FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nashville, TN — 02 March 2026
Two recent headlines. Same old pattern. A new prevention engine built for clubs, leagues, and the entire game-day ecosystem.
NASHVILLE, TN — The International Association of ESD Professionals (IAESDP) today announced the launch of The Strong Side (TSS), its flagship culture-change engine designed to help sports organizations prevent harassment, discrimination, and escalation—from the locker room out—to the pitch, to the stadium, to the community.
The launch comes amid renewed scrutiny of what TSS defines as Predator Culture: a system-level environment where disrespect and boundary violations are normalized, targets are isolated, and institutions are left reacting after the fact instead of preventing what everyone can see coming.
TSS is now scheduling interviews and briefings for sports desks and league stakeholders.
Why now
In the span of days, two high-profile incidents—one in Brazilian football, one in Olympic hockey—sparked backlash and renewed debate over sexism, power, and accountability in sport:
Brazil (Campeonato Paulista): In a post-match interview, Red Bull Bragantino defender Gustavo Marques questioned the legitimacy of appointing a woman referee for a major match and stated that referee Daiane Muniz “did not have the capacity” to officiate a game of that magnitude.
Winter Olympics hockey: A viral locker-room clip following the U.S. men’s gold medal win captured a remark implying the women’s team’s recognition was obligatory rather than earned—an inside attitude said out loud and laughed off in public.
“The incidents may look different on the surface. Underneath, they share the same logic: women are treated as optional in spaces where men are treated as default,” said Lissette Brassac Fitzgerald, Executive Director of IAESDP. “Predator Culture thrives when sexist dismissal gets waved away as ‘just locker room talk.’ These moments are signals—tests of what the culture will allow. The Strong Side exists because sport needs prevention infrastructure—not just apologies and penalties once the harm is public.”
Predator Culture is a system problem—with broad harm
TSS uses Predator Culture to describe an ecosystem where power is protected and targets are isolated, enabling harassment and discrimination to spread across the game-day environment. The resulting harm is gender-inclusive, impacting women and men, LGBTQ+ people, officials, athletes, staff, and fans—on the field of play, in the stands, online, and in the community.
Evidence: measurable leading indicators
TSS is informed by research and practice showing that norms, bystander behavior, and online abuse volume are measurable leading indicators that can predict escalation risk—and can be tracked and reduced with prevention infrastructure.
Research collaboration
The Strong Side’s approach is informed by a research collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, supporting evaluation and evidence development around sports culture, prevention, and outcomes.
The Strong Side: From the Locker Room out
The Strong Side is built for clubs and leagues that want more than statements. As IAESDP’s flagship culture-change engine, TSS delivers a plug-and-play, hybrid in-person + digital program designed to reduce incidents, shift norms, and demonstrate measurable community impact—without dumping massive workload onto club staff.
“Our message is simple: don’t wait for crisis or scandal. Respond with prevention,” said Lauren Lopp, The Strong Side Spokesperson. “From the locker room to the stands, sports culture is teachable and it starts with teams. We give clubs the tools they need to set standards, train athletes and staff, activate fans, and prove impact in the community—so safety becomes part of the brand, not a reactive press cycle.”
ESD Professionals: expertise built for prevention
IAESDP represents Empowerment Self Defense (ESD) Professionals—trained specialists in violence prevention, boundary-setting, de-escalation, and behavior change. The Strong Side translates that expertise into sport-specific prevention infrastructure.
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About The Strong Side (TSS)
The Strong Side is the flagship culture-change engine of the International Association of ESD Professionals (IAESDP). TSS equips sports organizations with practical training, prevention systems, and community activation to reduce harm, protect brand trust, and strengthen loyalty—from the locker room out—to the pitch, to the stadium, to the community.
About IAESDP
The International Association of ESD Professionals (IAESDP) advances safety, violence prevention, and empowerment-based education through professional standards, training frameworks, and implementation support across sectors.
