Michael J. Hartill: Sexual Abuse in Youth Sport: A Sociocultural Analysis

Michael Hartill’s book, Sexual Abuse in Youth Sport: A Sociocultural Analysis, highlights the systemic injustices taking place around youth sports. Hartill’s book uses French anthropologist’s Pierre Bourdieu’s social constructs to shed light on why the abuse occurs. He tells several survivor stories to make the general public aware of the toxic culture that promotes the abuse. This book reaches out to a wide audience since youth sports are prevalent in many American lives. Hartill effectively analyzes the environment and the institutions that allow for the abuse rather than only concentrating only on the perpetrator. His theoretical framework gives future researchers a useful starting point to continue studying child sexual abuse in sports. …