Athlete A, 2020
They say that you shouldn't go to bed angry, so shame on me for starting this film at like 11:20pm (and then finishing it at 1am because I couldn't stop watching).
Athlete A is a documentary covering the long-running sexual abuse of hundreds of young women/girls by USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar. The film is told through the lens of the IndyStar newspaper reporters who first broke a story about USAG covering up coach abuse, which then snowballed into the shocking story of Nassar's abuse.
As someone who works with children, who has coached young women, and who has encountered young people who have been the victims of sexual abuse, this story of course made my blood boil. To the credit of the documentary, it says enough about the abuse to understand the scope of it, but it doesn't wallow in graphic descriptions of what he did to his victims.
The focus of the documentary is actually much broader than just Nassar's crimes--instead it repeatedly calls attention to the structures around Nassar and how he was able to manipulate the children in his care. When Nassar's manipulations intersect with some truly horrible policies within USAG (and also possibly some improprieties within the FBI), it creates a perfect storm for a predator.
"Athlete A" refers to Maggie Nichols, a young woman who, at the age of 15, reported sexual abuse. From here we learn that USAG has a policy of treating all abuse allegations as "hearsay" unless it is signed by a victim or that victim's parents. It's just one hit after another as you realize that athletes and their parents are afraid to criticize out of fear that the children will be punished. Multiple adults at USAG who learn about the abuse allegations fail to notify authorities, and it's estimated that dozens of girls were abused in the year between Nichols reporting her abuse and authorities investigating.
Zooming out even further, the documentary looks at the harsh, abusive climate of elite gymnastics. The girls are weighed every day and openly berated in front of their peers. They are persistently gaslighted by the adults--being told that they are not hungry, they are not hurt, they are not sick. And unlike other professional athletes, these girls are mainly between the ages of 10 and 16. They are forced to rely on the adults around them to say what is normal and okay. One girl describes being told to completely undress and thinking that was normal. Another girl describes that her mother was in the room while Nassar "treated" her, but he would position himself so that one hand was visible (and doing legitimate work) but his other hand was abusing her shielded from the mother's view by his body. Because her mother was there, the girl assumed the treatment was appropriate. The women also point out that because the other adults were so cruel to them, Nassar seemed like "the nice one". They wanted to spend time with him and make him happy.
The whole story is infuriating, but I think it's important to see. The question of how children athletes are treated is a huge issue and the documentary does a good job of laying out how elite sports can create an environment where abuse can thrive. And because the USA gymnastics program was doing so well (winning all the Olympic medals), no one wanted to upset the apple cart.
I felt a lot of emotions watching this film. While some of this story is still happening, there are so many moments where your heart just breaks. When one victim comes forward with her story she is openly mocked. People say she's lying to get a cash settlement. People say she's just a bitter has-been. People say that if she let it go on so long she must have liked it. Accusing a popular person of abuse means opening yourself up to abuse from a wider audience--they get victimized all over again. It makes you understand why people are so hesitant to report such crimes, especially when they have no concrete proof.
A harrowing watch, but these young women deserve to have their voices heard.
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