Minimizing, Denying, and Blaming

Coaches, guardians, and people of influence* making light of abuse disclosed by athletes or whistleblowers and shifting the blame onto them. For example, gaslighting them into believing it did not happen or that the abuse was really an acceptable act within athletic training.

Coercion

Using pressure or manipulation to force sexual contact. For example, using shame, threats, ultimatums, or withholding access to their sport or playing time as punishment for not engaging in sexual contact.

Isolation

Gaining trust is often achieved by “unburdening” or doing “favors” for the parents/guardians such as providing transportation to a family that is struggling with scheduling or providing equipment to a child whose family cannot afford it.

Threats & Rewards

Coaches, guardians, and people of influence often instill fear in athletes using threats such as reducing playing time or being removed from the team, to secure compliance and/or silence. Promised rewards may be used to manipulate athletes into compliance and/or silence.

Authority

Coaches, guardians, and people of influence use their position of power over an athlete to threaten and manipulate the athlete not only to assault them, but to also control their reaction after the abuse has occurred and silence them from reporting or disclosing the abuse.

Financial Control

Financial control is the exertion of control over someone’s income, savings, assets, and other financial pieces of their life, such as mortgages, rent/lease agreements. In sports, financial control can include access to educational scholarships that are connected with sports performance, deals with sponsors, Name-Image-Likeness (NIL) contracts, professional team contracts, and licensing deals.

Grooming

Grooming involves slowly gaining trust before systematically breaking down interpersonal barriers and
alienating the athlete from support systems. Grooming often occurs on a continuum beginning with crossing boundaries and then escalating to additional acts of harm, such as sexual abuse.