BA
Brenda A. Riemer
Eastern Michigan University
Sexual Harassment in the Sport Workplace: Athletic Trainers and the Link Between Education and Reporting
Sexual Harassment in the Sport Workplace: Athletic Trainers and the Link Between Education and Reporting
Much of the harassment reported by the press/social media about the #Metoo movement focused on women who had privilege in term of race (mostly white), class (upper class) and/or fame (athletes). We heard less about women in the “trenches,” including those who work with sport teams and organizations who are not on the playing field, such as athletic trainers (ATCs). Shingles & Smith (2008) interviewed female ATCs and two themes emerged from the interviews: ATCs work in environments where “inappropriate touching occurs and/or threatening environments”; and “boys will be boys.” Only 37% of female ATCs report experiences of sexual harassment (Velasquez, 2017), possibly because of a lack of training about sexual harassment during their schooling and clinical/work sites (Mansel, Moffie, Russ, & Thorpe, 2017). The purpose of this study was to examine the connection between education and likelihood of female athletic trainers reporting incidences of sexual harassment.