence position statement on “Sport Coaching as a Profession,” written in 2011, is paramount. The 2021 position statement takes into account policy, practice, and research developments over the last decade to propose a way forward for sport coaching over the next 10 years.

Applying cognitive analytic theory to understand the abuse of athletes on Twitter

ABSTRACT Purpose/rationale: Athletes and governing bodies have raised ethical concerns related to the negative psychological effects of Twitter for professional athletes. There remained a need to systematically understand the processes involved in negative fan athlete social media interactions by categorising social media data using psychological theory. This study aimed to examine the attributional (specific or global negative comments) and contextual (sport-specific and general life context or “no context”) factors of Twitter content that were Tweeted by fans about high profile sports people.Research methods: In order to retrieve preliminary social media data to explore this phenomenon, Tweet data was collected data using Twitter’s Search API related to the top 10 highest-paid athletes (a crude initial ranking of “high profile”) as ranked by Forbes, 2018 and the data was retrieved on Friday 26th of April 2019. The search and retrieval strategy used a combination of sentiment analysis and qualitative filtering in order to isolate negative tweets directed at sports athletes.Results and findings: Preliminary findings highlighted that negative tweets directed at sports athletes can be accurately classified into three broad themes: (i) global negative projections (no context) (ii) global negative projections (sport performance context), and (iii) specific negative projections (personal context). The socio ecological theory was used as a holistic model to understand the broader processes involved in fan athlete social media interaction when considering these types of negative engagement between fans and athletes.Implications: Twitter can be used as a means for the public to direct negative projections towards athletes and our study puts forward a number of applied and research recommendations for researchers and sport management staff to educate and protect athletes from the negative consequences of “twitter abuse”.

Development and validation of the athletes’ rights survey

A recognised imbalance of power exists between athletes and sporting institutions. Recent cases of systemic athlete abuse demonstrate the relationship between power disparities and harassment and abuse in sport. Embedding...

Beneath the Surface: Mental Health and Harassment and Abuse of Athletes Participating in the FINA (Aquatics) World Championships, 2019.

To assess the mental health and experience of sport-related harassment and abuse of elite aquatic athletes and to analyze it in relation to gender and discipline. Cross-sectional study using an anonymous survey. The FINA World Championships 2019. Registered athletes in the disciplines of swimming, diving, high diving, water polo, artistic swimming, and open water swimming. Athletes completed an online or paper-based questionnaire. The main outcome measures included screening for depression (10-item version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale revised), eating disorders (Brief Eating Disorders in Athletes Questionnaire), the subjective need for psychotherapeutic support, and the experience of sport-related harassment and/or abuse. A quarter (24.6%) of the 377 responding athletes were classified as depressed and 2.5% as having an eating disorder. More than 40% of the athletes stated that they wanted or needed psychotherapeutic support. Fifty-one athletes (14.9%) had experienced harassment/abuse in sport themselves, and 31 (9%) had witnessed it in another athlete. The experiences of harassment and abuse ranged from unwanted comments about body or appearance (40.2%) to rewards in sport for sexual favors (2.5%) and rape (0.3%). Athletes who had experienced harassment/abuse in sport themselves had higher average scores for depression and eating disorders, and more of them felt they needed psychotherapeutic support. Up to a third would not talk or report to anybody if they saw or experienced harassment/abuse, and less than 20% would talk to an official for help. Targeted initiatives are required to address mental health issues and harassment and abuse in sport in the FINA aquatic disciplines.

Brazilian Gymnastics in a Crucible: A Media Data Case Study of Serial Sexual Victimization of the Brazilian Men’s Gymnastics Team

Elite gymnastics sport culture is presently under global scrutiny. Largely ignited by the highly publicized case of serial sexual abuses in USA Gymnastics, multiple national gymnastics teams have disclosed stories of athlete abuse. Our author team utilized media data to investigate the serial sexual abuses that occurred on the Brazilian Men’s Gymnastics Team. Using media data to conceptualize athlete maltreatment is novel and facilitated our holistic interpretation of athlete maltreatment across multiple levels of athletes’ developmental systems. The authors traced the media coverage temporally and identified four overarching themes: (a) uncovering the case (subthemes—the Brazilian sport context; the Brazilian men’s gymnastics context; the club context), (b) before abuse was identified (subthemes—the coach–athlete dyad: before disclosure; the athlete: a lost childhood; social connectivity: isolation; the gymnastics system: mechanisms of abuse), (c) when abuse was recognized (subthemes—the coach–athlete dyad: athlete resistance; the athlete: identifying the impact; social connectivity: building connections; the gymnastics system: consequences of abuse), and (d) the legacy of abuse (subthemes—the coach–athlete dyad: ongoing abuses; the athlete: cyclical victimization; social connectivity: expanding connections; the gymnastics system: after abuse). Utilizing media data facilitated our culturally contextualized interpretation of athlete abuse to present tailored recommendations for practitioners.

