…When I was only 16, my new basketball coach started asking me about sexual stuff, like my preferences and my history…Sometimes even within earshot of others. I quit basketball forever…It was easier than telling my parents.
I always go out for a jog in the evenings…that day I saw a group of 5 male kids…they were probably around the age of 10. They were walking towards me, looking at me and talking to each other. Then, all of a sudden they started shouting at me, making unpleasant comments about my outfit (I was wearing tight leggings and a sports top). I confronted them and they cornered me, then they insulted me while grabbing my bottom and breasts…I felt so defenseless cause even if I wanted to push them away they were just kids!...It made me feel really bad…not only because of what they did to me but it also kept me wondering what sort of men these kids would grow up to be in the future…
At a football match in 2019 young female referee Alexandra García had to face 90 minutes of horror, having to deal with comments such as… –Bitch! -Whore! or -Go home to the dishes! Her mom was witnessing the entire match, absolutely horrified. After the match Merche posted the following on twitter: – I was filled with rage and dismay, nobody did or said anything. I spent 90 minutes listening to my daughter being insulted; it was a total lack of respect, which is intolerable.
It’s hard to find stories of harassment in sports and physical activity. Here at WHISTLE we need more testimonies like yours in order to raise awareness on the problem. Doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman, if it happened to you or you just witnessed it. We want to read your story even if there was no physical harassment or if you believe most people won’t think it is harassment; as long as it made you feel uncomfortable.
The testimonies are completely anonymous and judgment-free.
