Abuses of Power Relative to Elite Athletes
It is often the case that elite athletes are subjected to rigors and standards that are far beyond what is expected of the majority of the general public. There are many issues that are common among elite athletes that are known to affect either their bodies or their minds. For instance, some athletes are subjected to such high levels of discipline from either coaches or parents that the experience can be considered emotional harassment or even abuse. Coaches and parents can also use and abuse an elite athletes' bodies in many different ways. There is often a fine line between an eating disorder and attempts to maintain a body in a state of being able to achieve peak performance. Females athletes often attempt to suppress weight gain while it is more common for males to attempt to gain weight by increasing muscle weight and density. Similarly, narrow thresholds exist between training and overtraining elite athletes. However, even more extreme examples of abuse can be found in this population such as the case with sexual harassment or abuse. This study will conduct a literature review that focuses on the various forms of abuses of power that can be common among elite athletes.
Literature Review
Weight-control behavior is commonly observed in a wide range of elite sports, especially leanness sports, where control over body weight is crucial for high peak performance; nonetheless, there is only a fine line between purely functional behavior and clinically relevant eating disorders (Werner, 2013). It has been estimated that female elite athletes represent an at-risk population relative to developing eating disorders during elite sports training periods, during times of competition, and later in life. One meta-analysis on weight-control behaviors found inconsistent results that vary along the lines of factors such as age, gender, and the type of sport that is played.
There are many sports that are considered "leanness sports" in which the athletes are expected to keep their bodies trim to be able to perform the best it can. For example, it is expected that long distance runners or sprinters have extremely low levels of body fat while the same requirements do not apply to sports that are not depended upon leanness such as shot-putting, golf, or baseball. It can be difficult to detect eating disorders (EDs) in elite athletes because many people may perceive their eating behaviors as being consistent with the requirements that the sport demands or overlook weight gains or losses for similar reasons. Furthermore, elite athletes may also fail to report any ED behaviors for fear of reprisal such as not being allowed to compete or make the team (Torstveit, Rosenvinge, & Sundgot-Borgen, 2007).
Much of the research that has been conducted has focused on elite female athletes at the college level. One such study has indicated the difference between lean-sport related EDs and every other category of athletes and non-athletes. Lean-sport athletes had a higher score on body dissatisfaction, and lower actual and desired body weight than non -- lean-sport athletes and within the athlete sample, the high-risk group included 2.9% of the non -- lean-sport athletes and 25% of the lean-sport athletes (Reinking & Alexander, 2005). Given the risk factors that are evident within such groups, it is also argued that athletic trainers have the capacity and responsibility to play active roles as integral members of the health care team and facilitate early detection and treatment of eating disorders (Bonci, et al., 2008).
While coaches and trainers can undoubtedly be part of the solution, it is reasonable to suspect that they are more commonly part of the problem. In regards to some sports, coaches, trainers, and parents may unconsciously project expectations about body image to elite athletes, while in other sports, this practice is simply overt. For example, coaches may facilitate a highly competitive culture in which athletes believe that they have to use every tactic available to them to improve their bodies and/or performances. Athletes in these environments are more likely to develop unhealthy body images that lead to ED or the use of performance enhancing substances. However, in some sports that actually have classifications for different weights of athletes, such as in boxing and wrestling for example, coaches may even mandate extreme forms of weight management to ensure compliance with the intended classification. Furthermore, in all competitive sports, coaches may pressure their athletes to use unhealthy behaviors to gain any performance edge that is possible.
Although there is a common perception that sports are generally a positive influence on the development of individuals at all ages, there have been increasing concerns about elite athletics and the physical...
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