Thursday, February 15, 2018
USA Gymnastics: Athletes to be chaperoned at upcoming events after sexual abuse scandal
Article
Discussion Questions:
1. Do you think it's fair that due to this incident the gymnastics athletes are now not going to have their national team training camp?
2. Is it fair that all the gymnastics athletes need to have a chaperone at ALL times during the upcoming events? Is that an invasion of privacy?
3. What actions do you believe need to be taken to prevent sexual assault in sports?
4. Do you think there need to be new laws put into place to prevent things similar to this from happening in the future?
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This event has been one of the most highly-publicized sexual harassment in recent years (only behind the Harvey Weinstein events of this year). The repercussions of this, despite its significance, are not exactly fair. The Team USA atheletes should have the option to choose whether they want to participate in the national team training camp. The reason for this isn’t exactly fair either, as “USA Gymnastics canceled a national team training camp last month after the federation cut ties with the Karolyi ranch, where some of the abuse occurred.” This isn’t exactly fair as just because something occurred at a specific location doesn’t mean it was the location’s fault. This goes back to the idea that atheletes should have a choice. The atheletes should be able to choose whether they want a chaperone. The fact that an athelete is forced to have a chaperone is the invasion of privacy, not that there should be some sort of chaperone. The actions that need to occur are those of a preemptive nature. These doctors should be monitored often to make sure that they do not do anything illegal or unfair to the atheletes.
ReplyDelete1. I do think that it is fair to cancel the gymnasts' national training camps after the incident. That is, since some of the abuse occurred at this location, why would these athletes want to come and train here? It doesn't make much sense to me. But since there is a scheduled event to take place, the gymnasts should at least be excited to take part in that. For question number 2, to start off, I will compare the question to movies. For any movie, if an actor/actress is under the age of 18, a parent must be with him or her the entire time. Although some actors/actresses might find this to be an invasion of their privacy, I think that is still needed. All parents need to look after their kids. And all actresses/actors under 18 still get their time to be away from their parent/guardian and rather, with the rest of the crew. This gives parents/guardians a break as well. Going back to the gymnasts, coaches are with their athletes at all times when they travel and compete, which is just like having a parent/guardian following and overlooking you. All coaches give their athletes time to socialize and spend quality time with their teammates. This gives the coaches time to prepare for what comes next. To prevent sexual assault in sports, immediate action needs to come into play. As soon as any word of sexual assault is heard, immediate cautions need to be put into place. I do think new laws need to put into place in order to prevent things in similarity to this from happening in actions and charges to come.
ReplyDelete1. I do not think that it is fair that the gymnasts are now not going to have their national team training camp, but it is understandable. I do not think that it is necessary that this training camp should be cancelled because Larry Nassar will not be there. The article states “USA Gymnastics canceled a national team training camp last month after the federation cut ties with the Karolyi ranch.”, so I would get why the gymnasts would not want to be back at the same location where the assaults occurred, but I do think they should have attempted to change the location of the training camp.
ReplyDelete2. I think that it is fair that all gymnastics athletes need to have a chaperone at all times during the upcoming events, but it should be optional. I think that it is fair that they get to choose who their chaperone is, and that it can even be a parent.
3. In order to prevent further sexual assault, harassment, etc. cases in the future within sports, I think any and all staff and personal in coordination with athletes and each other must go through training. They must learn the legal definitions and inappropriate functions that lead to incidents and how to prevent them from happening. The more they are made aware of this issue - that keeps coming up - the less it will occur and when it does, it will be handled better.
ReplyDelete4. I am not sure if new laws will be necessary in order to prevent these incidents from occurring as the ones we currently have should be clear and strict enough to most. In my opinion, I believe that this is more of a social issue rather than a legal one. People need to pay more attention to it and realize that some things that they might think are okay, are not. This is more of a societal issue that people need to fix rather than rely on the legal system to figure it out for them. It starts with the people and if they are not willing to take this seriously or make efforts for change, then we cannot expect this problem to get better, let alone go away entirely.
2. I think it is more then fair for the gymnasts to have a chaperone. After what has happened why wouldn't you want to have someone there to make sure what happened does't happen again. Especially in gymnastics most athletes are small and no the strongest, so thats why they need more there to defend them if things go sideways. Safety is the number one priority. People should have to worry if/when a child needs to go to a trainer that they will be violated. This measure is not invading privacy, it strictly for protection. A bigger bonus of the chaperone system is if it works and there no incidents, we could be seeing this in other sports where there has been evidence of sexual misconduct. Overall this is a good thing and it should be mandatory in most woman sports especially gymnastics, because of the history of misconduct.
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ReplyDelete2) I think it is fair for the competing gymnasts to have a chaperone. I think this is important because after reading about what Nassar did, history should not repeat itself. Doing some outside research, Annie Labrie, a victim of Larry Nassar, told court that Nassar used, “...fear, intimidation and shame and explicit favoritism ...” Safety should be the top priority at these gyms and the fact that people have to worry about a teacher sexually touching their kids is disgusting. This chaperone would be a larger safety net and would give more confidence to parents and gymnasts after this horrible incident. This could be the foundation of not only stopping sexual misconduct in gymnastics, but a stop to sexual misconduct in women's sports.
