USA Gymnastics gave us Olympic golds, Wheaties boxes, and a predator hiding in plain sight. Brave gymnasts like Maggie Nichols break their silence.
Shout out to my great friend Mary Bliss for recommending this one.
Trailer for “Athlete A”
You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up
- Reporters interview multiple survivors who describe Nassar’s abuse disguised as medical treatment. Their parents even sat in the same room.
- USA Gymnastics leaders knew about complaints for years but failed to report them to law enforcement. They chose instead to quietly dismiss athletes who spoke up.
Watch “Athlete A”
You can watch “Athlete A” on Netflix.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 96/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 93/100 (Users); 100/100 (Critics)
Director’s Note: Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk directed this 104-minute Netflix documentary. They give equal weight to the emotional testimonies of survivors and the dogged journalism that brought Nassar down. It’s as much about systemic failure as it is about personal bravery.
Release Date: June 24, 2020 (Netflix)
My Review of “Athlete A”
The Setup
The doc opens with the Indianapolis Star team chasing down leads about how USA Gymnastics mishandled sexual abuse complaints. At the same time, athletes like Maggie Nichols—once called “Athlete A” to protect her identity—step forward. What unfolds is both an investigative thriller and a survivor testimony.
More Highlights from the Doc
- Nassar abused athletes for decades—even at the Olympic Training Center—while posing as the doctor who was supposed to protect them.
- Maggie Nichols is the first known gymnast to report Nassar in 2015. She was left off the 2016 Olympic team. This raised tough questions about retaliation.
- The doc shows how USA Gymnastics used legal loopholes and NDAs to silence athletes and protect its brand.
- We hear courtroom testimony from more than 150 women, including Olympic stars like Aly Raisman and Simone Biles, who call for systemic reform.
- When finally sentenced, Nassar received 175 years in prison. This guarantees he will die behind bars.
Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- The Indianapolis Star wasn’t initially investigating Nassar. They were digging into how USA Gymnastics ignored abuse complaints about coaches, and stumbled onto his name in the files.
- Nassar sometimes abused athletes in hotel rooms during competitions, traveling with the team as their official doctor.
- Even after the first media reports, some parents initially defended Nassar because of his long-standing reputation as a “trusted” doctor in gymnastics.
Wrap Up:
“Athlete A” is tough to watch but essential. It shows how silence protects predators and how truth-telling—by both survivors and reporters—can finally bring them down.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc