The Price of Perfection
The topic that I will explore for this expository essay is Larry Nassar and sexual abuse in gymnastics. My essay will seek to answer how Larry Nassar’s abuse went on for so long, who allowed the abuse to happen, and what effect this scandal will have on the future of gymnastics. As a member of the USA Gymnastics Organization, whose coaches and board members many blame for the abuse, I have a firsthand connection to this scandal. Not only did I attend the Michigan State Gymnastics Camp, the former workplace of Larry Nassar himself and his defender and former head coach of the team, Kathie Klages, but through my eleven years of gymnastics have trained under a coach who was fired for sexual abuse allegations, one who was fired for inappropriate coaching techniques and another who lost his business due to falsified allegations and stigma. I will use these experiences to personalize my essay and compare them to that of those abused by Nassar.
The scandal is interesting to me for three main reasons. The location of most of Nassar’s abuse occured at the National Team Training Camp in Texas, but it was discovered that Nassar NEVER had a valid medical license there. Secondly, Nassar’s abuse was reported to police and school officials in 1997, but he wasn’t taken into custody until 2016. Lastly, there
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were innumerable times when Nassar’s abuse could have been stopped, but people failed to act upon these opportunities. While 19 years seems a long time to wait to act on these allegations, it was the #metoo movement that prompted over 250 girls to come out with their stories of abuse.
250 woman lost their innocence and love for their sport. 250 casualties of Larry Nassar’s abuse. These casualties didn’t just affect the gymnastics world. The #metoo movement, which started in Hollywood, has reached all aspects of our society. It has affected politics, government, large corporations, the performing arts, and sports. The pervasive nature of this movement has piqued the areas of interest of almost everyone, making the aspects of this scandal relevant to a larger
audience. My initial position regarding this scandal is that it was not a failure by one lone individual, but a failure by several different organizations and a multitude of individuals associated with these organizations. Those who I believe to be responsible prior to my research include Marta and Bela Karolyi, Kathie Klages, Valeri Liukin, and John Geddert and the organizations include the USOC (United States Olympic Committee) and USAG (United States of America Gymnastics). I believe that this scandal with have a detrimental effect on gymnastics on a whole, with participation decreasing and coaches becoming more hesitant to form strong connections with their athletes. I am unsure as to whether the culture of gymnastics has an impact of the prevalence of abuse. This will be something that I will have to do some research into. In addition to this, I will need to do some research to answer the three parts of my question. I will need to research the specific positions of the four contributions listed above and the purpose and description of the two organizations. Lastly, I will need to research the current rules in place to prevent these kinds of instances from occurring and how this system failed so miserably. Before even beginning to explore the breach that occured in Larry’s case, it is important that I define sexual abuse. One of the main contributors to the length of this problem is the misunderstandings and the stigma surrounding sexual abuse. Many people don’t know what crosses the line between friendly, caring gestures and harmful, inappropriate ones. I saw this firsthand with one of my coaches. His caring gestures were often confused with something more than that, but he never reached out directly to gymnasts, only ever through their parents, he asked parents to come watch practice and everything he did was done in the public eye. He knew how people saw him and he did everything he could to prevent it, but, as the rumors spread, he lost more and more business. Eventually, these misunderstandings led to his business going bankrupt. The stigma that surrounds sexual abuse prevents people from forming a necessary definition of what sexual abuse really means. On this note, the topic of sexual abuse within itself appeals to one’s sense of ethics and values. Larry’s trial was taken on by the judge to answer the question “Was what Larry did ethical?” Obviously, it wasn’t, as he received 175 years in prison. I will emphasize the sense of injustice and the unethical behavior that occured by outlining the specific laws that were broken by Larry and the other people to blame.
