Jessica Long Talks Bullying Prevention

Content Warning: This video contains mentions of bullying.

Hi, I’m Jessica Long, three time Paralympic swimmer, and 12 time Paralympic gold medalist, and I’m a TrueSport athlete.

Today we’re going to talk about bullying and how to prevent it. Here are some things you should know about bullying. Bullying is common in sports and about half of the athletes on sports teams are targets. If you see bullying on your team, tell an adult. Trust your instincts. If you think someone is being treated wrong, you’re probably right. Whether or not someone is different, they still deserve to be treated with respect. I learned that firsthand.

Bullies target people who are different. I’m different. I was adopted from Russia when I was 13 months old and I was also born without the lower part of my legs. I remember when I was young and on a playground when another girl saw my disability and thought she would catch what I had and started making fun of me. That hurt my feelings, but I still grew up with confidence in who I am and the belief that everyone deserves to be treated with respect. So remember, true sports don’t tolerate bullying. They speak up when they see it happening and they treat everyone with respect.