tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/coaching-11757/articlesCoaching – The Conversation2024-03-28T12:51:38Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2263792024-03-28T12:51:38Z2024-03-28T12:51:38ZFor over a century, baseball’s scouts have been the backbone of America’s pastime – do they have a future?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/584862/original/file-20240327-28-o25sx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=952%2C15%2C4129%2C2834&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Texas Rangers scout Brian Williams takes notes at Roberto Clemente Stadium in Carolina, Puerto Rico.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">H. James Gilmore and Tracy Halcomb</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Former MLB executive <a href="https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/gillick-pat">Pat Gillick</a> won three World Series titles and served as general manager of four baseball teams from the 1970s to 2000s. </p>
<p>But when we interviewed him for our documentary “<a href="https://filmfreeway.com/FieldingDreamsACelebrationofBaseballScouts183">Fielding Dreams: A Celebration of Baseball Scouts</a>,” he deflected praise.</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame if it wasn’t for the people in scouting,” he said. “Those are the people that deserve all the credit, not me.”</p>
<p>Even though they scour the world for talent, often working on year-to-year contracts and spending weeks away from their families, there are no scouts in the <a href="https://baseballhall.org/">National Baseball Hall of Fame</a>.</p>
<p>Their recent run of tough luck has also gone largely unnoticed. The profession has been under siege on a number of fronts, whether it’s facing competition and dismissal from analytics advocates, or experiencing <a href="https://www.bostonherald.com/2020/09/04/red-sox-lay-off-nine-employees-from-scouting-player-development-staffs/">mass</a> <a href="https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/scouting-industry-endures-most-brutal-offseason-in-recent-memory/">layoffs</a> during the COVID-19 pandemic. </p>
<h2>A draft demands an army of evaluators</h2>
<p>In the first half of the 20th century, scouting was a free-for-all. </p>
<p>Team owners willing to spend the money could send scouts to go out and sign whomever they wanted, with contracts often written out by hand and players signing on the spot. When Iowa teen phenom Bob Feller was signed by Cleveland Indians scout <a href="https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/cy-slapnicka/">Cy Slapnicka</a> in 1935, Slapnicka simply took out a pen, wrote out a contract and had Feller and his father sign it, because Feller was underage.</p>
<p>The terms of the contract? <a href="https://case.edu/ech/articles/f/feller-robert">One dollar and an autographed ball</a>.</p>
<p>Major League Baseball <a href="https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-history-and-future-of-the-amateur-draft/">held its first draft in 1965</a>, in part to help level the playing field between wealthier teams, like the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals, and everybody else.</p>
<p>The advent of the draft made scouts all the more important: Each team now had <a href="https://www.baseball-almanac.com/draft/baseball-draft.php?yr=1965">a massive pool of players</a> to interview, evaluate and rank.</p>
<p>The draft only includes U.S. amateur players. International players are not subject to the draft, so some teams have built training facilities in countries like <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-promise-and-peril-of-the-dominican-baseball-pipeline-113242">the Dominican Republic</a> and <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-opens-new-academy-in-mexico-c215291168">Mexico</a>, where their international scouts find and sign promising young players. </p>
<h2>Strength in crunching the numbers?</h2>
<p>But since the turn of the century, some journalists and executives have questioned the value of scouts.</p>
<p>In 2003, author Michael Lewis published “<a href="https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393324815">Moneyball</a>,” in which he documented the success of the 2002 Oakland Athletics and the team’s <a href="https://sabr.org/sabermetrics">embrace of sabermetrics</a>, the statistical analysis of baseball data.</p>
<p>The Athletics were consistently winning with one of the lowest payrolls in baseball, and other team owners took notice. </p>
<p>Could data analytics exploit inefficiencies and produce better results than scouts? Could teams save money by trimming the ranks of old-school professionals and all of the human bias that they brought to evaluating talent?</p>
<p>The embrace of sabermetrics changed who got drafted. With raw data becoming increasingly important, college players – with a longer track record of statistics – became more attractive than high school athletes.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Middle-aged man sitting on a metal bench with his legs crossed as he tugs on the brim of his baseball cap." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/584559/original/file-20240326-16-7haf2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/584559/original/file-20240326-16-7haf2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584559/original/file-20240326-16-7haf2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584559/original/file-20240326-16-7haf2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584559/original/file-20240326-16-7haf2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584559/original/file-20240326-16-7haf2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584559/original/file-20240326-16-7haf2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane ushered in an era that emphasized the use of analytics to evaluate talent and construct rosters.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/ATHLETICSSPRINGTRAINING/0fab9501d4e4da11af9f0014c2589dfb/photo?Query=billy%20beane&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:asc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=116&currentItemNo=5">AP Photo/Eric Risberg</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>The shift to data-informed decision-making has had some unintended consequences. </p>
<p>In order for high school players to get recognized in today’s environment, <a href="https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2022/05/19/catholic-youth-sports-little-league-club-baseball-243016">they turn to travel teams</a>, an expensive option that allows a player to participate in more games and accumulate more experience, more footage of their play and more exposure. </p>
<p>Players from lower-income families often can’t afford to participate – and that includes young Black athletes, <a href="https://www.povertycenter.columbia.edu/news-internal/2022/black-white-child-poverty-gap">who are disproportionately more likely to grow up in poverty</a>. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/baseball-diversity-study-black-players-5d0d1766536f1385ee673c68be55d89a">A recent study</a> found that Black athletes represented just 6.2% of MLB players on 2023 opening day rosters, down from 18% in 1991. </p>
<p>As retired Black utility player <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/collilo01.shtml">Lou Collier</a> told us: “A kid like me, today, never would have had an opportunity. … If I wasn’t able to afford any of these events, you never would have heard of Lou Collier. But back when I was coming up, the scouts found the Lou Colliers.” </p>
<h2>‘Moneyball’ or makeup?</h2>
<p>Scouts will also tell you that analytics is nothing new.</p>
<p>“We evaluated the player,” says former Atlanta Braves scouting director <a href="https://www.mlb.com/royals/team/front-office/roy-clark">Roy Clark</a>. “And when our scouts said, ‘We think this guy can play in the big leagues,’ the next thing we did is we gathered all the information we could – analytics. But then we emphasized makeup.”</p>
<p>It is a grasp of this concept – “makeup,” or a player’s character, drive and grit – that scouts say differentiates their work from data-driven evaluations.</p>
<p>“It comes down to the people who have a really good head on their shoulders,” says Matt O’Brien, a scout for the Toronto Blue Jays. </p>
<p>And the scouts will tell you that there is both on-field and off-field makeup. </p>
<p>“You’ve got to talk to his school counselor, you’ve got to talk to his coach, you’ve got to talk to his teammates, you’ve got to try and talk to other students,” explains Gillick. “Is he a good baseball player, and is he a good human being?” </p>
<p>This personalized approach, one that focuses on a player’s heart and mind, has kept scouting relevant. Even with the rise of analytics, the number of MLB scouts had stayed remarkably consistent into the 21st century. It seemed as if the fear generated by “Moneyball” was unfounded. </p>
<p>That all changed in 2020.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Black and white photo of smiling man seated at a table. Behind him is another man standing next to a board with sheets of paper affixed to it." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/584514/original/file-20240326-18-7daslm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/584514/original/file-20240326-18-7daslm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584514/original/file-20240326-18-7daslm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584514/original/file-20240326-18-7daslm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584514/original/file-20240326-18-7daslm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584514/original/file-20240326-18-7daslm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584514/original/file-20240326-18-7daslm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Hall of Fame executive Pat Gillick during the 1983 MLB draft, when he served as vice president of baseball operations for the Toronto Blue Jays. Behind him is scout Bob Prentice.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/pat-gillick-right-blue-jays-vice-president-of-baseball-news-photo/502315001?adppopup=true">Jeff Goode/Toronto Star via Getty Images</a></span>
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</figure>
<h2>The costs of COVID-19</h2>
<p>COVID-19 didn’t just shorten the 2020 baseball season, winnowing it down from 162 games to 60. It also shrank baseball’s scouting ranks. </p>
<p>USA Today reported that <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2021/03/11/baseball-scouts-return-covid-pandemic/4645174001/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatodaycomsports-topstories">about 20% of scouts were laid off in 2020</a>. Many of them weren’t hired back. </p>
<p>“It was just the most uneasy feeling,” recalled MLB Scouting Bureau’s Christie Wood, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/29/sports/baseball/a-harder-look-at-female-scouts-shows-more-in-the-job-than-thought.html">one of the few female scouts in the game</a>.</p>
