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NWSL report outlines dangerous culture of weight-shaming

Farid Benstiti, OL Reign coach from 2020-21, was named in the report for excessive weight-shaming. (Jane Gershovich/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

When the NWSL and the NWSLPA released their joint investigation Wednesday into widespread abuse and misconduct throughout the league’s history, a point not made as extensively in October’s Sally Q. Yates report stuck out: weight-shaming.

In sports, bodies are constantly on display and uplifted for excellence. But the NWSL report details how obsession over weight, especially by those seeking excessive control over their players, opened up avenues for harm without systemic recourse.

Fitness and nutrition are intrinsically tied to sports performance, but in the case of misconduct in the NWSL, the logic for targeted weight-shaming became arbitrary and frequently tied to the way players looked rather than how they played. Coaches then used the perception of a player being overweight to target them for harassment, “even if their strength and fitness levels were on par with their teammates,’ and even if the coach lacked the expertise to make such judgments,” per the report.

Former OL Reign coach Farid Benstiti’s reputation for weight-shaming was not a secret. USWNT midfielder Lindsey Horan spoke openly about her time playing for Benstiti at Paris St-Germain and how he prioritized looks over performance. On Angel City midfielder Cari Roccaro’s podcast, Horan described how Benstiti told her she weighed too much even though she had excelled at preseason testing. Being pushed into excessive dieting affected Horan’s energy levels, adversely influencing her life both on and off the pitch.

Former OL Reign CEO Bill Predmore said in the NWSL report that Benstiti had already signed his contract with the club when he became aware of Horan’s concerns, but the report states internally that he ‘considered the issue a “cultural thing” and that [Benstiti] “worked on it.” Predmore also defended the decision publicly. In a conversation upon Benstiti’s hiring with Sounder at Heart, Predmore said, “I really do believe he is somebody that shares and embodies — and will live up to — the values we have as an organization. I think fans will find he’s a much more warm and inviting person than how he’s being portrayed right now.”

But according to the NWSL investigation, Benstiti could not stop himself from continuing his preoccupation with food despite being expressly forbidden from touching the subject. One player reported that Benstiti told players, “If I see you eat snacks, I will kill you.” Another player said that, during the 2020 Challenge Cup, Benstiti was “already hiding food under the table he didn’t want girls to eat.” She also said that Benstiti “was always commenting on food and women and their weight.”

Crossing lines with weight commentary is likely pervasive in sports regardless of gender, but the peculiarity of Benstiti’s preoccupation with women and their weight underlines how gendered norms can exacerbate these issues. This also allowed concerns to be neglected as cultural differences.

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Paul Riley was fired by the Courage in October 2021 after abuse allegations against him first emerged. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

In the case of former Thorns and Courage coach Paul Riley, the investigation showed how harassment over players’ weight could create a power dynamic that led to sexual harassment. According to the NWSL report, Riley used player weight as a strategy for “breaking down [a player’s] confidence, saying she doesn’t look fit,” in order to build the player back up in his own image.

Riley began his harassment of former Thorns player Mana Shim with comments about her weight before becoming more aggressive in his advancements, per the report. He drove defender Kaleigh Kurtz to develop an eating disorder, for which she said she later pursued professional help. She told investigators that she “identified his conduct towards her as abusive, and realized that he had been ‘grooming’ her for sexual abuse.” As outlined in the report, comments about weight were not simply part of a coaching style — in many cases, they were used as a tool for normalizing further abuse.

Former Houston Dash coach Vera Pauw was also accused of influencing eating disorders in her players, something the current Republic of Ireland coach staunchly denies. The report emphasizes Pauw’s preoccupation with the way her players looked, saying she was concerned about the team becoming too “bulky” and adjusted weight-lifting programs accordingly. She told the investigative team that a player had confronted her about a teammate developing an eating disorder, which she felt was the players’ responsibility to take care of as a group.

Fitness and nutrition are intrinsically linked to performance, and it is obviously within the bounds of a coach’s role to discuss those subjects in that context. But the NWSL acknowledged that it must take greater care in making sure the logic involved in those discussions is sound and not used for emotional manipulation.

The report states that if a coach has a legitimate health or fitness concern about a player’s weight, they need to bring that concern to a health professional first. Those concerns then need to be discussed privately and not weaponized against a player in settings among their teammates. The league’s 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy says that emotional misconduct may include “belittling players about their body image or weight,” especially when based on arbitrary criteria rather than sports science. The NWSL also plans to do extensive vetting of new hires that goes beyond basic background checks.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

USC’s Aaliyah Gayles Opens Up About Her Journey Back to Basketball

USC Basketball - Aaliyah Gayles

As part of our 1-v-1 video series, USC’s India Otto sat down to interview her teammate Aaliyah Gayles. Here are five things to know from our conversation with the redshirt freshman guard from Las Vegas.

#1 Aaliyah suffered from a near-death act of violence in 2022.

The incident taught her a lot about herself and the support around her. “[USC] Coach Lindsay [Gottlieb] was one of the first people to fly out there and come see me. That means a lot to me off the court.” 

#2 Her favorite USC memory is when she surprised her teammates after getting out of the hospital.

She left her walker at the door to show she was on the road to returning to the court. “That was my favorite memory because it was family. It was my first time being able to walk to you guys and see you practice.”

#3 There's a reason she wears #3.

#3 was her grandpa’s favorite number and a golden number in her life. Plus, AG3 has a nice ring to it. 

#4 She has a list of basketball GOAT’s:

Candace Parker, Magic Johnson, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, and Cason Wallace.

#5 There have been many celebrity appearances at USC’s games over the years, especially this season.

