Over time, sports have evolved to what they are today. As sports evolve, so do the players, coaches and rules. Over the past decade, the NCAA has produced some of the best athletes in today’s world. While one can congratulate them for their achievements, no one sees what goes on behind the scenes—the hours of work and the non-stop grind. Sometimes we forget that the NCAA and athletic world are not as great as they are made out to be.

In prior years, sexual assault in the athletic world was not unheard of, but was not that common. In the past year, sexual assault accusations have been at an all-time high. With a multitude of people coming forward about non-consensual sexual encounters with athletes, some have got to wonder if all of them are true. In the NCAA, they follow an honor system, which is when the athlete is interviewed and asked if they have ever been accused or charged with sexual assault. The athlete’s answer is what they follow, without checking with prior records or high schools. At face value, this allows athletes who have committed sexual assault to get away without paying any consequences.

“I think [sexual assault accusations] are something that is not seen a lot at a high school level, but depending on the fame of an athlete, it can lead to their downfall and ruin their life,” sophomore Farisa Roberts said.

After talking about the number of accusations from people forwarded to athletes in the present world, most have yet to talk about the amount of sexual assault that happens to athletes. While some sports have higher sexual assault numbers than others, it can be seen that the number of cases is outstandingly large. One sport that always has a high number of sexual assault cases is women’s gymnastics. In 2023, over 500 athletes alleged that they were sexually assaulted by team members or coaches during their season. Not only does sexual assault affect the victim physically, but it also affects them mentally. This further affects their chances to place or do well at big competitions.

Sexual assault accusations and charges have been at an all-time high. Whether the cases are withheld or not, the amount of athletes, coaches and people it has affected is astronomical. With leagues like the NCAA turning a blind eye to sexual assault or international coaches who wrongly use their power, sexual assault cases will only continue to grow.

“In some cases, the accusations are false, and taking over the athlete’s career that they have worked hard on for years. This also causes cases that are true to be overlooked and brushed off,” Roberts said.