... athletes to do as they please. However he does not do a good job of being non-partisan. He leads his readers to believe the only group of people who would do such things are “jocks”. This bias is not true. The newspapers report that University fraternities, and secret societies are as likely, if not more likely, to commit these very same acts. He also leads the reader to believe that all athletes and athletic teams are similar. The impression he leaves about the majority of teams and their members is prejudicial and unfair. It is very unfortunate and disheartening that members of a community that were so highly reguarded, would commit such acts. It is even more disturbing to hear about the scenario leading up to the rape, and the community which produced these troubled young men. It is more important to look at why the events took place rather than who committed them, because ultimately the only innocent person involved is the victim, a mentally handicapped young girl, named Lesli Faber.
The debate over Title IX is a complex one, with many sides relentlessly attacking each other’s approaches regarding the law. The Title IX advocates, largely comprised of women’s organizations such as the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), take the approach that the law is the major reason women have achieved somewhat equal opportunities in athletics. The NWLC contends that abolishing Title IX would undo years of progress so far achieved. In sharp contrast with the Title IX advocates are the Title IX opponents, who are largely comprised of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (...
...ennis, basketball, soccer, and martial arts—have come from the days of cheerleading and synchronized swimming when she was growing up in the ’70s.” Disparities in media coverage and over-sexualized female athletes on magazine covers is something that needs to come to an end because of its effects on both male and female viewers, young and old, athletes and non-athletes. Both female and male athletics influence young people and shape their personality and morals as they mature. Retired WNBA player, Lisa Leslie credits her participation in basketball with shaping her character, as well as her career. “Sports can also help teenagers during an awkward time in their development.” (“Women’s Athletics: A Battle For Respect”). The solution is to come together as a society and identify how to balance the respect for female and male athletes in the media.
In 1970 only 1 in 27 girls participated in high school sports, today that ratio is 1 in 3. Sports are a very important part of the American society. Within sports heroes are made, goals are set and dreams are lived. The media makes all these things possible by creating publicity for the rising stars of today. Within society today, the media has downplayed the role of the woman within sports. When the American people think of women in sports, they think of ice skating, field hockey and diving. People don’t recognize that women have the potential to play any sport that a Man can play, with equal skill, if not better.
Since the passage of Title IX, there have been many more opportunities for both males and females in all aspects of athletics (Preist, 2003). While there has been a large increase in sports participants and opportunities available to young people, there have also been negative effects of the bill. Many drastic changes have occurred to our society and sports in the time since Title IX’s passage. Throughout this transition period, there have been financial, cultural, and social dynamics shifts to all levels of sports.
Sexual assault, abuse, and rape by athletes is a devastating crime. These crimes by themselves are horrendous, but when committed by athletes there are many different factors involved. Through extensive research this paper will show contributing factors that may result in assault, abuse, or rape by athletes. Special treatment for athletes throughout their career, belief in sexual male dominance, and the role of alcohol are all important factors. Other crucial factors are the attitudes and responses of: society, juries, victims, coaches, and athletes. This paper will explore all these issues and show that changes need to be made in all the areas to combat the growing percentages of sport assault, abuse, and rape against women.
Gender inequality affected sporting activities among high school and colleges in America in the 1970s, to an extent that the female gender were marginalized and could not freely participate in games like athletics, basketball and hockey (Houser, 2013). There even existed one sporting body, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which over saw the sporting activities at this level. This body was reported to be in opposition of the female gender sporting activities. It was not until the year 1972, when the popular title IX, was passed into law. This title read that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” The core theme of title IX was to eliminate discrimination in the sporting sector and to promote the status of the female gender in the same field. This title is contained in the Education Amendment Act of the year 1972, and it was meant to fill the gaps present in the title VII, which was included in the Civil Rights applied into law in the year1964 (ibid). It after the emergence of this title that brought the motivation towards the implementation of equality in the sporting sector, an idea that was pushed for by the popular Lonnie Leotus “Lee” Morrison. This essay accounts for the efforts made by Morrison in effort towards achieving gender equality in sports at high school and college level.
