The Assist

After months of work, we’re proud to share the launch of the Towards Safer Sport for All: Athlete Survivor Advocacy Toolkit, a free resource created to support advocates and service providers working with athlete-survivors of sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.

This toolkit was built to help people:
• recognize the signs of abuse in sport
• better support athlete-survivors
• navigate reporting systems and accountability processes

Explore the toolkit and share it with someone who may need it: https://resources.theathletesurvivorsassist.org/

Content warning: mentions of abuse and trauma

Trauma doesn’t end when the moment passes. It can stay in the body, in the mind, and in the way someone moves through sport and everyday life. Recognizing that impact is a critical step toward real support, healing, and accountability.

The Assist is proud to attend the 2026 Safe Sport International conference virtually alongside leaders, allied organizations, and advocates working to strengthen athlete safety around the world.

These conversations matter. Creating safer sports environments requires continued education, accountability, and survivor-centered action across every level of athletics.

We’re grateful to be part of a global community committed to supporting athletes and advancing meaningful change in sport.

Mental Health Awareness Month is a reminder that what you see on the surface isn’t always the full story. Take time this month to check in, look closer, and support what you can’t always see.

In sport, performance is often prioritized at all costs, but safety and wellbeing can’t be optional. Athletes deserve environments where they are protected, supported, and believed. Performance should never come before protection.

Content note: abuse in sport, mental health.

Board Director Mary Cain has a new book out, and it's one we want every athlete, parent, and coach to read.

This Is Not About Running (Mariner Books, April 2026) is Mary's own account of her years in elite running, including the abuse she experienced inside the Nike Oregon Project and the long road back to herself. She draws on her personal diaries to show, with rare clarity, how win-at-all-costs sports culture harms young athletes, and what it actually looks like from the inside.

It's raw, honest, and necessary.

Mary's story is also a call to action. The same courage that drove her to speak out publicly in 2019 runs through every page of this book, and her vision for a healthier youth sports culture is exactly what The Assist works toward every day. We're proud to stand alongside her.

Pick up a copy, share it with someone who coaches or parents a young athlete, and keep pushing for the safer sports environment every athlete deserves.

📖 Get a copy of the book here: https://www.amazon.com/This-Not-About-Running-Memoir/dp/0063441888

Behind every performance, practice, and podium moment is a person carrying more than what others can see. This month is a reminder to check in, speak up, and support one another on and off the field. If you or someone you know is struggling, you don’t have to go through it alone. 💚