<p>According to the magazine Baseball America, by 2021 <a href="https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/scouting-industry-endures-most-brutal-offseason-in-recent-memory/">seven teams had reduced their scouting staff by double digits</a>. </p>
<p>The Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers cut 10 scouts apiece. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants had 13 fewer on their payrolls. The Chicago Cubs were down 20, while the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners each reduced their scouting ranks by 23. </p>
<p>At the beginning of the 2019 season, teams employed 1,909 scouts across their amateur, professional and international departments. By 2021, that number was down to 1,756. And most of the scouts that were laid off were older, more experienced scouts making higher salaries.</p>
<p>In June 2023, 17 former scouts <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/37893641/ex-scouts-file-age-discrimination-lawsuit-major-league-baseball">sued MLB for age discrimination</a>. They claimed that the league and its teams acted intentionally to prevent the employment of older scouts after the pandemic.</p>
<h2>A big win for the scouts</h2>
<p>The state of scouting today is a mixed bag.</p>
<p>Some teams seem to be prioritizing analytics. But other organizations – the Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers – have actually added scouts to their payrolls since 2019.</p>
<p>The Rangers organization opened their doors to our documentary crew over the past four years, allowing us into the inner sanctum. We were able to see, firsthand, the organization’s emphasis on scouting, and witness the relationships the team’s scouts built with prospects and their families.</p>
<p>When the Rangers won the World Series in 2023, baseball scouts around the league rejoiced: The team’s success confirmed that an emphasis on personal touch and people could still pay off. </p>
<p>“I’m just proud of all the scouts that are here and who have worked so hard,” Texas Rangers scout Demond Smith told us during one playoff game. “At the end of the day, it’s baseball. It’s Little League from the beginning, and then you are dreaming. And here we are.”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/226379/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Even with teams’ embrace of analytics, the number of scouts employed by MLB teams had stayed remarkably consistent. That all changed with the COVID-19 pandemic.H. James Gilmore, Visiting Filmmaker, Flagler CollegeTracy Halcomb, Professor of Communication, Flagler CollegeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2210572024-01-18T13:27:31Z2024-01-18T13:27:31ZBill Belichick’s hidden playbook – the 19th century origins of ‘The Patriot Way’<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569590/original/file-20240116-15-uaomih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C224%2C1429%2C936&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Bill Belichick during his last game as head coach of the New England Patriots.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/new-england-patriots-head-coach-bill-belichick-looks-on-in-news-photo/1915226241?adppopup=true">Winslow Townson/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>To the New England Patriots fans enrolled in my <a href="https://www.coursicle.com/qu/courses/SPS/362/">Story of Football</a> class at <a href="https://www.qu.edu/">Quinnipiac University</a>, <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Education_of_a_Coach.html?id=7a92PwAACAAJ">Bill Belichick</a> is the only Patriots coach they’ve ever known.</p>
<p>The 71-year-old coach and team owner <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kraft">Robert Kraft</a> amicably parted ways after 24 years on Jan. 11, 2024, following the end of a dreary season. </p>
<p>Despite my students’ familiarity with the image of Belichick stalking the sidelines, the coach’s world – at least, as far as technology goes – has had little, if anything, in common with theirs. </p>
<p>When he began coaching the Patriots in 2000, and for years afterward, Belichick seemed to ignore the digital revolution erupting around him. He’d joke about a reporter being on “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7U2ew9nMxo">Snapface</a>,” or he’d call Facebook “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GPemM8FAfo.">Your Face</a>.”</p>
<p>Meanwhile, <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Education_of_a_Coach.html?id=7a92PwAACAAJ">Belichick’s moments of social media virality</a> have been rare – and usually limited to <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2016/10/18/bill-belichick-patriots-coach-hates-tablets/?sr_source=Twitter">his abuse</a> <a href="https://www.nfl.com/videos/bill-belichick-throws-tablet-on-sideline-after-chiefs-late-td-401238">of the blue Microsoft Surface tablets</a> NFL coaches and players use on the sidelines to study instant replays. </p>
<p>Most of the time, though, he exudes stoicism – some might say arrogance – offering little words of value to the fans and the media.</p>
<p>Yet his legendary terseness and his rejection of the latest technology belie a wealth of knowledge about the game and its history. If there ever were a living historian-coach, it was Belichick.</p>
<h2>Historian at the lectern</h2>
<p>Most reporters covering the Patriots learned the drill during Belichick’s news conferences: ask him about next week’s starters, and you’d get a vague retort, perhaps followed by a snort or a sneer.</p>
<p>But prompt him on football history, and he’d respond like a scholar. </p>
<p>During a 2021 new conference, he delivered a 1,500-word soliloquy on the history of the <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/bill-belichick-offers-1500-word-discourse-on-long-snappers-off-the-top-of-his-head">long snapper</a>, which is perhaps the most specialized, obscure position on a football team – a player tasked with snapping the football during punts and field goal attempts. Before a 2020 game against the Denver Broncos, <a href="https://nesn.com/2023/12/watch-bill-belichick-give-history-lesson-on-3-4-defense-1978-broncos/">Belichick analyzed the evolution</a> of a defensive formation consisting of three linemen and four linebackers, known as the “<a href="https://footballtoolbox.net/3-4-defense">3-4 defense</a>,” which he learned in 1978 during his one year as an assistant to Broncos defensive coordinator <a href="https://denvergazette.com/sports/denver-broncos/legendary-broncos-defensive-coordinator-joe-collier-looks-back-at-an-incredible-career/article_8e291b8c-1393-11ee-bed4-df445c0a2fd6.html">Joe Collier</a>.</p>
<p>Sports Illustrated senior writer Greg Bishop <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2024/01/11/bill-belichick-unparalleled-legacy-new-england">described Belichick as</a> “part librarian in addition to all coach,” and the more than <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2015/01/28/bill-belichick-library-steve-belichick-naval-academy">400 football books</a> that the coach donated to the Naval Academy Athletic Association in 2006 reflect his lifelong love of the game’s history. </p>
<p>That passion was spurred on by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/21/sports/football/steve-belichick-coach-who-wrote-the-book-on-scouting-dies.html">his father, Steve</a>, who started collecting the works after World War II. The elder Belichick even published a book himself in 1962: “<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=9pkjHN2C4tUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=steve+belichick&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi7i5adz-KDAxV7rYkEHbppBSkQ6AF6BAgEEAI#v=onepage&q=steve%20belichick&f=false">Football Scouting Methods</a>,” a respected primer on how to properly assess opponents by observing their games and detecting tendencies and patterns of play.</p>
<h2>The father of football informs ‘The Patriot Way’</h2>
<p>The oldest book in the donated collection is “<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=-vS_ZugKGTcC&pg=PP9#v=onepage&q&f=false">American Football</a>,” written in 1891 by Yale football coach Walter Camp, who’s credited with inventing rules, such as <a href="https://operations.nfl.com/learn-the-game/nfl-basics/terms-glossary/glossary-terms-list/line-of-scrimmage/">the line of scrimmage</a>, which made the game distinct from rugby. </p>
<p>In the book, Camp also detailed the physical requirements and roles of each position, such as guard and quarterback, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=-vS_ZugKGTcC&vq=specator&pg=PA165#v=snippet&q=specator&f=false">and included a chapter</a> for spectators to teach the game to the growing number of fans. </p>
<p>In 1896, Camp updated the book, this time with a co-writer in Harvard coach Lorin Deland. They simplified the title to “<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=z4soAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR1#v=onepage&q&f=false">Football</a>.”</p>
<p>One chapter, titled “<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=z4soAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA180#v=onepage&q=don&f=false">Football Don'ts</a>,” lists 40 tips to help coaches and players win. Belichick never used the expression “<a href="https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/kevin-faulk-patriots-way">The Patriot Way</a>,” the phrase the New England sports media used to describe the Patriots’ team-first culture and disciplined approach under Belichick. But a sampling of the “Football Don'ts” reveals that The Patriot Way has 19th century origins. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Black and white photo of mustached man wearing heavy winter coat and a fedora." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569581/original/file-20240116-25-yz6xu1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569581/original/file-20240116-25-yz6xu1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569581/original/file-20240116-25-yz6xu1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569581/original/file-20240116-25-yz6xu1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569581/original/file-20240116-25-yz6xu1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569581/original/file-20240116-25-yz6xu1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569581/original/file-20240116-25-yz6xu1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Walter Camp is known as the ‘Father of American Football.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/walter-camp-father-of-american-football-1925-news-photo/106500770?adppopup=true">Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>“Don’t answer back to a coach upon the field, even if you know him to be wrong. Do exactly what he tells you to do, so far as you are able, and remember that strict obedience is the first requirement of a player.”</p>