“The past three decades have witnessed a steady growth in women's sports programs in America along with a remarkable increase in the number of women athletes (Daniel Frankl 2)” From an early age women were thought to be “Lady Like”; they are told not to get all sweaty and dirty. Over 200 years since Maud Watson stepped on the tennis courts of Wimbledon (Sports Media Digest 3); women now compete in all types and levels of sports from softball to National racing. Soccer fans saw Mia Hamm become the face of women’s soccer around the world, Venus and Serena Williams are two of the most popular figures in tennis, and Indy car racing had their first woman racer, Danika Patrick. With all the fame generated by these women in their respective sports, they still don’t receive the same compensation as the men in their respective sports fields.
... athletes feel more secure than their female counterparts. Lopiano and Sommers create realistic, reliable and clear material that uncovers how female athletes struggle to gain media coverage. The article by Lopiano (2008) is broad and simple, while the article by Sommers (2010) is specific and precise. Overall, Lopiano and Sommers prove to be effective, straightforward, and unique sources that challenge the inconsistency of media coverage between female athletes and male athletes.
Teens Health. N.p., 10 Oct 2013. Web. 6 Nov 2013. "The Coach-Athlete Relationship.
The sheer energy of a gymnast alone can be felt by audiences of all ages, but what the spectators lack the ability to feel is the pounding of the bodies that bear the impact of the athletes in action. Gymnastics consists of a mixture of acrobatic performances of four different events for females, and six different events for males (Gianoulis 1). Gymnastics is demanding in a multitude of ways, including: physically, emotionally and mentally. It requires countless hours of dedication. The concerns of most gymnasts are moving up to the next level, or getting a more advanced skill, while the concerns of the doctors, coaches, and parents revolve mostly around the athlete’s health, which is put at stake for the adored yet dangerous sport. Injuries are common among both male and female gymnast alike, but due to the fact a female gymnast’s career peaks at the same time of major growth and development, a female gymnast’s body as a whole is more likely to undergo lifelong changes or affects (Gianoulis 2). Among the injuries of the mind blowing athletes, the most common ones affect the ankles, feet, lower back, wrist, and hands of individuals (Prevention and Treatment 1). From sprains, to the breaks, the intriguing sport of gymnastics is physically demanding on a gymnast’s body.
Women’s participation in sport is at an all-time high and has almost become equal to men’s, however. Sports media does not fail to show this equality and skews the way we look at these athletes. Through the disciplines of sociology and gender studies, it can be seen that despite the many gains of women in sports since the enactment of Title IX, “traditional” notions of masculinity and femininity still dominate media coverage of males and females in sports, which is observed in Olympic programming and sports news broadcasts. Sociology is a growing discipline and is an important factor in the understanding of different parts of society. Sociology is “a social science that studies human societies, their interactions, and the processes that preserve and change them” (Faris and Form P1).
Female athlete coverage in the media is a complication due to far less coverage than male athletes receive. Statistics show that females already receive less than ten percent of coverage, although this is much more than they received just a short time ago. Shauna Kavanagh said in an article that when she was younger, female sports were never on TV. “All of my sporting heroes were males,” she said. Although strides have been made for female athlete’s, there is still a long ways to go. Kavanagh secondly went on to express that she feels the press does not cover woman athletics imperfectly; they simply don’t publicize them enough. People are still much more interested in ma...
Everyone is aware of the role that these athletes have to do. We should not look at the inappropriate actions of few athletes. The. I was biased to believing that all athletes are bad before I started. doing my research for this paper.
Whether its baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, or tennis, sports is seen all over the world as a representation of one’s pride for their city, country, and even continent. Sports is something that is valued world-wide which has the ability to bring communities together and create different meanings, beliefs and practices between individuals. Although many people may perceive sports to have a significant meaning within our lives, it can also have the ability to separate people through gender inequalities which can also be represented negatively throughout the media. This essay will attempt to prove how gender is constructed in the sports culture while focusing on female athletes and their acceptance in today’s society.