Availability / Interviews
IAESDP and The Strong Side leadership are available for interviews and briefings with sports media and league stakeholders.
Press contact: Lauren Lopp, Director of Communications and TSS Spokesperson, lauren@thestrongside.team
Learn more: https://www.thestrongside.team
PROGRAM EXPLAINER
PREDATOR CULTURE IN SPORT Two headlines. Same old pattern. A prevention framework from The Strong Side (TSS).
From the locker room out—to the pitch, to the stadium, to the community.
What “Predator Culture” means (system definition)
Predator Culture is a system-level environment where power is protected, targets are isolated, and boundary violations are normalized—so harassment and discrimination become “expected,” consequences become inconsistent, and prevention is replaced by reaction.
This is not about labeling individuals as “predators.” It’s about naming and changing the conditions that enable harm.
Who it harms (gender-inclusive)
Predator Culture harms women and men, LGBTQ+ people, officials, athletes, staff, volunteers, and fans—on the field of play, in the stands, online, and across the wider community.
Terminology (quick strip)
Legitimacy attack: Undermines someone’s right to belong, lead, officiate, or be taken seriously.
Permission structure: Cues (laughter, silence, “that’s just how it is”) that signal harm will be tolerated.
Escalation pathway: Predictable progression from normalized disrespect to threats and real-world harm.
Optics-first accountability: Public consequences after virality without prevention systems that reduce recurrence.
Bystander activation: Training + pathways enabling safe, effective interruption in real time.
How it shows up (the 4 signals)
Legitimacy attacks — “not capable,” “doesn’t belong,” disguised as “performance critique.”
Group bonding through dismissal — “locker room talk,” “just a joke,” “part of the game.”
Optics-first accountability — consequences without systems that prevent recurrence.
Escalation pathways — online abuse → threats → intimidation → real-world harm.
Why sports environments amplify the risk
Sports is high-emotion, high-identity, high-visibility. When norms tolerate dehumanization, the game-day ecosystem becomes an accelerant—especially with alcohol, rivalry, crowd density, and social media dogpiling.
Study data
Evidence snapshot
Finding #1: In a sample of 1,699 male high school athletes, 16% reported perpetrating some form of dating abuse in the prior 3 months. [1]
Finding #2: In a randomized trial with 1,061 partnered refugee women (ages 18–45), an adapted SEE Change agency training was linked to higher skill-learning participation: 65.85% vs 43.55% at follow-up. [2]
Finding #3 (NCAA online abuse signal — add-on stat): In the NCAA’s 2023–24 pilot monitoring 3,164 student-athletes, about 1.31 million posts/comments mentioning target accounts were analyzed; 5,020 posts/comments were reported to platforms for action. 80% of verified abusive/threatening content occurred during March Madness, and women’s tournament participants received almost 3x the abuse compared to men’s. [3]
Outcome signal: Validated measures included gender-equitable norms + bystander pathways (athlete study) and standardized mental-health screens plus economic/skill participation outcomes (SEE Change trial). [1][2]
What it means for clubs: These are measurable leading indicators—norms + bystander behavior + online abuse volume—that predict escalation risk and can be tracked (and reduced) with prevention infrastructure. [1][3]
The Strong Side framework
From the Locker Room out
LOCKER ROOM (athletes + leadership) → standards + influence
PITCH (officials + competition) → respect under pressure + accountability
STADIUM (fans + staff + security + media) → bystander activation + reduced flashpoints
COMMUNITY (partners + activations) → healthy rivalry + visible prevention
Who we are (credibility in one box)
The Strong Side (TSS) is the flagship culture-change engine of IAESDP. IAESDP represents Empowerment Self Defense (ESD) Professionals—trained specialists in violence prevention, boundary-setting, de-escalation, and behavior change.
TSS is informed by a research collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, supporting evaluation and evidence development around prevention and outcomes.
TSS is now scheduling interviews and briefings for sports desks and league stakeholders.