<p>In short, “<a href="https://nesn.com/2017/01/bill-belichicks-do-your-job-mantra-goes-way-back-as-this-2000-interview-shows/">Do Your Job</a>” – the mantra that Belichick drilled into his players to remind them that he’s given them each a specific task to accomplish. Everything else is noise. </p>
<p>“Don’t fail to play a fast game. Line up instantly after each down. Your game is twice as effective if there are no delays.”</p>
<p>In 2012, the Patriots ran <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nwe/2012.htm#all_team_stats">1,191 plays</a>, the second-most ever at the time. </p>
<p>“Don’t be satisfied with a superficial knowledge of the rules. Master every detail.”</p>
<p>“Players say Belichick is constantly plucking obscure penalty situations from across the league and showing his players tape every week,” wrote <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/2/1/16958718/super-bowl-new-england-patriots-bill-belichick-rules-penalties-study">The Ringer’s Kevin Clark in February 2018</a>.</p>
<p>“Don’t be an automaton. Thoroughly master each principle, and then vary your play as emergencies arise.”</p>
<p>In 2019, in the two weeks before Super Bowl LIII against the high-scoring Los Angeles Rams, Belichick <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/25920798/how-patriots-defense-stymied-sean-mcvay-super-bowl-liii">overhauled the Patriots’ defensive line formation and pass coverage</a>. </p>
<p>The Patriots <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/game/_/gameId/401038115/patriots-rams">held the Rams to three points</a> en route to Belichick’s sixth Super Bowl title as a head coach.</p>
<h2>On to the next challenge</h2>
<p>Belichick routinely credits other coaches for his success: <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/belichick-credits-parcells-after-using-the-wind-to-patriots-advantage">Bill Parcells</a>, whom he worked under for the New York Giants and Patriots, and Paul Brown, the co-founder and first coach of the Cleveland Browns, a franchise that still bears his name.</p>
<p>Brown was the first coach to use a playbook and the first to suggest that coaches and players communicate via headsets.</p>
<p>“It was very insightful to see how far ahead of his time he was. What a great, great football mind,” <a href="https://www.bengals.com/news/six-degrees-for-bengals-pats-17880223">Belichick said in a 2016 interview</a>.</p>
<p>“Everything I do today, Paul Brown did. It all started with Paul Brown,” <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/bill-belichick-proclaims-paul-brown-the-greatest-coach-in-pro-football-history">Belichick added in 2019</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Black and white photo of man wearing fedora and long overcoat patrolling the football field with his hands in his jacket pockets." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569582/original/file-20240116-21-s6m6tc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569582/original/file-20240116-21-s6m6tc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569582/original/file-20240116-21-s6m6tc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569582/original/file-20240116-21-s6m6tc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569582/original/file-20240116-21-s6m6tc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569582/original/file-20240116-21-s6m6tc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569582/original/file-20240116-21-s6m6tc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Cleveland Browns were named after Paul Brown, their co-founder and first coach.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/photo-shows-paul-brown-head-coach-of-the-cleveland-browns-news-photo/514968198?adppopup=true">Bettmann/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Even the deflection and praise seem to be an intentional part of Belichick’s approach to the game.</p>
<p>In “Football,” Camp also discussed coaching, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=z4soAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA194#v=onepage&q=thoughtful&f=false">delivering a lesson</a> about the importance of coaches’ keeping a low profile.</p>
<p>He wrote: “The thoughtful man who finds himself appointed to such a position will make his influence felt in all important matters, but he will himself be rarely. His power is well-nigh paramount, but the public display of his exercise of that power might easily become intolerable.”</p>
<p>Belichick has certainly heeded Camp’s advice in his refusal to make himself the story. After losses, there are no excuses, no second guesses, no calling out individual players. Instead, he’ll often reiterate that he has to do a better job – that everyone has to do a better job.</p>
<p>After a brutal <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/game/_/gameId/400554325/patriots-chiefs">41-14 loss</a> to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014, Belichick infamously responded to a barrage of questions from reporters with the same phrase, repeated ad nauseam: “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GaUO67FYok">We’re on to Cincinnati</a>,” the team’s next opponent. <a href="https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2024/01/11/bill-belichick-on-to-cincinnati-interview/72191389007/">One reporter</a> noted that Belichick used the word “Cincinnati” 15 times.</p>
<p>Now, Belichick will stalk the sidelines <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/11/style/bill-belichick-hoodie-patriots.html">in his trademark hoodie</a> somewhere else.</p>
<p>If not to Cincinnati, Belichick will almost certainly coach again. He has interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons. Other teams are also rumored to be in the mix. </p>
<p>Maybe the interviewers should add a question about long snappers. That way, they can see how they’ll be getting more than just a coach.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221057/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rich Hanley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The coach’s legendary terseness and his rejection of technological trends belie a wealth of knowledge about the game and its history.Rich Hanley, Professor Emeritus of Journalism, Quinnipiac UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2170402024-01-17T19:50:11Z2024-01-17T19:50:11ZBig dreams and high demands: The mental health challenges of elite youth athletes<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569667/original/file-20240116-25-tskkz8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=215%2C17%2C5775%2C3889&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A recent study found that 41 per cent of Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes met the criteria for one or more mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety or eating disorders.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Elite sport poses several unique pressures that can impact athletes’ mental health. </p>
<p>Demanding travel schedules and intense <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410500131480">competition pressures</a> can lead to negative emotional experiences. Athletes can <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-096731">become injured</a>, or they may be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2017.04.018">uncertain about their future career</a> in sport. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, some athletes may also face <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605211045096">physical, psychological or sexual abuse</a> in their sport. </p>
<h2>Pressures of elite sport</h2>
<p>Research has shown that elite athletes can experience mental health issues at rates equal to or higher than the general population. A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.102018">recent study</a> found that 41 per cent of Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes surveyed met the criteria for one or more mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety or eating disorders. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01266-z">Another study</a> involving Australian elite athletes revealed that they were nearly twice as likely to experience significant psychological distress compared to the broader community.</p>
<p>Even though elite athletes often have many resources to support them, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/spy0000319">they may feel it is hard to reach out and ask for help</a>. When left untreated, mental health challenges and performance pressures can lead to athletes feeling burned out or wanting to drop out of their sport, and they may even experience <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2019-101386">feelings of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts</a>. </p>
<p>Young people engaged in elite sport might be at even greater risk. </p>
<h2>Who are elite youth athletes?</h2>
<p>Reaching the highest levels of performance often requires athletes to <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2017.1324503">specialize</a> in their sport during their teenage years, and <a href="https://olympics.com/en/news/age-number-youngest-olympians-2021-tokyo-2020-athletes">several athletes competing at the Olympic Games are adolescents</a>. There are numerous clubs, leagues and <a href="https://sportpourlavie.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sport-Schools-in-Canada.pdf">schools</a> that focus on elite youth sport specialization, and there will be 1,900 athletes taking part in the <a href="https://olympics.com/en/gangwon-2024/">Youth Olympic Games</a> Jan. 19 to Feb. 1, 2024. </p>
<p>Clearly, youth athletes are already competing at elite levels or hope to reach elite levels in their sport.</p>
<p>While the term “elite youth athlete” can be tricky to define, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/19417381231219230">we use the term</a> to describe youth athletes who are training in sport settings that have a primary focus on achieving superior performance, with the explicit or implicit goal of moving to adult elite, collegiate or professional sports. </p>
<p>Elite youth sport environments may prioritize spending time on sport activities instead of school or relationships with friends outside of sport. These settings can provide the training and specialized skills needed to become an elite performer, but they may also pose risks to the mental health of young athletes.</p>
