Anna was one of my former gymnasts now attending the University of New Hampshire.
Final Research Assignment
ENGL 534
Anna Burns
Section 1: Topic
I am going to be looking into the coverage of USA Gymnastics during their fall from grace post-sexual abuse scandal. Larry Nassar was an incredibly well-regarded doctor in the gymnastics world, for almost 2 decades. However, recently it’s been discovered that during this time, he molested hundreds of women and girls under the guise of medical treatment. USA Gymnastics is accused of creating a culture that allowed Nassar’s abuse to remain unreported. The athletes recall feeling scared to come forward due to risk of backlash from those in charge at USAG, and the NGB has been accused of efforts to cover up the abuse and slow down the investigation. Recently, the United States Olympics Committee has taken steps to decertify USAG as the National Governing Body of gymnastics after multiple failed attempts at rebuilding the reputation of the organization. I chose to look into how USAG’s demise has been covered in the media and see if the reporting has been balanced, transparent, and uses strong sources. As a former Junior Olympic Gymnast for USAG member clubs, this story has been gripping to watch unfold, and I have been following it for months. For this assignment, I compiled recent articles mostly about the decertification of USA Gymnastics, and some from before the decertification was announced.
Section 2: Inventory of Reports
https://www.wcjb.com/content/news/USOC-moves-to-shut-down-USA-Gymnastics-after-Nassar-scandal-499814581.html
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/11/big-new-change-us-olympic-gymnastics/575473/
http://time.com/5431333/usa-gymnastics-decertify-aly-raisman/
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/21/sports/usa-gymnastics-usoc.html
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/20/us/usa-gymnastics-nassar-biles-raisman/index.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2018/11/21/us-olympic-committee-starts-process-revoke-usa-gymnastics-status/2079315002/
Section 3: Analysis of Reports
The article from the Associated Press is probably one of the most thorough of the group I analyzed. To start, it provides context effectively by explaining what led to the USOC moving to decertify USAG. The article provides a timeline of USAG’s mistakes, detailing the chain of CEOs they’ve hired and lost. The reporter also provides past examples of when the USOC has decertified organizations, providing precedent and background into the decision. The information contributing to the context is presented factually, without unnecessary embellishment or sensationalizing.
When it comes to sourcing, the article uses a lot of issued statements from both USAG and the USOC. While it would have been more interesting to read if there were more detailed accounts of both the USOC’s side and USAG’s, it is likely they both would not have commented as they are in the middle of a lawsuit. Outside of the issued statements, the article uses two additional sources that were both relevant. One of those was an Olympian and past survivor of Larry Nassar, and the other was from an attorney defending a gymnast who is part of the group suing both the USOC and USAG. Sources I would have liked to have heard from on this issue may have been a current coach, former USAG employee, or club owner who could comment on what effects the decision to decertify would have on the thousands of members of USAG. However, with the current climate, many of these types of sources likely would refuse to go on record for fear of backlash, which is a fundamental problem that will come up often in analyzing the coverage.
A part of the story that hasn’t been talked about a lot in the news that this article covers is that the USOC is named in lawsuits along with USAG. A lot of coverage of this issue has been really heavy on USAG being the one bad guy, when actually the USOC may be purposely distancing themselves. This article discusses the mistakes the USOC may have made, and what motives they might have in decertifying USA Gymnastics. Over all, this article is one of the more thorough ones I have come across when it comes to reporting on multiple angles of the story. That being said, along with many of these stories, more sources from all sides would be beneficial in telling a complete story about how far-reaching this issue is.
The article in the Atlantic was a bit strange in how it structured introducing sources but provided interesting takes on the situation from a broader standpoint. The article’s first mention of outside sources introduces them as “multiple sources” that had talked about the effect USAG being decertified would have at the grassroots level. While this is an incredibly important side of the story that isn’t getting much coverage, the introduction as “multiple sources” and not “an anonymous source” or “multiple anonymous sources in the gymnastics world” was somewhat confusing, leading me to question who these sources were. A more thorough labeling of these unnamed sources would provide for a more transparent article.
Later on, the reporter introduces named sources, including a lawyer representing gymnasts in the case against USAG and the USOC, as well as a workplace culture consultant. Both of these sources were interesting to read, as many articles have just been quoting issued statements, or quoting high profile athletes. Hearing from the workplace consultant about how the culture of USAG contributed to such big issues as well as how she would suggest going about creating the new organization showed an interesting take on a path forward for USAG.
There was one place in the article where a passage could be interpreted as opinion. When the reporter talks about a “toxic culture … which allowed a predator to go unnoticed,” the statement could be taken as her opinion. While it is widely accepted that this is the case, having the statement come from a source or saying that “many believe the toxic culture allowed a predator to go unnoticed” would have been more representative of fact rather than opinion.
