February 28, 2019
Organized by Jill Yesko and Dr. Michael Butterworth
CSCM convened a broad-based discussion on the dynamics of power, responsibility and fair play amongst athletes and those in positions of authority, ostensibly to support their development and achievement.
The UT-Austin event was held in coordination with the development of CSCM Fellow Jill Yesko's documentary feature, Broken Trust: Athletes Betrayed. As Yesko describes her project: "Broken Trust gives voice to the courageous women and men who have dared to speak up against abuse on all levels. Told through interviews with Olympic and national-class athletes, coaches and experts, Broken Trust looks at how and why abuse takes place and what needs to be done to stop it."
The CSCM event focused specifically on the experiences of women competing at the elite level in Olympic sports, a topic clearly recognized as being vital in light of recent scandals and increased visibility of movements such as #MeToo. With CSCM's interests in communication and media, this panel discussion included discussion on matters of voice, representation, and symbolism.
This event was co-sponsored by UT's Center for Women and Gender Studies.
Participants for Broken Trust: Sports in the #MeToo Era
Moderator
Jill Yesko, journalist; producer and director of Tainted Blood: The Untold Story of the 1984 Olympic Doping Scandal; CSCM Fellow
Panelists
Jessica Armstrong, Associate General Counsel, St. Luke’s Health Network, Allentown, PA; former gymnast with Parkette Gymnastics Training Center; 1981 national junior champion
Katherine Starr, founder of Safe4Athletes; 1984 Olympic swimmer for England and member of UT swim team from 1985-89
Eva Rodansky, Research Lab Technician, University of Michigan, former elite long track speed skater; author of Winter of Discontent: An Athlete’s Experience of Speed Skating in America
Jessica W. Luther, journalist; author of Unsportsmanlike Conduct: College Football and the Politics of Rape; CSCM Fellow and member of the Association for Women in Sports Media
Mary Bock, Ph. D., Associate Professor, School of Journalism, UT-Austin; faculty affiliate of CSCM and UT’s Center for Women’s and Gender Studies; former journalist
(from l to r) Jessica Armstrong, Eva Rodansky, Jill Yesko, Katherine Starr, Dr. Mary Bock, Jessica Luther.