<h2>Mental health among elite youth athletes</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A swimmer training alone in a pool" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Perfectionism is common among athletes, and strongly linked with poor mental health outcomes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Unsplash/Jonathan Chng)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some pressures that are unique to elite youth athletes include early specialization and over-training, having critical or demanding coaches and parents, poor sleep, and trying to balance educational and social needs with increasingly professionalized sporting demands. <a href="https://theconversation.com/5-ways-pressuring-young-athletes-to-perform-well-does-them-harm-186699">These factors can all affect the well-being of youth elite athletes</a>. </p>
<p>Perhaps especially related to elite sport, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-perfectionism-became-a-hidden-epidemic-among-young-people-89405">young people around the world are reporting unprecedented levels of perfectionism</a>. Perfectionism is common among athletes, and strongly linked with poor mental health outcomes. </p>
<p>Beyond the pressures of elite sport environments, young people experience the heaviest burden of mental ill-health. For young people around the world, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-021-01161-7">the peak age at onset for a mental health disorder is 15, and approximately half of these disorders occur before the age of 18</a>. There are many reasons why young people’s mental health is at such high risk, including increasingly troubling <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-023-02300-x">global conflicts and climate change</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105772">parental unemployment</a>, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.3885">economic prospects</a>. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-harming-childrens-mental-health-and-this-is-just-the-start-168070">Climate change is harming children’s mental health – and this is just the start</a>
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<p>Compared to the body of research on mental health among <em>adult</em> athletes, there is limited research exploring this issue among elite <em>youth</em> athletes. Currently, we do not have adequate data to reliably report on the prevalence of mental health disorders among elite youth athletes. </p>
<p>One exception is the topic of eating disorders, with a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsampl.2023.100040">recent review</a> suggesting that elite youth athletes may be at increased risk compared to non-elite youth athletes, and compared to young people more broadly. </p>
<p>Considering the unique challenges faced by adolescents in elite sport, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2022-106352">there is a pressing need to support the mental health of elite youth athletes</a>.</p>
<h2>Closing the gap: Supporting elite youth athletes</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A skiier in mid-air" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some pressures that are unique to elite youth athletes include early specialization and over-training, having critical or demanding coaches and parents, poor sleep, and trying to balance educational and social needs with increasingly professionalized sporting demands.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Unsplash/Sebastian Staines)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A key focus for supporting the mental health of elite youth athletes involves creating youth sport contexts that are protective for mental health. Elite youth sports environments need to be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-023-01912-2">psychologically safe</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci9050068">free from abuse and harassment</a>. </p>
<p>A large responsibility sits with parents and coaches, who must avoid overly critical or demanding behaviours and instead engage with young people in supportive ways. Sport organizations should <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.780359">prioritize well-being and healthy development</a> among youth athletes.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-023-02202-z">Early detection</a> is important to help elite youth athletes get the support they need. Warning signs of mental health concerns can include changes in an athlete’s emotions, mood, behaviours, sleep and appetite. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2017.11.008">Coaches and parents</a> play important roles in noticing changes in athletes’ mental health, and they can help by opening up conversations about mental health among youth athletes. </p>
<p>Listening without judgment, asking athletes what they think they might need, and offering to help them find places to seek support <a href="https://cmha.ca/brochure/talking-to-teens-about-mental-health/">are all helpful strategies when talking about mental health concerns</a>.</p>
<p>Elite youth athletes and their parents may benefit by seeking support from a psychologist, psychotherapist or psychiatrist who specializes in working with athletes. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13889">Much more work is needed</a> to understand the nature of mental health concerns among elite youth athletes. Given the unique demands and pressures of competing in elite sport environments and the challenges that youth face, it is imperative that we pay attention to the mental health needs of these young performers.</p>
<h2>Need support?</h2>
<p><a href="https://cmha.ca/find-help/">Canadian Mental Health Association </a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.ccmhs-ccsms.ca/mental-health-services/referrals">Canadian Center for Mental Health in Sport</a> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/mental-health-services/mental-health-get-help.html">Canada Mental Health Support and Resources</a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217040/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katherine Tamminen is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and a Registered Psychotherapist. Her research is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and Sport Canada, the Tanenbaum Institute for Science in Sport, and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Research Fund.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Courtney Walton receives funding through an MSPS Academic Fellowship at the University of Melbourne. He has advised a number of elite sports codes and organisations nationally.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jordan Sutcliffe is an Assistant Professor at the Royal Military College of Canada. Some of his past research has been supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and he is currently involved on a project funded by the Tannenbuam Institute for Science in Sport.</span></em></p>Given the unique demands and pressures of competing in elite sport environments, it is imperative that we pay attention to elite youth athletes’ mental health needs.Katherine Tamminen, Associate Professor, Sport Psychology, University of TorontoCourtney C Walton, Academic Fellow & Psychologist, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of MelbourneJordan Sutcliffe, Assistant Professor, Military Psychology and Leadership, Royal Military College of CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2186472023-12-06T15:30:44Z2023-12-06T15:30:44ZWhy empathy constitutes the ultimate leadership skill<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/561880/original/file-20230724-21-f5ild5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=84%2C18%2C823%2C556&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Dans un contexte d’augmentation des risques psychosociaux, ignorer les émotions au travail n’aide pas…
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Melissa Hogan/Wikimedia commons</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When asked what traits constitute a good leader, you may be tempted to list traditional qualities such as rationality, cool-headedness, and overall, an ability to detach oneself from one’s emotions. However, research has shown that the ability to feel empathy toward one’s colleagues is in fact the most critical leadership skills, and much-overlooked. Empathy is <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2021/09/19/empathy-is-the-most-important-leadership-skill-according-to-research/">on record</a> for boosting employees’ ability to innovate, engage with the task at hand, balance work and life demands, and not least, motivate them to stay within the company.</p>
<p>So, what stands in the way of more of the good stuff spreading across companies’ higher echelons?</p>
<h2>Thinking errors and empathy</h2>
<p>For the past decade, I have devoted my career to studying <a href="https://hbr.org/2018/08/most-managers-dont-know-how-to-coach-people-but-they-can-learn">how leaders learn coaching skills</a>, working with young professionals and experienced executives as well as consulting with organisations on leadership development. Empathy was one of the nine core skills we looked into in our latest paper on <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0090261622000055">effective leadership</a>.</p>
<p>Managers, it turns out, rated expressing empathy as the most challenging communication skills, above asking questions and providing feedback.</p>
<p>The trend appears to be linked to a number of old-school thinking errors, such as:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><em>All or nothing approach:</em> “If I show a little empathy then I will have crying employees in front of me.”</p></li>
<li><p><em>Heavens-reward fallacy:</em> “If I give my empathy, then I expect to be rewarded for it, so the other person owes me something and if they don’t give it back this proves I’m wasting my time.”</p></li>
<li><p><em>Implicit stereotype:</em> “Leaders who show empathy are weak, so I better appear strong and tough.”</p></li>
</ul>
<p>In truth, a strong leader is an empathic one. We are not weak because we care about others.</p>
<h2>The challenge of remote working</h2>
<p>Another perceived obstacle to empathy has been the culture of remote working. CEOs noted that virtual interactions, be them through e-meetings or e-mails, robbed them of in-person communication cues, such as body language.</p>
<p>However, workers on the receiving end did not appear to believe that remote working inherently privileged unsympathetic behaviour. In fact, some employees preferred e-mails on the basis that they gave them time to think and not react immediately, and sometimes impulsively.</p>
<p>Executives blaming remote working for their behaviour might therefore wish to reflect upon whether cognitive bias or stereotypes listed above, rather than working from home, might be impeding them from tapping into empathy.</p>
<p>Moreover, there are steps that can be taken to translate emotions to the virtual world. Remember: the important thing is not <em>what</em> you say, but <em>how</em> you say it. One of the things we’ve observed is that on video calls, participants often think that a screen means they can forget their own facial expressions. Conversely, some managers are so focused on how they present themselves that they stare at their own image and lose focus on listening.</p>
