Report on Pervasive Culture of Abuse in Women's Pro Soccer Incudes Youth Sports
Report on Pervasive Culture of Abuse in Women's Pro Soccer Incudes Youth Sports
Sign supporting NWSL players at a game between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Los Angeles FC, October 03, 2021. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images) Katharine Lotze/Getty Images hide caption
Sign supporting NWSL players at a game between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Los Angeles FC, October 03, 2021. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)
Katharine Lotze/Getty ImagesOver the past few years, we've heard shocking allegations from women athletes about experiencing sexual harassment and abuse. Earlier this week a report was released outlining a pervasive culture of abuse among coaches in the National Women's Soccer League.
Elite women soccer players were subjected to a range of abuse - from belittling comments to sexual advances.
Sally Yates, former Acting Attorney General, led the investigation – which was a response to allegations made last year against coaches by a number of women players. Many of the charges had been reported in the past but never acted upon. And the report found that many of the patterns of abusive behavior from coaches starts at the level of youth sports.
Host Michel Martin speaks with Steph Yang, staff writer for The Athletic who covers women's soccer and Julie DiCaro author of the book "Sidelined: Sports, Culture and Being a Woman in America".
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam. It was edited by Jeanette Woods. Our executive producer is Natalie Winston.