Background: Sexual violence (SV) is pervasive on college campuses and rates of SV are higher on campuses with athletic programs regulated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). More SV has been reported on NCAA Division I campuses, relative to NCAA Division II and Division III campuses and those with no athletic programs.

Methods: From January to June 2019, we conducted 7 focus group discussions and 19 in-depth interviews with Division 1 and Division II student-athletes, Athletic Directors and coaches. All notes were transcribed verbatim and data were analyzed to develop coding frameworks and identify themes.

Results: Student-athletes recognized SV as an important campus problem, including within the sports system. While athletes were proud to represent their school, they felt socially and academically isolated from the overarching campus, and beholden to their athletic scholarships and team placements. This limited their agency to report SV or seek SV services. Student-athletes felt available SV prevention training was ineffective and only offered to protect the University. Athletic staff and administrators were disconnected from the lives of student-athletes who did not feel comfortable disclosing personal information to staff. Despite widespread promotion of coach-led training to prevent SV among college athletes, student-athletes disapproved of this approach.

Discussion: While college athletics provide an ideal platform for preventing sexual violence, work is needed to prioritize the well-being of student-athletes over the success of the athletic program. Student-athletes should be involved in all steps of designing, implementing and monitoring sexual violence prevention and response programs for athletes.