<p>It’s all about finding the right balance and getting used to showing empathy virtually. Managers should not forget their voice either, particularly during video calls, because the voice becomes very important when participants are doing several things at once, listening without necessarily looking at you all the time. In other words, signs of agitation or stress in the voice, or leaving little room for questions, will send signals of a lack of empathy.</p>
<h2>Strengthen the empathy muscle</h2>
<p>To get around these obstacles, here are a few tips on how to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/drjuliamilner_empathy-leadership-empathyatwork-activity-7045703432480972802-GE2-/">start showing empathy</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>In every interaction, always remember to listen, ask questions and signal that show you’ve understood the messages – without falling into artificial communication. This will strengthen your empathy “muscle” through training and experience.</p></li>
<li><p>Record a video during daily interactions. Even if it’s initially strange to see ourselves on video or to analyse the “how” of our communication, these debriefing sessions can help identify certain mistakes.</p></li>
<li><p>Try to find someone who is known for their empathy. Observe and ask questions to improve.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Ignoring emotions at work doesn’t help to foster a productive environment. It’s high time we recognised empathy as the essential <a href="https://theconversation.com/fr/topics/leadership-24112">leadership skill</a> that it is.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Empathy at work: How to do it in four practical steps (Julien Milner).</span></figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218647/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julia Milner ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>Stereotypes continue to provide excuses to executives for not exercising what likely constitutes the most critical skill for leadership.Julia Milner, Professeure de leadership, EDHEC Business SchoolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2105222023-08-22T21:14:07Z2023-08-22T21:14:07ZUnpacking the invisible, gendered labour of women coaches<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543098/original/file-20230816-19-muhqw9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C172%2C5373%2C3186&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Emotional labour is not recognized, nor valued enough, in coaching.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/unpacking-the-invisible-gendered-labour-of-women-coaches" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Despite <a href="https://sirc.ca/blog/next-steps-in-the-safe-sport-journey/">a positive shift</a> in sport culture towards prioritizing <a href="https://coach.ca/mental-health-hub">athletes’ mental health and well-being</a>, the crucial work of coaches in supporting athletes — and the resulting emotional toll — remains taken for granted.</p>
<p>Referred to as <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-emotional-labour-and-how-do-we-get-it-wrong-185773">emotional labour</a>, this often-overlooked part of coaching requires coaches to manage their emotions in order to influence or mediate the emotions of their athletes.</p>
<p>This situation is particularly pronounced for women coaches, who are consistently striving to establish themselves in a <a href="https://access.portico.org/stable?au=pgk5szzh4t">male-dominated space</a> driven by <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315668017-29/issues-maltreatment-high-performance-athlete-development-gretchen-kerr-ashley-stirling">competition and mental toughness</a>.</p>
<h2>Gendered division of labour</h2>
<p>There is <a href="https://yorkspace.library.yorku.ca/server/api/core/bitstreams/0b7a6aa1-3594-4d47-8402-b239803606d1/content">preliminary evidence from sport scholars of a gendered division of labour</a> among coaches at Canadian universities. This divide affects expectations about the types of work men and women coaches engage in and how their performance is evaluated.</p>
<p>Research findings also indicate that athletes place greater expectations on women coaches to provide <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/wspaj.2018-0011">a higher degree of emotional understanding</a> than they do on men coaches. Men coaches are also praised for the same emotionally supportive behaviour women coaches are expected to provide.</p>
<p>The gendered assumption that women have an innate capacity and responsibility to care for people is even embedded within <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/sport-policies-acts-regulations/policy-actively-engaged-women-girls.html">Canada’s federal gender equity policy</a>. It reads:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“The leadership, skills and perspectives of women are lost to the sport system at a time when, because of the ongoing identified need to build human resource capacity, the system can least afford to do without their involvement.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Implicitly and explicitly, <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Improving-Gender-Equity-in-Sports-Coaching/Norman/p/book/9781032049120">women coaches are expected to prioritize others, and be nurturing and supportive</a> — all while being measured against a male coaching standard that expects self-sufficiency, and demanding and assertive behaviour.</p>
<h2>Emotional labour</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520272941/the-managed-heart">Women typically engage in more emotional labour</a> than men in both their professional lives and at home. This is because women are often socialized from a young age to develop emotional skills and manage their expressions and feelings.</p>
<p>This trend also extends into the world of coaching. Our preliminary research with nine Canadian women intercollegiate coaches revealed that all used emotional labour to navigate displays of emotions typically associated with both masculinity (e.g., courage, confidence, authority) and femininity (e.g., empathy, compassion, positivity). </p>
<p>The coaches received negative backlash when they failed to meet either set of gendered expectations, placing them in a double-bind and leading to emotional exhaustion and burnout.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman coach in a black, long-sleeved shirt speaks to a group of young girls wearing red pinnies" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543097/original/file-20230816-29-udslzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543097/original/file-20230816-29-udslzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543097/original/file-20230816-29-udslzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543097/original/file-20230816-29-udslzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543097/original/file-20230816-29-udslzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543097/original/file-20230816-29-udslzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543097/original/file-20230816-29-udslzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Athletes place greater expectations on women coaches to provide a higher degree of emotional understanding than they do on men coaches.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One coach said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“There’s very low tolerance for meanness … they won’t take that from a woman, but they’ll take a lot of it from the men. And they’ll just call that, ‘well, he’s just, you know, he expects a lot from us,’ or ‘he’s demanding’ or ‘he’s a tough coach,’ but it’s really hard for women to get away with it.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The coaches also said they were required to engage in emotional labour to create supportive spaces, meet their athletes’ needs and build relationships with many stakeholders. </p>
<p>One coach said that as a woman, she was expected to “take care of all the motherly stuff and like nurture the athletes if they cry … or be the positive push.”</p>
<h2>Invisible, gendered labour</h2>
<p>All the coaches we spoke to said they considered emotional labour to be work. One coach said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I’m not resentful at all of that labour, and I’m not unwilling to do it. But I would never deny the toll it takes or the amount of work that it is.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The coaches said that while university administrators idealized athlete-centred culture, they felt their labour for fostering such a culture was largely undervalued. </p>
<p>When one coach advocated for a raise and demonstrated the additional work she did to support student-athletes, she was told: “don’t go above and beyond, just do as much as you get paid.”</p>
<p>Another coach recounted that, during a staff meeting, all the coaches were told they were on one-year contracts because “they wanted to keep the coaches competitive.” Such examples demonstrate how the emphasis on competition impacts how coaches’ work is measured and evaluated, while ignoring the emotional burden coaches assume.</p>
<p>One coach spoke about the stress of this impact:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I was lying to myself to be like, oh, like mental health is really important to me. But meanwhile, I’m only worried about the mental health of my athletes and my coaches … I’ll get to mine when I get, if I get a chance. And then I wasn’t getting a chance at all.”</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Broadening the definition of coach’s work</h2>
<p>By acknowledging gendered biases and stereotypes that impact women coaches’ working realities and the standards they are held to, we may be able to advance gender equity in the coaching field.</p>
<p>The emotional realities experienced by women coaches are impacting their ability to thrive in a sport culture that doesn’t recognize or support key parts of their work.</p>
<p>Emotional labour is currently not recognized, nor valued enough, in coaching to be included in job descriptions or job evaluations, making it largely invisible work.</p>