Cherry-Picking and Lemon-Dropping Lessons from Anti-Doping to Boost Abuse Prevention in Sport

Unethical behaviors in sport are a matter of global concern. The current surge in reports on abuse of athletes across Sports and all over the world is reminiscent of the doping scandals in the 1980s and 1990s that made many believe that doping was endemic in sport. This realization eventually led to a concerted effort of sport stakeholders and the founding of the World Anti-Doping Agency, which has since established itself as the world’s governing body in anti-doping with substantial influence and power. Framing the history and trajectory of anti-doping as a precedent of what has worked and what has not in righting sports’ wrongs, this review asks: what can the two-decades-long anti-doping ‘fight’ teach us about protecting athletes from abuse? Exploring various aspects from the effectiveness of external Regulation and the challenges of a centralized legalistic approach to athlete health protection and accountability, several lessons that have implications for safeguarding athletes can be identified. Behavior change is a long and demanding process for individuals and organizations. Centering athletes’ voices and lived experiences in practical research approaches while integrating multi-sector stakeholders can help ensure that methods and findings are fit-for-purpose and inform effective, sustainable athlete-safeguarding practices, programs, and policies.

On the Prioritization of Anti-Doping Measures

Doping abuse of athletes generates negative externalities to the public such as higher cost for health insurance or the distortion of competition in sports which have to be born by athletes as well as by society. This work considers an anti-doping agency splitting its budget between doping tests and non-surveillance prevention measures to internalize the negative externalities of doping. The model yields that the anti-doping agency would not simply increase the frequency of doping tests, but under certain circumstances alternatively reduce doping tests in favor of more non-surveillance prevention measures.

Culturally framing ‘safe sport’: on political mobilisation against abuse in Zambian sport

ABSTRACTFormalisation of safeguarding in sport occurs in increasingly diverse contexts to address abuse of athletes and promote ‘safe sport’. Moreover, safeguarding policies are occasionally integrated in transnational Sport for Development (SfD) partnerships as a condition for funding. In this article, we draw from social movement theory to explore political mobilisation against abuse in Zambian sport associations that have a Norwegian SfD partner. Using the concept of ‘cultural framing’, we examine how safe sport is captured, presented and understood by coaches and sport leaders involved in Zambian sport. The analysis shows that there was considerable support for formalised safeguarding, even though ambivalence was expressed regarding the extent of abuse in sport. With motivation grounded in resonance with sport priorities and humanistic values, safeguarding seemingly equipped the sport associations with a practicable formula for confronting a morally evocative problem. Coupled with a strong network of local mobilising actors championing this cause and a conducive political climate for connecting sport with broader social responsibilities, we suggest that this cultural framing facilitated political mobilisation against abuse in Zambian sport. Lastly, we outline some implications of our findings for safeguarding in sport and for the politicisation of sport issues.

Acting out what is inside of us: Self-management strategies of an abused ex-athlete

In this paper, the authors make use of narrative inquiry from the position of a story teller by using creative nonfiction to bring forward the complexities of abuse in sport. Through the use of vignettes, one female athlete’s story of how she self-managed her abuse post sport by acting out sexually is made known. As taboo stories tend to be silenced in sport literature, this research foregrounds how one athlete took back the power and control with men as a way of self-managing the physical and emotional abuse she experienced from male coaches. Although a temporary fix, the vignettes highlight how this athlete’s self-management strategies were a complex form of empowerment, a contrast to what she felt when she was the recipient of abuse. The reader is encouraged to construct their own understanding of the athlete’s stories, thinking with her story rather than about her story. This paper contributes to understandings of athlete abuse by providing insight into the lack of support an athlete received post sport and further how she was expected to fend for herself, formulating her own self-management/coping strategies. Sport managers developing interventions and strategies related to abused athletes should consider the diverse challenges that they face.

