[ARETE] Sport and Society /712/20 "Athlete A"

Mon Jul 13 16:52:12 CDT 2020

I agree, Lee.

[image: Paradise Valley Community College logo]
Dr. David M. Pegram
Paradise Valley Community College
MARICOPA COMMUNITY COLLEGES
Residential Faculty | English
18401 N. 32nd Street, Phoenix, AZ 85032
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On Mon, Jul 13, 2020 at 2:42 PM Lee Lowenfish via
Sport_literature_association <sport_literature_association at lists.ku.edu>
wrote:

> very powerful and well-done!!
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: richard crepeau via Sport_literature_association
> Sent: Jul 13, 2020 3:37 PM
> To: ARETE
> Subject: [ARETE] Sport and Society /712/20 "Athlete A"
>
> SPORT AND SOCIETY FOR ARETE
>
> JULY 12, 2020
>
>
>
> For those who have access to Netflix, I would recommend you take two hours
> out of your schedule and watch the newly released “Athlete A” directed by
> Booni Cohen and Jon Shenk. The film examines the sexual abuse of young
> gymnasts by Dr. Larry Nasser and many others at USA Gymnastics (USAG) and
> at Michigan State University*. “*Athlete A” brings together a number of
> the cases pertinent to the sexual abuse of young girls under the less than
> watchful eye of those in charge of USAG. It is as ugly a sports story as
> there has been in recent memory.
>
> The documentary has several threads. First, it is the dramatic story of
> how the *Indy Star *newspaper uncovered the multiple layers of sexual
> abuse of young girls who were pursuing the sport of gymnastics. Second, it
> is the story of the corruption within the governing body and administrative
> staff of USAG, and the systematic cover-up of the charges of abuse, sexual
> and otherwise. Third, it is the story of Dr. Larry Nasser, the USA
> Gymnastics team doctor, and his predatory activities within the national
> team and as team doctor at Michigan State University. Fourth, it is the
> story of the psychological damage and the anguish of the survivors of the
> abuse by Larry Nasser and by the coaches and administrators of USAG.
>
> It is also a cautionary tale for young athletes pursuing the Olympic dream
> and for the parents of those athletes who turn their children over to
> athletic authorities in pursuit of athletic glory.
>
> For the *Indy Star* investigative reporting team, the story began in 2016
> as they were investigating cases of sexual abuse of young girls by their
> gymnastics coaches. This led the reporters to a case in Georgia in which
> multiple warnings about a coach were ignored, thus allowing the coach to
> continue to abuse young girls over a seven year period. What the *Indy
> Star* reporters found was that USA Gymnastics, as a matter of policy,
> ignored charges of abuse unless they came directly from the gymnast or a
> parent.
>
> The *Indy Star* found that USAG had a file of complaints involving over
> fifty coaches with four cases going back into the 1990’s. When the first
> story appeared it was read on Facebook by Rachael Denhollander, a former
> gymnast, a lawyer, and mother of three. She immediately sent an email to
> one of the reporters that included the following: “I was not molested by my
> coach, but I was molested by Dr. Larry Nassar, the team doctor for USAG. I
> was fifteen years old, and it was under the guise of medical treatment for
> my back."
>
> Within a few days two other former gymnasts contacted the *Indy Star,*
> and, in each instance, the name of Larry Nasser was mentioned as an abuser.
> These three women did not know one another and had no contact with one
> another.
>
> From this point on, the investigation snowballed as woman after woman came
> forward with charges of abuse by Nasser. By the time of Nasser’s trial,
> over 150 women had come forward with charges against him.
>
> The story of the cover-up at USAG and at Michigan State University is
> appalling. Institutional protection clearly took precedent over protection
> of the athletes. In addition, the national training facility in Texas, run
> by Bella and Martha Karolyi, was a place of intimidation and fear. The
> young gymnasts were isolated from all contact with the world outside the
> Karolyi Ranch. The harsh training methods and humiliation of the athletes
> were nothing short of child abuse. Larry Nasser was the doctor for the
> gymnasts at the ranch.
>
> All of this receives the attention of the filmmakers. Woven through the
> story is the testimony of the athletes. There were many horror stories to
> report, and “Athlete A” chose a few to treat in detail. All of them left me
> with a sickening feeling as tales of sexual abuse, physical abuse, and
> psychological damage rolled across the screen.
>
> One of the most striking cases was that of Maggie Nichols, a top gymnasts
> and a teammate of Simone Biles. Nichols was the first one, along with her
> parents, to lodge a complaint of sexual abuse by Larry Nasser to the USAG
> authorities. When the complaint was filed, Steve Penney, then the President
> of the USAG, did not report it to the police as required by Texas law.
> Penny continually reassured the Nichols family that the matter was being
> handled by USAG. It was not. As the Rio Olympics neared, it was clear on
> several fronts that Maggie Nichols’ talent was being minimized by the USAG.
> When the Olympic team was announced, Nichols was neither a member nor an
> alternate.
>
> It was a shocking development to the Nichols family and for many of the
> other gymnasts and fans. It was clear in hindsight that Maggie Nichols’
> complaint against Larry Nasser played a major role in the decision to leave
> her off the team.
>
> One of the interesting facets of this whole story of abuse is that the *Indy
> Star *series was not the first warning about these abuses. In 1995, Joan
> Ryan’s book, *Pretty Girls in Little Boxes* described the abuse of young
> girls in gymnastics and figure skating. In 2008, Jennifer Sey, seven time
> member of the U.S. Gymnastics Team and 1986 National Champion, published *Chalked
> Up *exposing the culture of abuse in gymnastics. Sey was also a producer
> for “Athlete A.”
>
> In 2017, in a *New York Times* Op-Ed piece, Jennifer Sey offered this
> summary: "Women’s gymnastics is a sport in which the athletes are very
> young and barely clothed, and many of the coaches are male. It is a sport
> in which screaming insults at children is considered an accepted
> motivational technique, in which competing with severe injuries is the
> norm, in which discouraging athletes from eating is common practice and in
> which abuse, broadly defined, is standard."
>
> For anyone who teaches courses on Women and Sport or on the Culture of
> Sport, or for those simply interested in sport in all of its pain and
> glory, “Athlete A” would make a great contribution to the curriculum, as
> well as, a cautionary tale about power and its consequences.
>
> From nearly every angle, “Athlete A” leaves you with a sinking feeling in
> the pit of your stomach. This story is a disgusting example of massive
> sexual abuse carried out by a predator under cover provided by those who
> were charged with the responsibility to care for the child athletes. It is
> also a horrible example of power that lost its way. This is a story that
> cannot be told often enough, and therefore a film worth watching.
>
> On Sport and Society this is Dick Crepeau reminding you that you don’t
> have to be a good sport to be a bad loser.
>
>
>
> Copyright 2020 by Richard C. Crepeau
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