<p>A crucial next step towards gender equity in coaching is broadening the definition of coaching to acknowledge its emotional realities. Doing this will ultimately <a href="https://sirc.ca/blog/next-steps-in-the-safe-sport-journey/">enrich the sport experience for all involved</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210522/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The emotional realities experienced by women coaches are adversely impacting their ability to thrive in a culture that doesn’t recognize or support key parts of their work.Jesse Porter, Research Assistant, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock UniversityKirsty Spence, Associate Dean, Teaching and Undergraduate Studies, Brock UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1866992023-01-20T13:36:49Z2023-01-20T13:36:49Z5 ways pressuring young athletes to perform well does them harm<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/504049/original/file-20230111-26-50xlpy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6000%2C3997&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Top high school athletes often face significant pressure to perform.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/team-speed-wide-receiver-ashton-cozart-before-the-under-news-photo/1246051598">Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin collapsed during a Jan. 3, 2022, NFL football game, much of the public attention was on the pressures athletes face to perform despite the perils they face on the field. </p>
<p>However, as a scholar who <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=G1IEKR8AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">specializes in youth sports</a>, I have found that this pressure often begins well before a player enters the pros – often very early in a young athlete’s life. And sometimes the biggest forces behind this pressure are coaches, peers and parents.</p>
<p>Here are five ways young athletes experience unhealthy pressure, and what those influences do to their minds and bodies.</p>
<h2>1. Harsh criticism</h2>
<p>Coaches who belittle athletes, yell and emphasize winning over personal improvement use what is known as a “<a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00572">controlling style</a>” of coaching. Rather than provide information and feedback about technique, tactics and attitude, controlling-style coaches tend to communicate objections to obvious mistakes and personal insults during crucial moments. </p>
<p>This style of coaching shifts athletes’ attention <a href="https://youthsafe.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/2018_yRed_JulyThe-influence-of-coaching-style-on-player-injury-and-participation.pdf">away from their abilities and toward mistakes</a>, a win-at-all-costs attitude, unethical behavior, injury and burnout. Many athletes <a href="https://doi.org/10.1515/hukin-2015-0047">value their coaches’ perceptions</a> more than their own self-perceptions.</p>
<p>When coaches focus on the negative, they influence their athletes to <a href="https://elevatecounselingaz.com/dont-think-of-a-pink-elephant/">do the same</a>. But it’s much more effective to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.humov.2015.11.013">tell athletes what they should do</a> with <a href="https://www.scienceforsport.com/coaching-cues/">concrete specifics</a>, like “push the ground away” or “aim for the rim.”</p>
<p>Often, these sorts of old-school controlling-style coaches <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/16138171.2020.1792076">use methods that were used on them</a> as young people, despite years of research showing such methods are dangerous. For instance, it is now known that punishing athletes with physical activity – running so-called “suicide” sprints, staying late to run laps, and dropping for 20 pushups – does more harm than good. Expending energy randomly at the end of practice <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07303084.2010.10598479">increases the likelihood of fatigue and injury</a>.</p>
<h2>2. Peer pressure and influence</h2>
<p>Peers also follow the behavior they see from coaches.</p>
<p>Athletes who perform well in matches and within-team scrimmages find <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/19357397.2019.1581512">acceptance and opportunities for meaningful connections</a> with their teammates. For many athletes, making <a href="https://www.2adays.com/blog/5-ways-to-make-friends-outside-of-your-sport/">friendships outside of sport</a> is challenging, especially in collegiate athletics.</p>
<p>But teammates who observe and repeat <a href="https://sportsconflict.org/effects-of-bullying-in-sports">ridicule, bullying and exclusion</a> can create conflicts with other team members. As a result, their fellow athletes may approach practice not seeking to master skills, test abilities and make friends but rather to avoid conflict and targeting. Those mental and emotional distractions <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115828">break their performance focus and consistency</a>.</p>
<p>Coaches and players who focus on athletes’ looks and weight – often in aesthetic or weight-restricted sports like gymnastics and wrestling – <a href="https://femaleandmaleathletetriad.org/body_shaming_fat_talks/">contribute to a culture of body shaming</a> that <a href="https://globalsportmatters.com/health/2019/10/09/body-shaming-athletes-a-form-of-mental-abuse">values athletes’ physical attributes</a> rather than what their bodies can accomplish. Athletes who <a href="https://journals.lww.com/acsm-tj/FullText/2016/07150/Body_Image,_Maturation,_and_Psychological.1.aspx">think that others want them to be smaller</a> or bigger than they are can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.08.013">experience anxiety, depression and eating disorders</a>. Expectations like participating in public weigh-ins, avoiding sweets and wearing revealing <a href="https://www.heraldweekly.com/all-the-ridiculous-rules-nfl-cheerleaders-have-to-follow/47/">competitive uniforms</a> are common in upper echelons of sports like cheerleading.</p>
<h2>3. Parental expectations</h2>
<p>The effects of competition begin long before the start of a season, game or match. How kids feel about themselves in sports, especially after a loss, is often linked to how parents view, value and teach competition. </p>
<p>When parents pay their kids for scoring points or winning the game, they turn their kids into <a href="https://sportsconnect.com/2021/12/21/parents-please-dont-pay-your-kids-to-score-points/">selfish teammates and decrease their long-term motivation</a>. Of course, most parents can’t continue opening their wallets forever, and even students who earn scholarships to college tend to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17461390500440889">lose their motivation</a> when they’re paid for performance.</p>
<p>Parents can behave badly when they are <a href="https://ojs.acadiau.ca/index.php/phenex/article/view/1610">looking for external signals</a> of their children’s achievements, like championship trophies, selection for elite teams, scholarships, endorsements and, now, <a href="https://businessofcollegesports.com/name-image-likeness/how-to-get-started-with-nil-a-guide-for-athletes-and-parents/">name-image-likeness deals</a>, in which student-athletes can earn money from product endorsements and advertising appearances. But those goals can conflict with children’s natural motives in sports – including to <a href="https://balanceisbetter.org.nz/self-determination-theory-what-is-it-and-what-does-it-mean-practically-for-coaches">demonstrate competence, make decisions and be with friends</a>.</p>
<p>When kids sense their parents’ stress over expectations, they shift their ideals and become more prone to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.102100">perfectionism</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2021.1916080">burnout</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465821000357">anxiety and depression</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S1469-0292(01)00018-8">eating disorders</a>.</p>
<h2>4. Early specialization</h2>
<p>Parents push their kids into year-round intensive training in a single sport as early as age 7. Overuse injuries, psychological stress and burnout are <a href="https://doi.org/10.4085%2F1062-6050-380-18">well-documented consequences</a> of specializing before 12. But is this necessary? Super-early training isn’t really helpful for sports whose athletes tend to peak later in life, like <a href="https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181fb4e00">marathon runners</a>, for example.</p>
<p>Transitioning to higher levels of play during <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fijerph18147331">adolescence strengthens athletic identity</a> as training expectations expand to diet and exercise. To conform, athletes may begin using anabolic steriods, overtraining, playing through injury and restricting their diets. Encouraging a healthy diet for training purposes can translate to compulsive ingredient checking, food planning, restricted eating and other symptoms of a relatively new eating disorder: <a href="https://truesport.org/nutrition/orthorexia-nervosa-safeguard-athletes/">orthorexia nervosa</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scispo.2014.08.133">Trying out various sports while young</a> helps athletes discover what they enjoy most, and which activities work well for their <a href="https://art-sheep.com/photographer-howard-schatz-celebrates-the-bodies-of-the-worlds-best-athletes-in-stunning-series/">body types</a>.</p>
<h2>5. Overtraining</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.childrenshospital.org/conditions/overuse-injuries">Overuse injuries</a> like “<a href="https://www.childrenshospital.org/conditions/little-league-elbow">Little League elbow</a>” and Osgood-Schlatter disease, a cause of knee pain, <a href="https://middleearthnj.org/2020/02/24/overuse-injuries-drastically-increasing-in-youth/">are becoming more common</a>. American high school athletes who specialize in just one sport are <a href="https://www.nfhs.org/media/1020399/sport-specialization-postion-statement-april-2019-final-copy.pdf">50% more likely</a> to experience an injury from overuse than people who play multiple sports – and athletes who focus on two sports are 85% more likely. High-pressure environments that expect athletes to endure injuries can lead to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.ocl.2013.06.009">long-term conditions like arthritis and tendonitis</a>.</p>
<p>In such sports as football, boxing and mixed martial arts, the culture even <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044199">rewards injuries and risk-taking</a>. But when an injury forces an athlete into an early and unexpected retirement, coping with the transition is tough. Identity loss and purpose can exacerbate mental illness and even <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10646175.2022.2073188">increase the risk of domestic violence</a>, particularly when the injury involves <a href="https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.neuropsych.17070141">mild traumatic brain injuries</a>.</p>
