Monday, November 14, 2022 — The Army of Survivors, a nonprofit organization focusing on ending sexual violence against athletes, today released a Power and Control Wheel outlining the power dynamics in sports when abuse is present.

The wheel, adapted from the original version by the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, shows how abusers in sports use power to gain and maintain power and control over athletes. The wheel’s goal is to help athletes and institutions recognize the ways abuse can occur and how perpetrators use control tactics to take advantage of athletes and even guardians.

“There are many dynamics present in sports that allow for coaches and people of influence to take advantage of the athlete,” said Julie Ann Rivers-Cochran, Executive Director of The Army of Survivors. “By familiarizing ourselves with the power and control tactics used by those that cause harm, we can better identify signs and interfere before the abuse occurs.”

Topics and examples covered in the Power and Control Wheel: Abuse in Sports include authority; grooming; minimizing, denying and blaming; coercion; isolation; gaining the athlete’s and caregiver’s trust; threats and rewards; and heteronormativity, sexism, and cissexism.

The wheel can be viewed online or a printable version can be found here.

MEDIA CONTACT

Alyssa Girardi

The Army of Survivors, Director of Marketing & Communications

agirardi@thearmyofsurvivors.org

313-407-1029

ABOUT THE ARMY OF SURVIVORS

The Army of Survivors is a designated 501(C)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to bring awareness, accountability and transparency to sexual violence against athletes. Created by a group of more than 40 athlete survivors of sexual violence, The Army of Survivors is the only national organization advocating for and supporting athlete survivors of sexual violence through resources, advocacy and education. For more information, visit TheArmyofSurvivors.org and follow The Army of Survivors on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.