When we restore our preconceived notions of exercise, especially at a young age, we often find it stimulating and enjoyable. We always encourage children to play sports, as an activity that has positive effects on the mind, body and social relationships, but all of these positive thoughts may fade away when watching the American documentary "Athlete A", which premiered on the Netflix platform on June 24 / June 2020.
The film is one of the most important documentaries that show how a documentary can become an honest record of history, away from distorted views.
The film is about the story of the American doctor, "Larry Nassar," who has been in charge of the American women's gymnastics team for nearly 20 years, during which he used his profession as a team physician, to harass more than 260 girls and teenage girls from gymnastics teams.
The title of the documentary refers to player Maggie Nichols, who was reported to have been physically abused by the authorities in 2015, and was then removed from the Olympic team in 2016 as a punishment for her complaint about Larry Nassar.
The story was tracked by investigative journalist Karisa Koyatkovsky in the Indiana Paul Star newspaper, which was researching sexual assault cases in schools, and one of its sources suggested that it discuss sexual assault cases for US Olympic gymnastics teams.
Koyatkovsky not only explored sexual assault cases, but also violent and unethical practices against gymnast girls from a young age. Where coaches use violence and physical and emotional abuse during training, which causes confusion and anxiety for players, and puts them under the influence of emotional and psychological blackmail all the time, to satisfy their coaches. As a result of their young age and big dream of achieving advanced Olympic centers, they cannot differentiate between training and abuse.
Players or ads
The film also focuses on the lack of professionalism, "Steve Benny," president of the American Gymnastics Federation, who has been ignoring the complaints of girls, forcing them to remain silent, and excluding female complainants from the main team and the Olympics. Financial gain was the first driver of Beni, according to the documentary. He covered up Larry Nassar, not because of it, but because the lucrative brands dealing with gymnastics teams, you would not prefer dealing with a team that raises problems.
Benny was not the only one to ignore the complaints of the girls according to their testimonies, as the coaches "Bella and Marta Carrolli" were taking a harsh Eastern European approach with them, and they used ruthless and cruel methods with them, so they were part of a whole team of adults colluding against the girls.
Nassar was trying to be the loving side of the harsh gymnastic girls' life, preparing candy for them, treating them with great courtesy, unlike coaches, to represent the role of the only friendly adult in their strict restricted life.
The players are offerings of power
The film's directors used the stories of the survivors and their lives, as a backbone of the film, where the suffering of the victims, and then their courage to admit what happened, revealed more abuses for supporters, and broke the barriers that enabled him to go unpunished for two decades.
El-Ayoun was closed to girls ’complaints, and collusion against them everywhere, but in the end the public scandal led to Nassar’s conviction, to spend the remainder of his life in prison.
The film raises questions about the price offered by girls in exchange for winning and medals, so that it represents terrifying ideas for every father and mother who offer their children offerings in the world of sports, and warns them against dealing in excessive goodwill with coaches, or team members, and also makes the spectator wonder whether the authority and trust that is granted to doctors And coaches are what drives them to corruption, or are corrupt people seeking more power and control, which enables them to satisfy their desires more, and protect each other, regardless of the high prices paid by their victims.