<p>Witnessing sports-related injuries – just as the millions of NFL fans who watched Hamlin did – has consequences for observers, too, such as psychological trauma. Symptoms, which can include intrusive thoughts linked to the injury, nightmares and anxiety, can last from a single day to more than a month. The situation can even escalate to post-traumatic stress disorder. In the coming weeks, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2019-100695">teammates who witnessed Hamlin’s collapse</a> may be up to 25% more likely to develop symptoms of psychological trauma than the rest of us. </p>
<p>That’s something to keep in mind as people watch and cheer young athletes to run faster, jump higher or score more points. The question becomes: At what expense?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186699/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eva V. Monsma does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Well-publicized professional sports stars’ injuries draw attention to dangerous influences on young athletes.Eva V. Monsma, Professor, Developmental Sport Psychology, Department of Physical Education, University of South CarolinaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1967922022-12-23T16:42:06Z2022-12-23T16:42:06ZCalling Deion Sanders a sellout ignores the growing role of clout-chasing in college sports<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501978/original/file-20221219-14-jjx1kn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=140%2C39%2C5055%2C3383&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Jackson State Tigers coach Deion Sanders greets right tackle Deontae Graham during the Cricket Celebration Bowl on Dec. 17, 2022.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/jackson-state-tigers-coach-deion-sanders-greets-right-news-photo/1245687709?phrase=deion sanders&adppopup=true"> Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For most college football coaches, the move from a mid-major conference to a Power Five conference would be met with widespread praise.</p>
<p>Not so for Deion Sanders.</p>
<p>When the Pro Football Hall of Famer <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/03/sports/ncaafootball/deion-sanders-colorado-jackson-state.html">announced he would be leaving Jackson State University</a>, where he has coached the football team since 2020, to become head coach at the University of Colorado Boulder, many ardent fans and supporters reacted with dismay and disbelief – particularly his fans and supporters from the Black community.</p>
<p>Jackson State is one of <a href="http://www.thehundred-seven.org/hbculist.html">107 historically Black colleges and universities</a>, or HBCUs. Some HBCU alumni and supporters <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6X9YNUMECA">saw Sanders as betraying the cause of rejuvenating HBCU sports</a> and returning them to a time when football greats such as <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RiceJe00.htm">Jerry Rice</a>, <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/P/PaytWa00.htm">Walter Payton</a> and <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/McNaSt00.htm">Steve McNair</a> attended HBCUs as a stepping stone to professional stardom. </p>
<p>Debates about whether he was a “<a href="https://eurweb.com/2022/deion-sanders-labelled-a-sellout/">sellout</a>,” a “traitor” and a “hypocrite” quickly surfaced on social media and in <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/deion-sanders-sell-experts-say-s-complicated-rcna60552">major media outlets</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1599059649889640448"}"></div></p>
<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=4gfj6hYAAAAJ&hl=en">As a scholar who specializes in Black culture</a>, I was struck by the ways in which this Sanders story was tied to a concept I write about called <a href="https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/18433">clout-chasing</a>. It’s a process in which cultural capital is harnessed on social media to attract media attention, likes, followers and fame. You’ll often see young people looking to launch careers as content creators described as <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/12/clout-definition-meme-influencers-social-capital-youtube/603895/">clout chasers</a>.</p>
<p>Institutions, however, can also chase clout. And I saw Jackson State doing just that when it hired Deion Sanders.</p>
<h2>Black Schools Matter</h2>
<p>Over the past decade – after the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, the spread of national anthem protests and the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor – HBCUs have received more attention and investment as places for the revitalization and advancement of the Black community.</p>
<p>In 2019, Black billionaire Robert Smith promised to pay the student loan debt of that year’s <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/video/2022/03/22/morehouse-grads-thrive-after-student-debt-wiped-out.html#:%7E:text=It's%20something%20400%20Morehouse%20graduates,at%20their%20commencement%20in%202019">entire graduating class at Morehouse College</a>. In the summer of 2021, the Department of Education awarded <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/12/17/fact-sheet-the-biden-%E2%81%A0harris-administrations-historic-investments-and-support-for-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/">more than US$500 million</a> in grants to HBCUs. Finally, President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan and other forms of pandemic relief have provided <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/12/17/fact-sheet-the-biden-%E2%81%A0harris-administrations-historic-investments-and-support-for-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/">nearly $3.7 billion in relief funding to HBCUs</a>.</p>
<p>HBCU athletic departments have also received increased visibility. Though HBCU programs have always been overshadowed by schools in conferences like the Big Ten and SEC – what are known as <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10053822-ranking-the-college-football-power-5-conferences">Power Five conferences</a> – HBCU sports have started to receive more national television coverage. Top recruits <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/hbcus-appealing-high-profile-athletes/story?id=76210979">have started taking official visits to HBCUs</a> as they weigh which school to commit to. </p>
<p>In the summer of 2020, after star basketball recruit Makur Maker spurned offers from the University of Kentucky and UCLA to attend Howard University, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/22/sports/ncaabasketball/black-lives-matter-hbcus-college-athletes.html">The New York Times proclaimed</a> that a movement of top Black athletes attending HBCUs was underway.</p>
<h2>A star with staying power</h2>
<p>Like many, I grew up watching Deion Sanders play professional football and baseball. I idolized him. He wore gold chains, danced his way to the end zone, wore expensive suits and – most importantly – he was a celebrity who fully embraced Black popular culture. He was also one of the first athletes to understand that he was a brand off the field. </p>
<p>His appeal transcended race, gender and class, putting him in a rarefied group that includes Michael Jordan, Serena Williams and LeBron James.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two football players anticipate a pass." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502572/original/file-20221222-24-m5ztgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502572/original/file-20221222-24-m5ztgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502572/original/file-20221222-24-m5ztgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502572/original/file-20221222-24-m5ztgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502572/original/file-20221222-24-m5ztgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502572/original/file-20221222-24-m5ztgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502572/original/file-20221222-24-m5ztgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Over the course of 14 seasons, defensive back Deion Sanders was elected to eight Pro Bowls.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/dion-sanders-of-the-dallas-cowboys-guards-j-j-birden-of-the-news-photo/466184829?phrase=deion%20sanders&adppopup=true">Focus on Sport/Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>Even after his <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SandDe00.htm">playing career</a> ended in 2005, Sanders’ star never dimmed. He had <a href="https://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/07/deion-sanders-oprah-winfrey-reality-show">his own reality show</a> produced by Oprah, has served as a regular analyst on the NFL Network, and has acted as a pitchman for companies like Nike, Under Armour, American Airlines and Aflac.</p>
<p>Sanders has also seamlessly adapted to the social media era, regularly posting videos on Instagram to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/deionsanders/?hl=en">an audience of 3 million followers</a>. </p>
<p>Simply put, he is still one of the most famous people in the world. Like his younger counterparts with huge online followings – digital natives like <a href="https://www.instagram.com/obj/?hl=en">Odell Beckham Jr.</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/melo/?hl=en">LaMelo Ball</a> – Sanders possesses an immense amount of <a href="https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/intellect/ghhs/2020/00000001/00000002/art00003?crawler=true&mimetype=application/pdf&casa_token=G0nsPOIRXqcAAAAA:6Ze57p_2E_kNntxCNSQc-b2DzuWpJ_KtqTy2MG3po7wCLDq0n28IhvClUFvj-Afz1xhgwuKNKa0">digital clout</a>. </p>
<h2>Coach Prime joins the HBCU ranks</h2>
<p>I was hardly surprised when Sanders made a quick splash in Jackson. </p>
<p>Fueled by the talents of his son, quarterback <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4432762/shedeur-sanders">Shedeur Sanders</a>, and former top high school recruit <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10059142-5-star-cb-travis-hunter-to-transfer-from-jsu-comments-on-deion-sanders-colorado">Travis Hunter</a>, Jackson State quickly attracted national attention as a HBCU powerhouse.</p>
<p>After a COVID-shortened 2020 season, Sanders, whose players affectionately call him <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10058741-coach-prime-trailer-drops-for-deion-sanders-jsu-football-docuseries-by-prime-video">Coach Prime</a>, led the school to two consecutive appearances at the Celebration Bowl, an annual game in which the champions of the two prominent HBCU conferences face off.</p>
<p>While boosting Jackson State’s profile, Sanders also presented himself as someone scholars like Brandon J. Manning have termed a “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZxJClMVBYU">race man</a>,” or a loyal member of the Black race who dedicates their life to directly contributing to the betterment of Black people. </p>