ReplyDelete2. In my opinion, having a chaperone with you is a very smart thing for the safety of the athletes. While it may annoy the athletes it is the best thing for the women to provide for their safety. If something, like the incidents of Larry Nassar, were to happen again the chaperone would be their to either not let that happen or witness it and not let it happen again. The safety of this option outweighs the fact that each player needs her privacy because the last time an athlete had her own privacy their were 250 sexual abused women.
ReplyDelete3. To prevent sexual assault from happening we, as the community, need to make sure that the penalties from this happening is well deserved. There needs to be a no strike policy and people shouldn’t look the other way when this happens. Once people know that no one speaks up then it happens even more often which will make this issue even greater. If you speak up and prevent one person from doing anything whether you are the bystander or the victim it can go a long way. Our policy makers also need to make more solutions, like chaperones for the athletes, because it’s better to be safe than sorry even though it may be a little invasive towards someone's privacy. This solution should be the first of many to get rid of this issue.
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ReplyDelete1. I don't think it's fair to cancel the national team training camp as a whole unless the athletes themselves decide that it needs to be. If it gets canceled without them having a say, it's basically telling them to not prepare for their upcoming competitions. If any of the athletes feel as though they aren't ready to go back to the team where all this abuse took place, they should be entitled to not show up for training camp without any consequences. However, with Larry Nassar headed to prison for over 230 years, those who want to go to training camp should have the option to do so.
ReplyDelete2. I think each athlete being required to have a chaperone is not a bad idea, however should depend on age. If the athlete is older than 18 and feels as though they can monitor themselves, they should be able to decide if they have a chaperone or not. If the athlete is younger than 18, they should be required to have a chaperone. However, these chaperones shouldn't be watching them at all times. There should be times when the athlete can tell them they want to be alone. This would make it so there isn't any invasion of privacy. For the older athletes, the only possible problem with the chaperone idea would be that it could make these young adults feel as though they're not capable of protecting themselves when they're alone (that's why they should be able to choose), which is scary because it shows what society has come to. Realistically, the chaperone keeping an eye on these athletes could help prevent these athletes from anything like this ever happening again.
2. The implication of a chaperone for gymnasts is a very good idea, however it's a little unfair that these chaperones are mandatory even for gymnasts over the age of 18. If a gymnast is over the age of 18, they are an adult and should be regarded as such, and therefore should not be required to have a chaperone if they don't want to.
ReplyDelete4. Unfortunately, no matter what new legislation is put in place, events like the Larry Nassar scandal are always going to happen (whether or not we hear about it on the news). However, I believe there is one punishment that could reduce the amount of sexual predators like Larry Nassar and that would be the death penalty. Even though Nassar will spend the rest of his life in a prison cell, I'm sure there are many parents of his victims that are furious that this monster is still alive. The death penalty has shown time and again to give families of murder victims closure. Why shouldn't families of sexual assault victims also deserve that same closure?
I don't think that it is fair that there is no national training camp now because of this incident even though some disgusting and criminal things happened there because it's not like the location itself did that and the man responsible is going away for life. I understand that people could have bad memories there, however the result of that is that there is no camp. I think it is a great idea to have chaperones with them at all times except I think the screening of these people needs to be well done otherwise a scandal could just happen all over again. Something had to be done in order to prevent this from happening again otherwise the public would be very angry at the elected officials. However, I still think getting rid of the training camp was a bit much because it stops girls from getting better even though the threat is gone. I don't think that this behaviour can ever truly be stopped by legislation because in a closed room, some people still think they can take advantage of others.
ReplyDelete2) I think that for any of the gymnasts under the age of 18 it should be mandatory to have a chaperone. For those over the age of 18 they should have the choice to have one or not have one. After reading the article it is clear that this man had power over these athletes in ways he should not have. Having relatives and other people to watch over procedures would deter someone from committing a crime.
ReplyDelete4) I think that there is already sufficient laws in place that punish people who commit sexual assault however there is policies inside of companies that could be strengthened or better enforced to stop a man like Nasser much faster. Company employees or athletes of any kind should have someone they feel safe going to in order to talk about an incident. Not only should that person listen to that account but they should promptly investigate and take action swiftly. In the case of Nassar people complained but nothing was done.
ReplyDeleteI think it should have been left to the athletes themselves to decide whether or not the national team training camp would be held. I understand that US gymnastics may want to let things simmer down for a little while but I believe it is unfair the punish the athletes while doing this. Yes, Nassar committed an array of disgusting crimes, but the athletes should not have pass up this amazing opportunity. No athlete should be forced to attend and thus punished if they don't, but they should all be given the option to go.
I believe that for athletes under the age of 18 it is very reasonable for USA gymnastics to require this. For adult athletes I think it should be left to their discretion to decide if they would like to be accompanied around the events. The requirement of chaperones could leave athletes feeling like they still are in danger when that is not the message you want to promote.
