Power imbalances can contribute to many negative effects for victims. Coaches and athletes have an interesting power imbalance, which has resulted in much misconduct and abuse.
I was first introduced to this idea when I watched influencer Alex Cooper’s documentary on Hulu: “Call Her Alex.” In this two-part film, Cooper explained the sexual harassment and bullying she endured from her female soccer coach while attending Boston University.
This documentary highlighted the coach-athlete power imbalance. I learned that this dynamic can affect people of all ages; however, college athletes specifically have a more difficult time reporting abuse from their coaches. College athletes like Cooper neglect to report harassment for fear of the loss of their scholarship or their position on the team.
After three years of staying silent, Cooper and her parents reported her coach’s abuse of power to the school administration, who neglected to address the issue. They told Cooper that they would not fire the coach and explained that she could keep her scholarship without playing her senior year.
“Within five minutes, they (BU administration) had entirely dismissed everything I had been through,” Cooper said. “I got into the car with my parents, and when the door shut, I immediately broke down and I just started sobbing.”
Cooper was an excellent soccer player, and due to this abuse of power and lack of administrative action, she began hating a sport she once loved.
Cooper’s story is one of many, and many other athletes have reported abuse from coaches who have isolated them with their high levels of control.
For instance, in 2021, the women’s basketball coach at Syracuse University was accused of “bullying and unwanted inappropriate physical contact,” which led to many players needing therapy.
Another example is from 2020 when University of Iowa football players accused three of their coaches of “verbal abuse and (using) racial epithets.” These coaches also allegedly discriminated against Black players on the team.
When athletes are in these toxic situations, they need to be encouraged to speak out about their trauma and should be able to have faith in the school’s administrative action to resolve the issue.
Sports lawyer Tammi Gaw explained that schools often neglect to take proper action against abusive coaches because they fear litigation and negative publicity. This makes the school seem as if it endorses the behavior and leaves the victim feeling dismissed.
Another solution to this issue would be to unionize college athletes, which would provide legal aid and support for athletes enduring abuse from a coach. Professional athletes have made efforts to support the unionization of college athletes; however, there have been a lot of setbacks. For instance, a lack of structure and employee status are two components that have prevented college athletes from forming a union.
Student athletes such as Cooper should have been given the justice they deserved when reporting issues to their school’s administration. Raising awareness, encouraging athlete vocalization and taking steps to create a college-athlete union will help combat the athlete-coach power imbalance.
