No, No, Don't Worry. Sexism is Pretty Much Over.

[Flex]

Hello,

I don't know how many (if any) follow women's soccer/football here in the US but a report was issued about several male head coaches in the NWSL professional league and sexual aggression/assault/abuse of players. The full report (it's long) is here:
https://www.kslaw.com/attachments/000/0 ... 1664809048

A good summary article is here:
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/ ... hye6w3nps0

Yeah, I enjoy watching (or maybe enjoyed in the past tense) NWSL. The initial behavior uncovered was disturbing enough but the extent of the malfeasance throughout the leak is genuinely horrific. Just an astounding failure to protect women, and also incidentally destroy the credibility of the league.

[Dr. Medulla]

Hello,

I really only know soccer coaches. The men addressed in the report were coaches of professional teams and exploited their position because several women felt the coach controlled their livelihood (playing time, etc.). I believe soccer has more males coaching females than other sports. I would guess this goes on across sports - how much in other sports? I don't know. I know several other incidents that weren't addressed - mainly youth and college coaches.

Whoops—exceedingly vague wording on my part. I meant across college soccer.

Hello,

Across the soccer field (Hello Marky)? There's a few coaches married to former players - some began the relationship post playing, some began while the woman was playing. I can think of half a dozen off the top of my head.

No, I mean is the kind of abuse described in this report—is it common on men's soccer teams, too (your sense, anyway)? I'm curious whether this seems like something rooted in the power dynamics between the sexes or is it in coaching culture more broadly.

Hello,

The abuses described in the report were heterosexual. There's only 3 women coaching men's collegiate teams and no females coaching men's professional teams (head coaching). I would wager the abuse on the men's side is physical and/or verbal. Very anecdotally, women's soccer is more straight than women's basketball - again, I am very limited in my knowledge of women's basketball and sexual assault. I do not know any studies investigating sexual orientations of women's sports participants - does anyone know of any?

I'm curious whether male coaches are more willing to abuse female athletes because they don't fear a response (physical, that is) that they might from male athletes. Not that women couldn't kick an older guy's ass, only whether there's a greater confidence(?) to unleash their monstrous behaviour.

[gkbill]

Whoops—exceedingly vague wording on my part. I meant across college soccer.

Hello,

Across the soccer field (Hello Marky)? There's a few coaches married to former players - some began the relationship post playing, some began while the woman was playing. I can think of half a dozen off the top of my head.

No, I mean is the kind of abuse described in this report—is it common on men's soccer teams, too (your sense, anyway)? I'm curious whether this seems like something rooted in the power dynamics between the sexes or is it in coaching culture more broadly.

Hello,

The abuses described in the report were heterosexual. There's only 3 women coaching men's collegiate teams and no females coaching men's professional teams (head coaching). I would wager the abuse on the men's side is physical and/or verbal. Very anecdotally, women's soccer is more straight than women's basketball - again, I am very limited in my knowledge of women's basketball and sexual assault. I do not know any studies investigating sexual orientations of women's sports participants - does anyone know of any?

I'm curious whether male coaches are more willing to abuse female athletes because they don't fear a response (physical, that is) that they might from male athletes. Not that women couldn't kick an older guy's ass, only whether there's a greater confidence(?) to unleash their monstrous behaviour.

Hello,

I don't think there is any fear of physical reprisal from male or female players. It's strictly a power play - I control your playing time...how bad do you want to play/remain in the team? What can you do the enhance your playing time? Sometimes the coach says this, sometimes the player thinks it and the coach takes advantage of the player. There's a quote very similar to this in the report.

[Flex]

I assume the financial precarity of women's pro soccer plays a factor: there's no other game in town and the players don't have nearly the leverage they would if they were men in almost any other league.

Addendum: a travesty all around given, beyond all the ethical consideration, the high quality of play in the NWSL.

[gkbill]

I assume the financial precarity of women's pro soccer plays a factor: there's no other game in town and the players don't have nearly the leverage they would if they were men in almost any other league.

Addendum: a travesty all around given, beyond all the ethical consideration, the high quality of play in the NWSL.