ReplyDelete1. Do you think it's fair that due to this incident the gymnastics athletes are now not going to have their national team training camp?
I do not think it is fair that due to this incident the gymnastics athletes are now not having the national team training camp. To me it seems like the USA gymnastics team is almost punishing them for something they didn’t do. It feels forced to me because USA gymnastics needed to do something in response to the Larry Nassar case, especially after not reporting some of the incidents that they knew about so that they could conduct their own investigation.
3. What actions do you believe need to be taken to prevent sexual assault in sports?
I think we have learned a ton about sexual assault in sports from this case. I think the first action that should be taken to prevent sexual assault from happening in sports is implementing some common sense. This could be done by an independent group implementing new rules, or new guidelines to stop something like this from happening ever again. Some common things would be not allowing a coach to be the only one present in the room with young females. As gymnast Jordyn Wieber said “He was the only male allowed to be present in the athlete dorm rooms to do whatever treatments he wanted. He was allowed to treat us in hotel rooms alone without any supervision. He took photos of us during training and whatever else he wanted.” This is not ok, and that should have been obvious. This to me seems like common sense. Why would anyone ever let a relatively unknown male in a hotel room with young girls? Actions like the one I suggested need to be put in place to stop sexual assault like the Larry Nassar case from happening again.
I don’t think it’s fair that the team is missing its national training camp. I understand that this is about not going to the place where the crimes were committed. This would be like returning to the scene of the crime. Being there might traumatize many of the girls, and this is not right to force the girls to go there where there are ghosts of terrible deeds. A new place must be found where the girls will feel a new sense of security and safety.
ReplyDeleteI do think its fair that the girls have to be chaperoned. It is about their safety after all. I think it is more important to believe the girls, though. They had been reporting that Nassar was a total creep since 1997. Had they put the word of the girls over their “expert” doctor, many tragedies could have been avoided. But since the people in charge cant seem to do that, having chaperones in place is a good system. This will help to keep medical practices from becoming sexual practices. It’s a total invasion of privacy for sure. The girls are being treated as if they can’t be trusted and that is how they’ve always been treated. This is sad. But until there is a system where the athletes are empowered, the chaperones are necessary.
Actions must be taken to put the girls in charge. Athlete safety must come before any doctor’s “methods.” Rules that exist are probably just fine, but the girl’s must come first. It’s just that culture that male “professionals” who might even be doctors are more trustworthy than the people they are entrusted to must end now. After all people are watching the atheltes – they are the big show. The doctors are not the big show. They should have always been seen as working for the athletes and not the athletes being second class citizens to the doctor in charge.
1. I do think that it is fair that the athletes are not returning to the training camp because the events that occurred are very prominent in the news right now. I don’t think that USA gymnastics wants to subject their athletes to the media that would be surrounding them if they were to have the camp. Also, there were some cases of abuse that occured at the camp, and if the gymnasts return, they would have an issue to returning to the sight were the abuse occurred. Most people would argue that USA gymnastics could have their camp at a different location, however, that does not change the fact that the girls would be subjected to mass media that would most likely make them feel uncomfortable, and takes the focus away from the gymnastics aspect of the camp.
ReplyDelete2. It is appropriate for gymnasts to have a chaperone at all upcoming events because they are young girls, and the whole purpose is to keep them safe. Although some girls might think it is an invasion of privacy, I think that it is a small price to pay if they are kept safe.
I think it is fair that the athletes need to have a chaperone at all times during international world cups. I believe that most of the athletes, especially those who were victims of the sexual abuse, will want to have a chaperone. Additionally, I do not think it is an invasion of privacy because the chaperones that are with the athletes are “parents, grandparents, guardians, relatives, etc.” so they will be comfortable with them. Also, this will allow the parents, guardians, and chaperones who wanted to travel with the athletes official permission to travel with them since that is something they criticised the USA Gymnastics association for not allowing them to do. As a result of this incident, I believe that new laws need to be put in place, not just for USA Gymnastics, but for everyone.
ReplyDeleteWhile it may not be fair, I think it's understandable, measures like these need to be taken seriously to prevent future events of a similar occurrence.
ReplyDeleteI think it is appropriate to have a chaperone if the gymnast agrees, I do think they deserve to have the option and don't think creating a mandatory chaperone at all times is reasonable/justifiable w/o approval of the gymnast.
The best way to prevent future things like this is just to create more awareness and education for all people who could be involved in a situation like this. Background checks could also be put into place (at least more drastic ones). I really think the best way to prevent future events would be talking about it as much as possible.
1. I do not think its fair, but unfortunately i don't think there was any other appropriate options. Serious issues like this become major obstacles in the industry and the lives of the athletes.
ReplyDelete2. Chaperones for athletes may help them and their families feel safer, but may also feel invasive- so they should have the option.
3. I think coaches and players should be monitored better without invading anyones privacy, things like security cameras and monitors could be helpful and make people feel safer and less likely to be in a sexual assault situation.
4. i wouldn't know what laws to put in place, there are consequences once those laws are already broken but they cant necessarily do anything else. I think sexual assault cases like this help raise awareness which may prevent further incidences.