It's a considered a quintessential part of many Australian childhoods with a range of benefits. But participation in community sport also has a dark side with preliminary research revealing abuse often perpetrated by parents remains an under reported reality.
The benefits of participation in sport are well documented. But as the recent Netflix documentary on football legend David Beckham shows - the influence of family can be difficult.
DAVID:" I used to hear my mum turn around and say to my dad, stop talking to him. Stop shouting at him, stop telling him off."She is one of the researchers involved in a study looking at the frequency of violence, experienced by children in Australian community sports. Eighty-two per cent of those surveyed experienced violence in sport as a child, with psychological violence the most common form of abuse at 76 per cent followed by physical and sexual violence."I think oftentimes, we think there's this imaginary line between community and elite sport where performance matters more at the elite level, but we see that children are being pulled in for elite pathways as young as five and six years old.
"There's some really key elements in our analysis right now, where psychological abuse in sport, perpetrated by parents towards their own children, leads to estranged relationships with abusive parents or at best difficult relationships to maintain. We also know that the victims no longer played in those particular sports, or sport altogether.
He says sometimes the other parent may be trying to help interpret or make sense of the abuse and inadvertently permitting the abusive behavior. As with most types of abuse the question remains - why would a parent treat their child in this way and what can be done about it?"I don't think it's a willing thought that they're thinking of in terms of breaking a child down. In fact, I think it's just because this has been normalised in sport for so long. Critiquing is the way that we see as helping people get better, but it can very easily slip to the other side.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Is Australian radio ready for a KIIS FM-Triple M combo?ARN boss Ciaran Davis is ready to do whatever it takes to get one of the most ambitious media deals in recent memory across the line.
Read more »
Is Australian radio ready for a KIIS FM-Triple M combo?ARN boss Ciaran Davis is ready to do whatever it takes to get one of the most ambitious media deals in recent memory across the line.
Read more »
Is this Australian novel the buzziest debut of the year?Madeleine Gray’s Green Dot has attracted six-figure deals around the world, with the TV and film rights sold in a six-way auction.
Read more »
Is this Australian novel the buzziest debut of the year?Madeleine Gray’s Green Dot has attracted six-figure deals around the world, with the TV and film rights sold in a six-way auction.
Read more »
Is this Australian novel the buzziest debut of the year?Madeleine Gray’s Green Dot has attracted six-figure deals around the world, with the TV and film rights sold in a six-way auction.
Read more »
Cricket Australia fends off rivals with multi-year deals for Australian starsPat Cummins and Marnus Labuschagne have accepted three-year Cricket Australia contracts and two-year deals have been handed to six others as Twenty20 franchises circle the world’s top cricket talent.
Read more »