ABUSE IN YOUTH SPORTS: The Problem We Haven’t Solved Yet

Published: 2025-05-26

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Alarming Statistics: Abuse Is More Common Than You Think

One in seven athletes may experience abuse in sports before they turn 18, though estimates vary depending on definitions and methodology. Recent research conducted across six European countries by Edge Hill University found that 20% of respondents reported experiencing contact sexual violence, 35% reported non-contact sexual violence, and 65% reported psychological violence during childhood sports participation. These alarming statistics highlight the urgent need for better vetting and oversight in youth sports programs.

Choosing a Coach: A Shift in Priorities

Not long ago, selecting your child's athletic coach was about expertise, experience, and personality fit. Had the coach helped other kids win? Were they high achievers themselves and knew what it took to achieve success? Did their coaching style align with what would get the best results from your child?

While all those factors are still valid, they sadly fall behind a much more vital consideration: Is that coach safe?

How many parents are now asking; Will my child be safe?

The Evolving Risks in Youth Sports

The landscape of selecting a coach today has certainly changed, and unfortunately, so have the necessities to protect your child from predatory individuals. For parents, the potential costs of not prioritizing child safety are harrowing. Sexual abuse of youth involved in youth-serving programs and sports is disturbingly prevalent. Lawsuits are in every state involving sexual abuse and other forms of abuse where adults have been involved with youth.

High-Profile Cases and the Broken System

The bigger lawsuits we all know about are Nasser, Sandusky, Ohio State, USC, Michigan State, along with scores of other suits, many as large and many smaller. There have been billions of dollars paid to victims in settlements, but the damage has already been done and is carried for many years, if not a lifetime, by the victims and their families. There are currently over 2,400 listed individuals on the SafeSport Centralized Disciplinary Database. Those represent a minority of the complaints against NGB (Olympic Sports) coaches, with many being dismissed by administrative closure (38%), and others by arbitration (42%), and an estimated 60-70% never reported abuse in the first place. According to the Indiana Center for Prevention of Youth Abuse & Suicide, and others, pedophiles can average as many as 400 victims over their lifetime. Nasser had 332 victims who filed against him in his court case.

Hope Through Prevention: A New Path Forward

As bleak as the preceding paragraph is, solutions are finally emerging to help show participants and all stakeholders that those who work with youth are as committed to their well-being as their parents are. I believe that full vetting, such as CoachFax, is the best preventative measure available today and should become the standard for involvement with youth.

A Personal Commitment to Change

For more than 50 years, I have been involved in figure skating. I have been very lucky in my career and enjoyed representing the United States in five World Championships and two Olympics along the way. Unfortunately, in my sport, there have been more than a few coaches who have displayed abusive behavior toward the youth with whom they were working. However, at a younger age, you can’t even identify what some types of abuse are, let alone do anything about it. Now that I’m older and see the struggles with continuing abuse in almost every youth activity, I’ve committed myself to developing a program that is preventative in protecting youth from abuse. It is called CoachFax.

SafeSport Isn’t Enough

There are other programs out there, for sure, and we know one of them, SafeSport, is not working well and has a troubled track record that seems to continue. Some other programs even rely on a change of behavior and group "awareness" of the warning signs to help address the abuse. None of them deal directly with the issue—that is, the individual who abuses.

A Direct Solution to a Direct Problem

The direct approach to me is the best one, both as a coach and as an individual trying to assure participants, parents and indeed sports that there is a direct solution. If the goal is to largely eliminate bad influences from being around youth in any activity, then logically simply keep them away from the youth and organizations they are attracted to. They are there for the wrong reasons and are not able to create the abuse and lifelong problems that go with that.

What Makes CoachFax Different?

CoachFax is organized as a club, but to be a member, you must pass not only an extensive criminal background screening but a civil one as well. You also need to pass a random drug screening, and a new technology eye scan that helps determine if there are sexual border issues as well. Your social media will be monitored, and your resume will be verified in your country of residence. Currently, only a criminal background screening is “the standard” for almost all youth-serving organizations. CoachFax has a tough vetting process, but coaches and support personnel should be comfortable with it if they truly have nothing to hide.

It’s Happening Too Often. It Has to Stop.

Every week, another story. Another headline. Another kid. Another program caught flat-footed again.
And every time, we hear the same thing: “We had no idea.”
But we do have an idea. We know the systems in place aren’t working fast enough or well enough. We know SafeSport, for all its effort, is reactive, stepping in only after damage has been done.

CoachFax: A Proactive Model for Safer Sports

CoachFax exists because that’s not good enough. We’ve built a new model - one that starts upstream, with real screening and verification, before coaches ever step onto the field, the rink, or the pool deck. It’s not just more thorough. It’s more honest.

Join the Movement to Protect Youth in Sports

We’ve reached out to governing bodies and coaching associations with a simple offer:
Let’s make youth-serving organizations safer. Together.

If you find this solution of interest, want to be involved, or even just have questions about CoachFax, please reach out to CoachFax.com. It is well past time that we address the abuse in youth-serving organizations directly with a novel and comprehensive solution.