Power, privilege and silence
Masking abuse in sports
Words: Mya I, Toronto
On March 24 2026, Canada’s Future of Sport Commission released its report and recommendations for the future of sport. But the question remains: can Canadian sport truly move forward while past abuses remain buried?
The world of sports. An environment known for its ability to cultivate excitement and engage millions of fans globally. It has and still continues to not only be a connection hub, but a strategic business. In fact, the reason sports continue to thrive today is because of audience connection and trust in their favourite athletes and teams. For Canada, sporting culture celebrates triumph, teamwork, and national pride.
While sport is celebrated publicly, behind closed doors many athletes have experienced abuse in sport. Abuse, especially violence towards women (VAW) is often overlooked.
Abuse can be physical, emotional, sexual, or psychological mistreatment. The Commission’s report emphasizes that without transparent governance and stronger ethical oversight, cases of abuse will continue to be overlooked, perpetuating harm to athletes and eroding public trust.
While there are parallel processes to investigate and respond to abuse in sport - through criminal laws and through national safe sport policies in Canada - historically both systems have not supported victims coming forward to report abuse. For example, following the not guilty rulings in the case involving members of Canada’s junior 2018 hockey team, the head of Anova, a London, Ontario gender-based violence organization, said that the trial and Justice Carroccia’s 90-page judgment sent a message to survivors of sexual assault that “the system is not built for justice.”
One recent academic paper illustrates how few athletes actually face serious prosecutions, such as high fines or jail time for illegal actions. It found that of the 117 NFL [National Football League] players arrested for an act of VAW between 2000 and 2019, only 21 were found guilty. Four plead guilty to a lesser crime than they were initially accused of, and six served prison time. Arrests were found to have only negligible impact on subsequent athletic careers. This sends a message to society that as long as you are rich and powerful, the system will save you, even at the cost of countless victims.
It’s important that universal human rights, as set out by the UN, are recognized in practice for sport to move forward and to address harms. All athletes should be treated with dignity and respect, free from harm. By adhering to these guidelines, we can begin to build a safer and more honest sports system for all athletes everywhere.
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The full report and recommendations by the Future of Sport Commission are here, and the short video below summarizes the findings.