Time overall had the strongest of these articles. To start, they provided many parts of the story that have gone unreported. The reporter opens by talking about Simone Biles and the recent World Championships, which provides context and establishes the importance of the timing of all the strife within USAG. The element of the effect on the athletes has gone increasingly unreported as the political drama of the organizations increases.
Following introducing the issue in the context of the athletes and their continued success, the article provides more context on the issue and what has been happening with USAG. They explain the chain of fired CEO’s, but maintain transparency by using language such as “allegedly” and “reportedly” when talking about unconfirmed accusations. The article provides numbers on Nassar’s victims and prison time, providing more context and factual support.
The article sources only from athletes apart from providing the issued statements from USAG and USOC, which was one area of weakness. That being said, as with many of these articles, it is likely that the organizations would not have been allowed to comment due to being the subject of an ongoing investigation. It was likely incredibly difficult to get any sort of statement from someone other than the athletes who have already been outspoken. Even hearing from coaches or past USAG employees is unlikely due to the polarizing nature of this story. As will be mentioned in my later interview with a highly regarded member of the gymnastics community, few non-athlete sources will go on the record due to risks of being misinterpreted.
That being said, the three athlete sources were all relevant and provided insight on the culture of USAG and what they think needs to be changed. The counter-opinion to their stance would be the issued statement from USAG that is included, which is again not ideal but likely the best the reporters could get.
One big strength of this article is that they actually talk about what it means to be a National Governing Body in sport and goes over the bylaws the USOC created that NGBs must adhere to. Rarely has an article covered USOC bylaws in detail and explained why this is such a drastic move. Explaining that USAG would lose funding and support towards competition answers the big “so what?” question that many who are unfamiliar with the Olympic process would ask. The article also explains how the decertification process would work, and what is still unclear going forward providing a base for continued coverage of the story.
The main point in the article from CNN is covering the two major events – resignation of one CEO and the arrest of a different past CEO – that happened in the same week, likely sparking big decisions by the USOC. The article gives quick but relevant backstory and context, informing the reader about the bare-bones reasons USAG is under fire. There could have been more detail in providing context, and providing the numbers associated with Nassar’s case would have been compelling facts to communicate the gravity of the situation.
The article provides thorough coverage of the two events it focuses on. Covering CEO Mary Bono’s resignation, the article cites Simone Biles’ tweet taking Bono on, and gives context and explanation as to why Bono’s behavior was so bad given the circumstances (Bono marked out a Nike sign on her sneaker, showing she opposed athletes kneeling during the national anthem). The article talks about the importance of Simone’s voice, especially in this situation, as a black athlete who is sponsored by Nike. The article also cites the IndyStar publication when reporting on Bono’s involvement with covering up the Nassar scandal, referencing a well-regarded publication and providing a source for unconfirmed information.
Moving on to their second focus, former CEO Steve Penny’s arrest, the article continues to use pretty relevant sources and cover parts of the story that haven’t been focused on. They include a statement from Penny’s lawyer, providing that side before talking to Olympian and ESPN analyst Kathy Johnson-Clark. Johnson-Clark is a highly regarded member of the gymnastics community and provides a more level headed and thoughtful take than many other sources close to the sport have been able to. The article also talks about the inclusion of Michigan State University in much of this process, as many officials at MSU have been implicated in Nassar’s crimes and are included in lawsuits. There is a statement in the article from the attorney general of Michigan, which was an interesting element that communicates the gravity of the case even more. One weakness in their sourcing is the inclusion of a source that doesn’t appear to be very relevant right in the beginning of the article. The source’s name is Haley Almstedt, described as a former gymnast and professor at Loyola University. Other than her being a gymnast, it was not communicated if she is related to the case in any other way, so her inclusion was a bit out of place.
A shorter article in USA Today does not include any sources, only issued statements, but talks about the current status of decertification, next steps, and looks forward to what decertification means for the future of gymnastics.
The article is unique in that it provides the necessary background to make the article make sense, but doesn’t focus on the more eye-catching and sensationalized pieces of the story. The reporters focus more on the current status of decertification, and what steps the USOC will be taking. They quote the bylaws and discuss who will be on the panel making decisions for USAG, which provides much-needed insight into how this process will work. The actual nuts and bolts of the decertification process has been largely forsaken for the more gripping stories of CEO mishaps and arrests, so telling this part of the story was necessary. The article also mentions USAG member clubs, a facet of the story that has also largely gone unreported. Many effects of decertification will be felt by member clubs at the grassroots level, but few news outlets have looked into exactly what that effect is. The article could have gone into more detail about what this means for enrollment in gymnastics, team success, and growth in the sport to tell a more complete story.
