Not All Harm Looks the Same: Understanding Bullying, Harassment, Hazing, and Teasing in Sports

If we want teams to thrive, we need to talk about what these behaviors are, how they’re different, and why they can’t be written off as jokes, rituals, or harmless fun.

Not All Harm Looks the Same: Understanding Bullying, Harassment, Hazing, and Teasing in Sports

Why This Conversation Matters

On the surface, teasing a teammate or running a rookie through an initiation drill might seem like harmless bonding. But in reality, these behaviors can reinforce harmful power dynamics—especially when they target athletes because of their gender identity, sexuality, race, or perceived difference.

For LGBTQ+ athletes, this can mean navigating teams where respect has to be earned through silence, conformity, or emotional endurance. That’s not team culture—that’s survival.

Let’s break down the differences:

1. Bullying

What it is: Bullying is repeated, targeted behavior meant to harm, intimidate, or humiliate. It’s about dominance, often rooted in a power imbalance—whether that’s physical, social, or emotional.

How it shows up in sports:

• Constant name-calling or mocking

• Exclusion from drills or social spaces

• Rumors, threats, or sabotage

• Picking on an athlete perceived as “different”

Example: A nonbinary athlete is regularly called slurs by teammates who insist they’re “just joking,” even after being asked to stop. Over time, this behavior wears down the athlete’s confidence and sense of safety.

2. Harassment

What it is: Harassment is unwelcome behavior tied to identity—like race, gender, sexuality, religion, or disability. It doesn’t have to be repeated to be harmful. In fact, one incident can change how safe someone feels in their sport.

How it shows up in sports:

• Sexist, racist, or homophobic comments

• Misgendering or mocking pronouns

• Unequal treatment based on identity

• Jokes or “locker room talk” rooted in bias

Example: A coach dismisses a lesbian athlete’s concern about homophobic taunts, saying, “Just ignore it, you’re tough.” The athlete now has to weigh whether speaking up again is worth the risk of being ignored or sidelined.

3. Hazing

What it is: Hazing uses “tradition” or “initiation” to justify humiliating or controlling newer team members. It often disguises abuse as bonding—and often escalates quickly.

How it shows up in sports:

• Forcing rookies to perform embarrassing tasks

• Assigning degrading nicknames

• Requiring silence or obedience to “earn” respect

• Creating fear of exclusion for opting out

Example: First-year players are told they must “prove loyalty” by sharing personal secrets in front of the team. Some laugh it off, but for others, the experience is deeply violating—especially if it’s recorded or repeated later.

4. Teasing

What it is: Teasing can be playful—but it can also go too far. When teasing becomes relentless, one-sided, or tied to identity, it stops being fun and starts being harmful.

How it shows up in sports:

• Joking about someone’s voice, hair, or body

• Making digs about identity under the guise of “humor”

• Giving “funny” nicknames that aren't mutual

• Creating running jokes that chip away at someone’s confidence

Example: A player is constantly teased about wearing nail polish, with teammates saying, “You’re lucky we let you play looking like that.” The teasing is always “just a joke,” but the player no longer feels safe expressing themselves.

Quick Breakdown:

Behavior	Tied to Identity?	Power Dynamic?	Repeated?	Impact
Bullying	Sometimes	Yes	Usually	Isolation, fear
Harassment	Always	Sometimes	One-time or more	Targeted exclusion
Hazing	Often	Yes (initiation)	Can be one-time	Public shame, control
Teasing	Sometimes	Not always	Varies	Confusion, shame

The Real Cost: Identity, Safety, and Performance

When these behaviors go unchecked, they don’t just hurt feelings—they shape who feels welcome. LGBTQ+ athletes may stay closeted, drop out, or emotionally shut down just to get through the season.

This isn’t a matter of resilience—it’s a matter of respect. Every athlete deserves to show up fully and play without fear.

What Teams and Leaders Can Do

1. Create Clear, Inclusive Policies

Don’t wait until something goes wrong. Set a tone early with codes of conduct that explicitly prohibit bullying, harassment, hazing, and identity-based teasing. Make sure those policies reflect all gender identities and sexual orientations.

2. Train to Recognize the Difference

Coaches and captains need training—not just in technical skills but in culture-setting. Understanding where teasing ends and harm begins helps everyone be more accountable.

3. Make Room for Real Talk

Athletes should never have to suffer in silence. Normalize check-ins, anonymous reporting, and restorative conversations. Culture change doesn’t happen from the top down—it happens in every huddle and every locker room.

4. Build Bonding Without Breaking Boundaries

Connection doesn’t require cruelty. Encourage team traditions that include everyone, respect privacy, and let athletes opt in rather than feel pressured.

5. Empower Bystanders to Speak Up

It’s not just up to the person being harmed to say something. Allies—especially straight, cisgender teammates and coaches—must step up and shut down harmful behavior in the moment.

6. Offer Real Support

Provide access to mental health resources, LGBTQ+ support groups, and counselors who understand the realities of identity-based harm in sports.

Changing the Playbook

The bottom line? Good teams don’t build unity through humiliation. They build it through mutual respect, shared accountability, and joy.

Respect isn’t optional. It’s foundational. And it starts by calling harm what it is—then doing the work to root it out.

Learn more at youcanplay.org