A report released Monday exposed abuse faced by women soccer players. How long will it take until women facing abuse are heard, and their abusers are accused? When will these men be fired from the organizations and institutions where they created unsafe, hostile environments? The system needs to change, the institutions need to own up to historically ignoring complaints about abuse and women around the world need to be heard, listened to and protected.
Historically, women have faced abuse in many national sports leagues. However, this abuse has a tendency to go unsaid. The TV show “Athlete A,” released in 2020, exposes consistent abuse in the United States Association of Gymnastics (USAG).
This Netflix series opened the eyes of the public, giving them a sense of the abuse that takes place across the board within the national sports industry. The show hoped to shine a light on the fact that sports federations will no longer be able to hide misconduct.
On Sept. 26, a report exposing the abuse faced by women’s soccer players was published. The leaders and the governing body of the National Women’s Soccer League have failed to act on these complaints. Last year, U.S. soccer hired Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General. The law firm King & Spalding looked into the league after The Washington Post released accusations of sexual and verbal abuse against coaches in the Women’s League.
After these reports were released last year, players protested and a few executives of the league resigned but nothing further was acted upon. Despite this, the report released Monday exposed “sexual misconduct, verbal abuse and sexual coercion by coaches.” The report emphasizes the fact that not only are the accused coaches to blame, but also the U.S. Soccer Federation, considering that they were aware of these accusations and did nothing.
Yates stated on Monday, “It wasn’t that players didn’t complain…it was that the teams, the league, and the U.S. Soccer Federation did little as red flags were raised.”
“Our investigation has revealed a league in which abuse and misconduct—verbal and emotional abuse and sexual misconduct—had become systemic, spanning multiple teams, coaches, and victims,” Yates’s report states. Prior accusations have only led to abusive coaches moving to new clubs with no public mention of their behavior.
One coach told a player they needed to review game film and proceeded to show her pornography. Another coach was known across the board for criticizing his players and then asking inappropriate questions regarding their sex lives.
Abuse happens against women within institutions across the globe and has historically been pushed aside for fear of backlash on the institution as a whole, not just the abuser. This report shows the epitome of this travesty. In order to give women facing abuse a voice, institutions need to have their back and own up to wrongdoings.
How many times and how many more women need to speak out before they can feel safe in their work environment? Girls around the globe look up to these athletes as strong, resilient and influential leaders. Yet behind closed doors, coaches are ripping away these women’s ability to feel safe and thrive on and off the field.
Will these institutions ever change and own up to funding and supporting often abusive environments? It is hard to say, but looking at historical trends of abuse within national and international institutions gives a sense of doubt that headlines such as these will root in any systemic change. This change starts with acknowledgment, removal of abusers and restructuring organizations to guarantee a safe environment these influential women can thrive in, not fight through.
