Exploring Narratives of Boyhood Sexual Subjection in Male-Sport

While little attention has been paid to stories of boyhood sexual abuse in sport, in recent years autobiographical accounts from male “survivors” have emerged in relatively quick succession. This paper argues that this is a significant development for the sports community which requires further attention. More specifically, it argues that the use of narrative analysis is vital to the development of this field of study and illustrates this through the presentation and analysis of two stories of boyhood sexual subjection in male-sport. It is argued that some stories of sexual subjection in male-sport may be well-received while others may not and that social science must be alert to those stories which may transgress dominant notions of the “survivor” story and may be silenced as a result.