One soccer player said she was coerced into a sexual relationship with her coach, and later collapsed during a game because of a panic attack. Another said her coach pressured her into kissing a teammate for his enjoyment. A third recently left her team altogether, she said, after being bullied and belittled so much that she lost her love for the game.
All three women played for teams in the National Women’s Soccer League, the top professional league in the United States, or its predecessors. Their stories and accusations — recounted in a series of recently published reports — are a seismic shock to a nine-year-old league still struggling to find its footing, and a troubling reminder of the dynamics that can put women in vulnerable positions even as their power and prominence grow in professional sports.