Survivor Support: You Are Not Alone

A staggering 13% of all student athletes in the U.S. are survivors of sexual violence experienced through their participation in sports.  

Any reported numbers are likely low due to underreporting. Only 10% of athletes who experienced unwanted sexual behavior during their sports involvement submitted a formal complaint or report. 

Athletes, throughout their life span, can experience vulnerabilities tied to their participation in sport. This is due to the intense pressure in sport, the isolation of training and competition, the impact of travel on a local to international level, and the general sport culture that expects athletes to suffer for success.
There is also a culture of unchecked power given to coaches, wherein all athletes are expected not to question authority nor advocate for themselves. Too often the outcomes of the competition are more important than an athlete’s well-being.  Further, the public often looks at athletes as superhuman, cheering on those who play through injury. Children cast as super-human or attributed with adult physical qualities can face severe consequences on their physical and emotional development.

Source: Communicating about Child Athlete Wellbeing: Challenges, Opportunities, and Emerging Recommendations by Frameworks. January, 2021.

Within sport, barriers to reporting may include:

• Fear of retaliation from teammates, community, coaches, and sports systems
• Not knowing how or where to report
• Fear of being sidelined or kicked off the team
• Not understanding it was assault or abuse
• Fear that reporting would jeopardize their career
• Threats from abusers (financial, physical, or emotional)
• Fear that they won’t be believed

Many athletes feel their core identities are connected to their participation in sport. This leads to delays in reporting until their careers in sport are over, or making decisions to never report abuse because it may disrupt their understanding of themselves.

Outside of the context of sport, underreporting of sexual abuse is common as well. RAINN offers additional details about why sexual abuse is underreported. 

Of the sexual violence crimes reported to police from 2005-2010, survivors reported the following reasons for doing so:

• 28% to protect the household or survivor from further crimes by the offender
• 25% to stop the incident or prevent recurrence or escalation
• 21% to improve police surveillance or they believed they had a duty to do so
• 17% to catch/punish/prevent offenders from reoffending
• 6% gave a different answer, or declined to cite one reason
• 3% did so to get help or recover losses

Of the sexual violence crimes not reported to police from 2005-2010, survivors gave the following reasons for not reporting:

• 20% feared retaliation
• 13% believed the police would not do anything to help
• 13% believed it was a personal matter
• 8% reported to a different official
• 8% believed it was not important enough to report
• 7% did not want to get the perpetrator in trouble
• 2% believed the police could not do anything to help
• 30% gave another reason, or did not cite one reason

According the American Psychological Association, sexual abuse is unwanted sexual activity with perpetrators using force, making threats, or taking advantage of victims not able to give consent. More than 90% of survivors know the abuser.

Note: In the U.S., each states’ definition and laws around sexual abuse differs. This includes what constitutes sexual assault, legal definitions of consent, and the penalties for these crimes. You can find a more comprehensive list of state laws and definitions at RAINN Laws In Your State

Sexual violence can take many forms:

• Unwanted touching, grabbing or groping
• Exposure to sexual images
• Rape
• Penetration with an object
• Indecent exposure of body parts
• Using drugs and/or alcohol to incapacitate someone
• And more. See your state laws or a local sexual assault survivor advocate for more details and definitions.

Sexual harassment is unwelcome contact of a sexual nature that makes the work or learning environment unsafe. Many sports systems fall under these parameters. This includes:

• Sexual or discriminatory jokes
• Sharing sexual images
• Unwanted sexual requests
• Requiring sexual contact in order to gain a reward in a workplace or educational system

Survivors’ immediate reactions to sexual abuse may include shock, fear, and disbelief. Survivors demonstrate these emotions in many different ways that may or may not look like distress to untrained observers. 

Long-term effects of sexual abuse and rape may include feelings of anxiety, fear, powerlessness, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The abuse can also impact relationships with others, feelings of trust, and make it more difficult to concentrate. Trauma reminders/triggers can happen in the long-term which can bring on a trauma crisis response even if there is no immediate threat.

Child athletes, like all children, require support to foster healthy development. Unhealthy sport cultures and abuse in youth sports undermine child development.

Elite child athletes are at risk for experiences that harm their development, including physical injury, psychological burnout, and abuse (emotional, physical and sexual). Too often, coaches and sports institutions are only concerned about winning, and willingly put children at risk of physical and mental harm. Because many sports institutions give coaches too much power, abuse is common and goes unchecked. Child athletes have the same needs as other children, as well as needs that are specific to their role as athletes.

Source: Communicating about Child Athlete Wellbeing: Challenges, Opportunities, and Emerging Recommendations by Frameworks. January, 2021.