The last article I analyzed was a NY Times article that covered only part of this story, focusing on the organizations involved rather than the more far reaching effects. They provide good context and background on the issue as all of these articles have but could have given more detail about USAG’s failures in hiring leadership. They quote the USOC statement and USAG’s statement and talk about what USAG did in response to being notified of decertification. Only using the issued statements didn’t provide for a very compelling use of sources, and sourcing from any of the involved athletes, coaches, or staff would have added better detail and a more complete story. The article also lacked details about what decertification would mean for the gymnastics community and failed to cover the fact that the USOC is implicated in lawsuits as well. Overall, this article was the least thorough of the bunch, but in addressing USAG’s response to the USOC’s aggressive move, they cover the basics.
Section 4: Experts that could provide insight
Tony Retrosi – Former National Team Coach, Gymnastics Educator, Gym Owner. Previously applied for CEO position. Member of USAG Advisory Council
Tom Forster – Current USAG High Performance Director, in charge of running the National Team.
Sarah Hirshland – CEO of the United States Olympic Committee, author of the letter from the USOC declaring action to decertify USA Gymnastics.
Section 5: Report on my interview with Tony Retrosi
I interviewed Tony Retrosi, a national level coach, highly regarded gymnastics educator, and gym owner here in New Hampshire. Tony has been asked to take the position of CEO at USA Gymnastics twice since former CEO Steve Penny resigned. Tony is also my former coach.
I began by asking Tony if the news coverage he’s seen used sources that were fair and sourced from both sides. He started by saying that he feels news is rarely fair and balanced, but rather consumer driven. In the beginning, he says, the Indianapolis Star and OC Register were doing a good job with their reporting on the plight of USAG, but in the past year believes they’ve been milking the story without seeking out new sources. Part of this, he says isn’t necessarily the fault of reporters. USAG has been advised not to comment by legal counsel, and Tony himself has been contacted by numerous news outlets to comment but refuses to comment on record. Without opening himself up to reporters he already receives hate mail as a visible member of the gymnastics community, and doesn’t want to put his family, friends, or gym through any scrutiny.
High profile athletes have been a commonly used voice in the media, but the media has the tendency sensationalize and rarely are realistic solutions suggested. He says, when I asked who the media should be including in the coverage, that it would be beneficial if the media included former USAG board members, college coaches, for an informed perspective. The pattern seems to be those who are more educated in business, or with more experience in the world of gymnastics as a coach/gym owner have been rarely included in coverage. However, many of these people he says will, like him, refuse to go on record.
I then asked if he thought there were parts of the story that he thought deserved more attention. The interesting thing he brought up that hasn’t gotten much attention in the media, is actually that the USOC is named in more lawsuits than USAG is involving not only gymnastics but other sports as well. Another element that has been underreported and that I didn’t even know about, is that this is not the first time the USOC has tried to decertify USAG. The USOC actually tried to decertify them in 1999, because the USAG wanted to take the steps to suspend members for behavior. According to Tony, the CEO at the time told the USOC that if they did this, they would be criticized in the press for not taking steps to protect athletes, and they backed down. This has been underreported as an almost-failure of the USOC to protect athletes. Additionally, Tony talked about how the good stories won’t sell or get attention online, but there is so much good happening in the gymnastics world that no one is finding out about because all of the reporting is focusing on the politics of these governing bodies. Athlete success, clubs taking additional measures to protect athletes, and men’s team success is all taking a huge back seat to politics.
The coverage of this story has massively impacted those in the gymnastics community. Tony and his colleagues are “terrified” of the current climate. While he feels very strongly that the bad press gymnastics is getting is deserved, it is impacting everyone who works in the community, including those trying to do good. He wonders how coaches are supposed to protect themselves from being wrongly accused if they say, hug an athlete after a great routine. He also brings up an interesting point- the strength of the current National Team is based on success in gymnastics 12+ years ago. Simply put, Tony wonders if gymnastics had bad press when Simone Biles was 6 years old, would they have signed her up? If there was more coverage of what club coaches and owners are doing to ensure the safety and well-being of athletes, maybe they would. But with the current circulation of negative press about gymnastics, he fears not only is it impacting current enrollment, but therefore is impacting the success of our future national team.
I wrapped up by asking him what he would like to see in the coverage as the story progresses. Many parts of the industry have worked for real and significant change. More coverage is needed of the changes people like himself are working for, and coverage of the success the national teams have had in the face of adversity. While yes, it pays to focus on the drama and politics, what about the people who are trying to pick of the pieces? There are so many people, like him, who love the sport so much and are working every day to teach kids the lessons gymnastics has taught myself, Tony, and so many others. Where are those stories? Tony emphasized multiple times that USAG is a mess. He thinks he and many of the people he is connected with in the gymnastics community can try to save the sport that they love. But, how do they do this when anyone associated with USAG, even the “good guys” get threatening hatemail? How can he open himself and his livelihood up to scrutiny? The media has whirled the gymnastics community into a finger-pointing, politically-driven frenzy, and it doesn’t appear to be coming to a swift end.