There are two new names to add to the NWSL misconduct dismissal list – Portland Thorns assistant coach Sophie Clough and head athletic coach Pierre Soubrier.
On January 24, NWSL released a declare says that Portland Thorns has contacted the federation to investigate concerns about two separate incidents, one involving Clough and the other involving Soubrier.
The Thorns reported to the federation that Clough, who joined the team in 2016, kissed a player on the neck during their championship celebration on October 31, 2022. This contact was breached. union policy. There were also allegations that Clough bullied players, but third-party investigators found that allegation to be unfounded.
Soubrier was sacked after he told team doctor Dr Breanne Brown he had given two players drugs containing codeine on October 22 – both without a doctor’s supervision and a person without explicit consent. Soubrier was placed on administrative leave on 7 December and that claim proved to be well-founded.
But these are just the most recent instances of misconduct to emerge in the NWSL. after almost two years since bringing the investigations to light, Coaches have been sacked, players have spoken out and teams have called on the federation to take broader preemptive action.. Why do we still see this happening? Will NWSL ever be wrong and not controversial?
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A scientific perspective
“Sexual harassment, in all its forms, thrives in power imbalances. The relationship between an athlete and their coach or a patient and their medical professional is inherently vulnerable because one person has so much power over the other,” Nicole Bedera, a sociologist who studies how social structures make sexual violence more likely, told Deadspin. “As we add gender inequalities to the equation, these power disparities deepen. In our society, it is normal to sexualize women and women do not always have autonomy over their own bodies. As a result, these types of violations are more likely to occur in women’s sports than men’s. They feel ‘normal’, even though they are damaging.
We see this trend of power imbalances throughout the history of women’s sport. Think about Larry Nassar, for example, and his decades of abuse against women and girls in the world of gymnastics. He used his status as a doctor of USA Gymnastics to assault countless athletes. The first to speak out against him, Rachael Denhollanderappeared in 2004 when she was 15 years old. Nassar did not sentenced until Denhollander was 29 years old.
in 10 The NWSL has been around for years, the scale of misconduct and abuse of power is finally coming to light. However, as long as the imbalance of power continues, the NWSL and other women’s sports fields will continue to face this type of misconduct and abuse.
But it can’t continue anymore.
Long-term consequences for MNDBT
The complete elimination of assault and misconduct is a far-fetched wish, but it took Denhollander and the rest of Nassa a lot of time.victim of r 14 years witnessed her abuser go to jail. If it takes 14 years for the NWSL to fix its imbalance, the league will disband. There may be locks and rallies. The player will play abroad in Europe or in Canada league once it is established. NWSL will be known worldwide as the allowed league Its players to it is in assaulted.
That is a bleak conclusion. It is not satisfied. We want to see things go better. Thankfully, we were on the right track. The players are regaining their autonomy and, more importantly, their strength.
Those who have abused power with their position will no longer ignore it, as NWSL players are speaking out, like Mana Shim. Shim accuses former Thorns coach Paul Riley – who has been banned from the league for life — sexual assault in 2015, the allegations are detailed in Sally Yates report that Released in October 2022. Former Racing Louisville defender Erin Simon tells the Yales about sexual coercion she faced from ex-coach Christy Simon, saying he would touching her inappropriately for “every time she passes.” The players’ voices went unnoticed.
“It is encouraging that there are consequences in this case,” says Bedera. “The research that exists is absolutely clear:he points to spaces where sexual harassment does not occur that do not tolerate it. For decades, female athletes were said to endure harassment and sexual assault as part of their job. But as social norms change, we will eventually see cases of this type becoming less common. It removes the gender expectations that women’s bodies – and women athletes agencies, in particular – belong to the public.
The Yates report is an eye-opening tool on the extent and duration of abuse taking place in the NWSL. The league is currently moving in the direction of no misconduct. The actions of the Thorns and the federation demonstrate they are trying to move forward and not continue to inflict the damage that these people like Clough and Soubrier have done.