Hello,

The precarious nature of the league (the 3rd attempt at female professional soccer here in the US) was a factor mentioned be several players. The league is divided as some players have tremendous leverage (a few have told the league what cities they would or wouldn't play for) and others are/were scraping by financially so no leverage. Prominent USWNT players can pretty much dictate where they will play (a few have already). Male players have leverage as they can threaten transfer it they are unhappy (although there are desperate male players as well).

[Dr. Medulla]

Hello,

Across the soccer field (Hello Marky)? There's a few coaches married to former players - some began the relationship post playing, some began while the woman was playing. I can think of half a dozen off the top of my head.

No, I mean is the kind of abuse described in this report—is it common on men's soccer teams, too (your sense, anyway)? I'm curious whether this seems like something rooted in the power dynamics between the sexes or is it in coaching culture more broadly.

Hello,

The abuses described in the report were heterosexual. There's only 3 women coaching men's collegiate teams and no females coaching men's professional teams (head coaching). I would wager the abuse on the men's side is physical and/or verbal. Very anecdotally, women's soccer is more straight than women's basketball - again, I am very limited in my knowledge of women's basketball and sexual assault. I do not know any studies investigating sexual orientations of women's sports participants - does anyone know of any?

I'm curious whether male coaches are more willing to abuse female athletes because they don't fear a response (physical, that is) that they might from male athletes. Not that women couldn't kick an older guy's ass, only whether there's a greater confidence(?) to unleash their monstrous behaviour.

Hello,

I don't think there is any fear of physical reprisal from male or female players. It's strictly a power play - I control your playing time...how bad do you want to play/remain in the team? What can you do the enhance your playing time? Sometimes the coach says this, sometimes the player thinks it and the coach takes advantage of the player. There's a quote very similar to this in the report.

Okay, thanks for the insight.

[Dr. Medulla]

[Dr. Medulla]

https://www.thebulwark.com/blame-all-the-single-ladies/

[Mimi]

https://www.thebulwark.com/blame-all-the-single-ladies/

[revbob]

https://www.thebulwark.com/blame-all-the-single-ladies/

This reminds me of the old Quebecois line that the white frenchies need to have more babies.

[Dr. Medulla]

https://www.thebulwark.com/blame-all-the-single-ladies/

This reminds me of the old Quebecois line that the white frenchies need to have more babies.

When francophone Quebeckers discovered nationalism, they shed a lot of the Catholicism, which has led to fewer kids, which makes nationalists fearful of being swamped by anglos in the future. Damned if you do …

[revbob]

https://www.thebulwark.com/blame-all-the-single-ladies/

This reminds me of the old Quebecois line that the white frenchies need to have more babies.

When francophone Quebeckers discovered nationalism, they shed a lot of the Catholicism, which has led to fewer kids, which makes nationalists fearful of being swamped by anglos in the future. Damned if you do …

NOt so much the anglos, they were more concerned about the darker skinned francophones.

[Dr. Medulla]

https://www.thebulwark.com/blame-all-the-single-ladies/

This reminds me of the old Quebecois line that the white frenchies need to have more babies.

When francophone Quebeckers discovered nationalism, they shed a lot of the Catholicism, which has led to fewer kids, which makes nationalists fearful of being swamped by anglos in the future. Damned if you do …

NOt so much the anglos, they were more concerned about the darker skinned francophones.

It’s hard to tell what the hate/fear more, but, yes, Haitians and Algerians somehow never quite speak proper French. Huh.

[revbob]

https://www.thebulwark.com/blame-all-the-single-ladies/

This reminds me of the old Quebecois line that the white frenchies need to have more babies.

When francophone Quebeckers discovered nationalism, they shed a lot of the Catholicism, which has led to fewer kids, which makes nationalists fearful of being swamped by anglos in the future. Damned if you do …

NOt so much the anglos, they were more concerned about the darker skinned francophones.

It’s hard to tell what the hate/fear more, but, yes, Haitians and Algerians somehow never quite speak proper French. Huh.

Mai oui

[Mimi]

It still surprises me that women leaders deal with this kind of questioning.
https://www.npr.org/2022/11/30/11398620 ... e-question