Walinga on athlete abuse in women’s soccer and unethical communication

With only 10 teams in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), in the past year five NWSL coaches have lost their jobs or stepped down after being accused of coaching misconduct. Royal Roads Prof. Jennifer Walinga shares her thoughts, in a Vancouver Province article, on how athletes are gaslighted, dismissed and disparaged, and forced to relive trauma, due to unethical communication strategies.

Here is an excerpt:

“It actually makes me violently ill. And I’m sure it does for all the victims, because it’s a strategy,” said Dr. Jennifer Walinga. “It just jabs another knife in their heart. That’s disgusting. It kills me as a professor of communication because… it’s unethical.”

Read the full story.