Press contact: Lauren Lopp, Director of Communications and TSS Spokesperson, lauren@thestrongside.team
Learn more: https://www.thestrongside.team
Citations
[1] McCauley HL, et al. American Journal of Public Health. 2013 (PMC). [2] Kalra N, et al. SEE Change–adapted personal agency training trial in Rwanda. 2024 (PMC). [3] NCAA + Signify Group. NCAA Pilot Study 2023–24: Online Abuse in NCAA Championships. Public report PDF.
QUOTE SHEET
IAESDP / TSS positioning
- “Predator Culture isn’t a person—it’s a system. And systems can be redesigned.”
- “If your strategy starts at the apology, you’re already late.”
- “The Sport Industry doesn’t need more statements. It needs prevention infrastructure.”
- “The question isn’t whether incidents happen—it’s whether organizations have systems that prevent recurrence.”
- “Online abuse spikes are measurable—and they’re not random. They’re predictable, trackable signals that can be reduced.”
- “Norms and bystander behavior are measurable risk indicators—clubs can manage them like any other performance system.”
Lissette Brassac Fitzgerald — on-record options
- “When sexist dismissal gets waved away as ‘locker room talk,’ the culture teaches everyone watching what’s acceptable.”
- “Reactive discipline matters—and we commend it—but prevention is what changes the trajectory.”
- “These moments are signals—tests of what the culture will allow. The Strong Side exists to build a different default.”
- “This is bigger than women’s sports or men’s sports. It’s about who gets treated as legitimate—and who gets treated as optional.”
- “We can track leading indicators—norms, bystander behavior, and online abuse volume—and reduce risk before it escalates.”
Lauren Lopp — on-record options
- “Safe stadiums equal safe communities. Don’t wait to react to crisis with statements and apologies after the fact, after the damage is already done. Respond with prevention, prioritizing safety for everyone, before damage is done in the first place.”
- “We’re not here to point fingers. We’re here to help teams set up systems that enable safety from the locker room out.”
- “From the locker room to the stands, sports culture is teachable and it starts with teams.”
- “Teams have a choice to make now. Continue to sit on the sidelines, remain silent, and protect the status quo, which is to protect predator culture. Or choose to take a stand and lead with strength and integrity, making safety the standard.”
- “Clubs are already elite performance systems. We help teams embed violence prevention into their frameworks, so safety becomes part of the very brand itself.”
MEDIA ADVISORY
MEDIA ADVISORY
Nashville, TN — 02 March 2026
Story idea
The Strong Side (TSS) launches to confront Predator Culture in sport—before harm goes viral. TSS is the flagship culture-change engine of the International Association of ESD Professionals (IAESDP), built to help sports organizations prevent harassment, discrimination, and escalation—from the locker room out—to the pitch, to the stadium, to the community.
Why now
Two recent, widely discussed incidents—spanning Brazilian football and Olympic hockey—have reignited public debate about sexism, legitimacy attacks, and “locker room talk” as a cultural permission structure. TSS launches with a prevention framework that treats these moments as system signals, not isolated PR problems.
What’s new / what’s useful for coverage
A press-ready framework: Predator Culture (system definition) + the “From the Locker Room Out” model
Evidence signals sports organizations can track: norms, bystander behavior, online abuse volume
A research-informed approach via a research collaboration with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (evaluation and evidence development)
Available for interview
Lissette Brassac Fitzgerald, Executive Director, IAESDP
Lauren Lopp, Spokesperson, The Strong Side (TSS)
Topics we can speak to (tight list)
What Predator Culture is (and is not)
Why “locker room talk” is a culture signal—not a harmless aside
How harassment escalates across the game-day ecosystem
What prevention infrastructure looks like in practice
What sports organizations can measure to reduce escalation risk over time
Press contact: Lauren Lopp, Director of Communications and TSS Spokesperson, lauren@thestrongside.team
Learn more: https://www.thestrongside.team
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