Aaliyah’s favorites include Will Ferrell, Kehlani, and Saweetie. And she hopes Lil Durk will come to watch a game soon.

Watch the full conversation on the Just Women’s Sports YouTube channel.

Gotham, USWNT forward Midge Purce out with ACL tear

(Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)

Midge Purce announced on Wednesday that she has torn her ACL. 

The Gotham FC and USWNT forward went down with the injury on Sunday during Gotham’s 1-0 win after tweaking it earlier in the game. Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amorós did not have any immediate updates following the match, with further evaluation revealing the tear. 

“It’s a reality I’m still struggling with and has left me with not too much to say,” Purce wrote in a statement on social media. “I’m heartbroken to no longer be available for my season with Gotham FC or for Olympic selection with the USWNT – know I’m rooting for you both all year long. 

“Though you may not see it, I’ll be doing everything I can to get back on the field.”

Purce is just the latest women's soccer star to tear her ACL, and joins USWNT teammate Mia Fishel in having torn her ACL in the last couple of months. Other notable players include Catarina Macario and Christen Press, with Macario only just returning to the USWNT lineup after tearing hers in 2022. 

International stars such as Alexia Putellas, Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema and Leah Williamson have also suffered ACL tears. 

Purce’s injury caused Amorós to call out the international schedule, which has been a growing point of concern as more players fall victim to injuries and the playing schedule becomes more packed. Kansas City’s Debinha suffered a hamstring injury in the team’s opening game, while both Lynn Williams and Rose Lavelle have yet to play for Gotham due to injuries picked up during the W Gold Cup. 

“We lost Midge during the game which for me is a bittersweet flavor,” Amorós told reporters after Sunday’s game. “By the way, it’s another player that came from the Gold Cup. Last week, it was Debinha. We are paying the consequences of a tournament that shouldn’t have happened.”

“We’re talking about protecting the players, [who shouldn’t] go to play an international competition after one week of preseason,” Amorós continued. “We’ve seen the consequences now. We’ve got Rose, Lynn, last week it was Debinha in Kansas [City] and now we have Midge. From my experience, the clubs are going to keep paying for that competition."

In her statement, Purce said that “so many friends, teammates and even players I’ve only ever competed against” reached out to offer support. 

“I am so blessed,” she wrote. “Your messages have meant so much to me throughout this process, you have consoled what, for a moment, felt inconsolable. Thank you for reminding me that our football world is not only full with incredibly talent but also, incredible kindness.”

Lauren Jackson included on Australia Olympics roster

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 01: Lauren Jackson of Australia celebrates with team mates after playing her final Opals game during the 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 3rd place match between Canada and Australia at Sydney Superdome, on October 01, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

Lauren Jackson has come out of retirement once again to compete for a spot on Australia’s Olympic roster. 

Jackson was included on the 26-player roster named by coach Sandy Brondello on Tuesday that will take part in training camps, tours and games in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics. The roster will eventually be whittled down to just 12 players selected from the 26 named on Tuesday.

Jackson helped Australia qualify for the Olympics with a win over Germany in February. After that, she announced her retirement, revealing that she struggled to spend so much time away from her two young children. 

The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported that Jackson and the basketball federation had come to an agreement in which they would help cover costs for her children to travel with the team for training camps and the Olympics. 

She’s largely expected to make the Opals’ Olympic roster. 

"It's always an exciting time to announce an Olympic squad and I congratulate all the athletes," Opals coach Sandy Brondello said. "They all know what it means to play for Australia and they all want the opportunity to represent their country at an Olympics. Our squad is full of exceptional talent and they will make the decision to pick a final 12 very difficult."

At the 2022 FIBA World Cup, Jackson helped Australia win a bronze medal with 30 points against Canada. She had previously retired in 2016 due to knee injuries, but slowly made a return in a domestic Australian league the last few years.

Jackson has won four Olympic medals, including three consecutive silver medals starting with Sydney in 2000 when she was a teenager. 

First two rounds of NCAA tournament boast record attendance, viewership

(David K Purdy/Getty Images)

The first two rounds of the women’s NCAA tournament broke attendance and viewership records set just last year – and it wasn’t even close. 

The NCAA announced on Tuesday that attendance for the first two rounds of the tournament was more than 292,000 – up from last year’s record, when almost 232,000 fans attended the first two rounds.

Among the host sites, Iowa had the biggest crowds with nearly 29,000 fans packing Carver-Hawkeye Arena in the first and second rounds. 

"We expected the historic success and quality of play and high level of competition from the regular season would carry through into March Madness. Our championship is again delivering," NCAA vice president of women's basketball Lynn Holzman said in a statement. "Record crowds, ratings, incredible performances and evolving storylines will continue to make the next two weeks a must-see for fans across the world."

And for those that couldn’t attend the sold-out Iowa games, they watched on television. Monday’s matchup between Iowa and West Virginia drew 4.9 million viewers, setting a record for a women’s D-I tournament game prior to the Final Four. 

It is also the third most watched tournament game in the last 20 years, behind last year’s national championship between LSU and Iowa (9.92 million) and Iowa’s Final Four win over South Carolina (5.6 million).

Iowa’s game against Holy Cross in the first round drew 3.23 million viewers. 

But it wasn’t just Iowa drawing big viewership. ESPN’s five games on Monday averaged 2.25 million viewers. UConn and Syracuse drew 2.05 million viewers while LSU and Middle Tennessee on ABC drew 2.01 million viewers on Sunday. 

The full, 16-game slate for the second round averaged 1.4 million viewers – a 121% increase from last year and the highest average ever for the second round.

The full tournament so far is averaging 812,000 viewers per game, a 108% increase from last year.

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