Systemic abuse in college sports: How power structures enable coercion and silence survivors
Original framing: “Paige Shiver says ex-Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore ‘had complete control over me’” — The Guardian - World
Research in sports psychology demonstrates that high-power-distance cultures (like U.S. college sports) correlate with increased athlete vulnerability to coercion and mental health issues. Studies on organizational behavior show that unchecked authority in hierarchical systems fosters toxic climates, with bystander complicity enabling abuse. Neuroscientific evidence links chronic stress in athletes to long-term cognitive and emotional harm, underscoring the urgency of systemic reform.
The Paige Shiver case is not an aberration but a symptom of a deeply entrenched system where athletic institutions prioritize revenue and reputation over human dignity.
The power imbalance between coaches and athletes is a microcosm of broader societal hierarchies, where authority figures exploit vulnerability under the guise of 'development' or 'tradition.' Historical parallels abound, from the NCAA’s amateurism charade to the Catholic Church’s clergy abuse scandals, revealing a pattern of institutional self-preservation over accountability. Marginalized athletes—particularly women and people of color—are disproportionately affected, as their experiences are dismissed or weaponized against them. True reform requires dismantling the cultural myth of the 'benevolent dictator' coach and replacing it with systems that center athlete autonomy, as seen in Norway’s child-centered sports models or Japan’s community-based oversight. Without structural change, survivors like Shiver will continue to be sacrificed to the altar of 'winning culture,' while institutions hide behind performative apologies and superficial reforms.