Organisational factors and non-accidental violence in sport: A systematic review

The objective of the current systematic review was to investigate the organisational factors that enable and motivate non-accidental violence towards athletes in the sport context. The authors identified and reviewed 43 qualitative studies investigating psychological, physical, and sexual abuse of athletes, and developed a framework of organisational factors (i.e., structural, social, and stress factors) related to non-accidental violence. Athletes were the key informants, yet some studies included athletes’ entourages. The authors independently coded the findings sections of the primary research, using the developed framework. Organisational tolerance for abuse and conformity to dominant values within sports were related to all three types of non-accidental violence. Power imbalance appeared as a relevant factor in both psychological and sexual abuse, while isolation was also relevant in sexual abuse. Believing that non-accidental violence had instrumental effects appeared related to both psychological and physical abuse, whereas a winner-take-all reward system was related to physical abuse. Based on this systematic review, the authors proposed an integrated perspective of the organisational factors driving non-accidental violence in sport and conclude by proposing a whole-of-system approach to the prevention and management of non-accidental violence.

Where is Safeguarding in Sport Psychology Research and Practice?

Recent cases of sexual abuse of athletes have drawn significant concern amongst stakeholders in sport and the public at-large. The fact that the perpetrators in many cases of athlete abuse had numerous victims over the span of several years raises questions of who might have known or suspected that athletes were being harmed. Sexual abuse cases should serve as an impetus for all of us in sport psychology to interrogate our roles and responsibilities as consultants and researchers in the protection of athletes. We propose that future research in applied sport psychology and education of consultants address maltreatment and safeguarding.Lay Summary: In the following article, we propose that more attention in the research and practice of sport psychology should be devoted to understanding maltreatment of athletes and ways to protect athletes from harm.

Educating Parents of Children in Sport About Abuse Using Narrative Pedagogy

Research on abuse in sport reveals that sporting environments are unique contexts where athlete abuse can occur. An international panel on “safe sport” identified the need to implement strategies to ensure sport is safe for all. One strategy identified as a way of preventing abuse from occurring in sport is to educate the parents of athletes. This study centres on an education intervention implemented with 14 parents from a gymnastics and swimming context where narrative pedagogy (e.g., athletes’ stories of abuse) was used. As a result of engaging with narrative pedagogy, parents were able to identify unacceptable coaching practices. However, the extent of several dominant cultural ideologies (e.g., competitive performance ideology) became known through the parents’ responses and influenced the way they took up the athletes’ abuse stories.

Control, consent and complicity in the coaching of elite women’s cycling in Australia: a media analysis

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to extend understanding of how athletes and coaches in a women’s cycling talent development and selection programme negotiate and normalise athlete abuse in the media. A thematic analysis of six online cycling magazine articles and their representations of the Australian women’s elite cycling development camp was analysed to explore athletic abuse and the (re)production of coaching practices using Bourdieusian theory. The findings revealed a link between the expression of coaching practice and the maltreatment of athletes. Analysis of these articles also revealed that athletes were complicit in the normalisation of coaching practices through the misrecognition of social power embedded in the coaching intervention. The representations by athletes within the articles contributed narratives related to the reproduction and proliferation of abusive coaching practices. This study extends understanding of how taken for granted and power laden aspects of coaching practices can be presented in the media and highlights the implications for coaches, athletes and the general public that consume online cycling media content.

Protecting youth in sport: an examination of harassment policies

In response to a series of high-profile cases of sexual abuse of athletes in the 1990s, sport organizations across several nations engaged in policy development intended to introduce preventive measures and processes to address athlete maltreatment. In 1996, Sport Canada – the funding body for national sport organizations (NSOs) – stipulated that such funding was to be contingent upon each NSO having a harassment policy and trained, arm’s-length harassment officers who would address complaints. Some 17 years have passed since these requirements were mandated, and it is timely to address the current status of these policies. The purpose of this study therefore was to examine the extent to which the policies of sport organizations meet the requirements stipulated by Sport Canada. A review of a sample of sport organizations revealed that 86% of national and 71% of provincial (Ontario) sport organizations had accessible harassment policies. In many, however, critical information, such as a detailed complaint process, or articulation of the rights of the complainant and respondent was missing. Although all of the national and provincial organizations’ policies included references to a harassment officer, only 10% and 14%, respectively, actually had harassment officers; furthermore, none of these were at arm’s length to the organization. The results clearly indicate that Canada is falling far short of the requirements initially stipulated by Sport Canada for athlete protection. Recommendations are made for having a centralized pool of trained harassment officers and an approach to policies and practices that reflect a broader ‘ethic of care’ approach.