Athlete A and the role of “Me Too” investigations within sport

The release of Athlete A on Netflix has highlighted the impact of “Me Too” on the sport of gymnastics. In 2017, the world of gymnastics was rocked by the trial of former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar for sexual abuse. The Netflix documentary centres on Rachael Denhollander, the former gymnast turned lawyer, who first denounced Nassar, leading to over 156 women giving victim impact statements at Nassar’s sentencing.[1] The showing of Athlete A has coincided with a wave of claims within esports. During just one weekend, over 70 people in the gaming industry came forward with allegations of gender-based discrimination, harassment and sexual assault.[4]

Outside of sport, several law firms, corporates and financial institutions are facing similar investigations. In the case of law firms, the investigations relate not just to the conduct itself but also to the firms’ handling of the claims, with the Solicitors Regulatory Authority leading the investigations and in some cases holding disciplinary tribunals. All of these stories demonstrate that it is not only the perpetrator of sexual misdemeanours who is held accountable.

Pamela Reddy and Kate Almond explore this further in this article. Read the full article here.

[1]https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-07-03/athlete-a-netflix-gymnastics-sexual-abuse-larry-nassar; https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/how_a_gymnast_turned_lawyer_helped_bring_larry_nassar_to_justice

[2]https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/simone-biles-larry-nassar-sexual-abuse-olympics-gymnastics-usa-a9611386.html

[3]https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/simone-biles-larry-nassar-sexual-abuse-olympics-gymnastics-usa-a9611386.html

[4]https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/style/women-gaming-streaming-harassment-sexism-twitch.html