<p>Under the pretense of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxI848ELSEE">looking out for the future of HBCU athletics</a>, <a href="https://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=34896671">Sanders said</a> he would be better positioned than anybody to protect the legacy of HBCUs. Black student athletes, he argued, should choose to go to Jackson State because their association with him would not only give them clout, but also the kind of attention and encouragement that they could expect to receive from a Power Five program. </p>
<p>Yet it was always going to be close to impossible to keep Sanders at Jackson State if he consistently won. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/paul_finebaum_says_nick_saban_would_lose_sleep_over_deion_sanders_as_auburns_next_coach/s1_13132_37910995">Many suspected</a> that Sanders eventually wanted to compete against top-tier programs like the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia. In fact, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz1YfvAw5Ow">during an October 2022 interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes</a>,” Sanders talked openly about listening to offers from bigger schools. </p>
<p>Despite these realities, many Black folk wanted to believe Sanders would be in it for the long haul. Now they’re dismayed, believing the momentum Sanders gave to HBCU athletics could come to a screeching halt.</p>
<h2>God changes his mind</h2>
<p>But unlike some prominent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkqKkW2SxeE">Black cultural critics who derided Sanders’ decision</a>, I don’t think he’s a sellout. </p>
<p>Jackson State was arguably chasing some clout of its own when it hired Deion in the first place. At the time, Sanders was a coach with no experience beyond the high school level. He did, however, have plenty of experience performing – and winning – in the brightest of spotlights. Jackson State probably knew that taking a flier on an untested celebrity coach would be worth it: It would attract attention and, with it, money.</p>
<p>On the flip side, I also believe Sanders knew that he could build his coaching clout further at Jackson State by appealing to what sociologist Saida Grundy calls <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520340398/respectable">the Black respectability politics</a> and Christian values of HBCU campuses. You could see this <a href="https://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/college/jackson-state/2020/09/22/deion-sanders-says-why-he-took-jackson-state-job-good-morning-america/5863325002/">when he said</a> that God told him “to even the playing field” for those who attend Black schools.</p>
<p>It was a symbiotic arrangement all along: Sanders leveraged his clout to grow the program that embraced him, but he was also hoping to attract the attention of an even bigger program. </p>
<p>I believe Sanders ultimately did more good than harm in terms of raising the profile of HBCU athletics. Furthermore, one person was never going to catapult HBCUs to the prominence of Power Five programs. </p>
<p>Sanders is part of a bigger group of former professional players and coaches leading HBCU programs. Former NFL head coach Hue Jackson <a href="https://www.thenewsstar.com/story/sports/college/gsu/2022/02/15/hue-jackson-contract-grambling-state-football/6800931001/">now heads the football program</a> at Grambling State University; NFL Pro Bowler Eddie George <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/college/2021/04/11/eddie-george-coach-tennessee-state-university-football-tsu-derrick-mason/7183662002/">currently mans the sidelines</a> at Tennessee State University; and Pro Football Hall of Famer <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/35330809/hall-famer-ed-reed-head-coach-bethune-cookman">Ed Reed</a> was recently named the head coach at Bethune-Cookman. </p>
<p>If Sanders was a sellout, it was only in one sense: Jackson State football games routinely sold out during his tenure, <a href="https://theanalyst.com/na/2022/10/jackson-state-keeps-producing-jaw-dropping-attendance-under-coach-prime/">shattering attendance records for the program</a>.</p>
<p><em>This article has been edited to remove the mention of Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, who no longer serves as the head women’s basketball coach at Texas Southern University.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196792/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jabari M. Evans does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>While Sanders deftly played the game of Black respectability politics during his short tenure, Jackson State had motives of its own when it hired the former NFL star.Jabari M. Evans, Assistant Professor of Race and Media, University of South CarolinaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1920482022-10-18T12:36:47Z2022-10-18T12:36:47Z‘Nobody said anything because they feared being benched’ – how abuse is baked into American sports<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489813/original/file-20221014-15-92s3wi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=20%2C20%2C3430%2C2276&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Too many coaches seem to believe that physical and emotional abuse creates better athletes.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/scream-royalty-free-image/183241016?phrase=coach yelling&adppopup=true">imbarney22/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As someone who has been researching, writing and teaching about women’s and girls sports for the past 15 years, I wasn’t surprised <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/03/sports/soccer/us-soccer-abuse-nwsl.html">by the recent revelations</a> of sexual and verbal abuse by National Women’s Soccer League coaches.</p>
<p>There’s a tendency to explain such horrific behavior <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2019.1703233">in strictly individualistic terms</a> – as a sign of personality disorders or moral deficiencies. But this kind of response misses the larger picture of how organized sports itself contributes to abusive and even sadistic behavior.</p>
<p><a href="https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442266285/How-College-Athletics-Are-Hurting-Girls-Sports-The-Pay-to-Play-Pipeline">My book</a> on the hypercommercialization of girls sports identified many instances of verbal and physical abuse of girls and young women at both the youth and college levels. </p>
<p>More recently, some colleagues and I have been exploring the structural causes of college athlete stress and anxiety. A <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/college-athletes-stress-suicide-help-20220812.html">pilot study</a> of several hundred athletes (of all genders) at both large and small schools has revealed troubling examples of abusive coaching behavior. These examples were identified more frequently in women’s sports and were present in both large and small colleges.</p>
<h2>‘It’s like being in the Army’</h2>
<p>Our study – which involved over 600 surveys and 40 interviews – has not explicitly uncovered any cases of sexual abuse.</p>
<p>The findings, though, suggest that abusive behavior can take several forms short of sexual assault. The surveys we administered did not ask about abuse in any form. We discovered examples of abuse only during interviews. Most of these examples were offered without direct prompting but when “coaching behavior” was discussed more generically. </p>
<p>We found that there is often overt denigration of an athlete’s other college responsibilities. In the survey portion of our study, 80% of athletes reported spending far more than 20 hours per week on their sport. That violates NCAA <a href="https://web3.ncaa.org/lsdbi/reports/getReport/90008">bylaw 17.1.7</a>, which sets limits on weekly and daily sports participation.</p>
<p>One woman in a small college program told us, “Coach was clear that if I missed ‘voluntary’ conditioning to finish a lab report I could forget about playing next season.” Another athlete in a larger program said, “The 20 hour rule is a joke; they think our whole lives should be about [the sport]. Them preaching balance is a load of bulls— for parents and recruits.”</p>
<p>A second form of abuse concerns the facilitation of authoritarian behavior. Sociologist <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.2017-0096">Sarah Hatteberg</a> has written on college sports as a “total institution” not unlike prison or the military.</p>
<p>As Hatteberg argues, in total institutions, those in charge have complete control of subordinates and have the power to set stringent rules and the freedom to mete out punishments. My colleagues and I believe this “militarized” aspect of organized sports encourages and legitimates abusive coaching behavior by reinforcing authoritarianism. </p>
<p>Our interviews regularly uncovered elements of militarization. </p>
<p>“The coaches tell us when to eat, when to sleep, when to s—, what to wear, what classes we take,” one football player told us. “It’s like being in the f—ing Army.” A softball player remarked, “When I asked why we had 6 a.m. practice during finals even though the field is always available, [the coach] shouted, ‘because I said so; toughen up or get lost.’” </p>
<h2>Blaming bad apples</h2>
<p>The final thread of abuse we uncovered is the most straightforward: emotional abuse or nonsexual physical abuse. </p>
<p>Emotional abuse consists of ridicule, embarrassment and demoralization, usually in a public setting. Physical abuse might include forcing people to lift an unsafe amount of weight or having to run up and down stairs until the athlete throws up or faints, which often results in more ridicule.</p>
<p>As one baseball player recounted, “The coach would go berserk and start winging baseballs at us if we made an error during practice. He hit a couple of guys in the head. Nobody said anything because they feared being benched.”</p>
<p>It’s easy to say that the allegations against the National Women’s Soccer League coaches, along with the arrests of sexual abusers like former USA Gymnastics doctor <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/pages/interactives/larry-nassar-timeline/">Larry Nassar</a> and former Penn State assistant football coach <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/11/11/sports/ncaafootball/sandusky.html?_r=0">Jerry Sandusky</a>, represent hideous aberrations.</p>
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<img alt="People in a stadium with red seats hold a banner reading 'Protect NWSL Players.'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489815/original/file-20221014-26-hm2xl8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489815/original/file-20221014-26-hm2xl8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489815/original/file-20221014-26-hm2xl8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489815/original/file-20221014-26-hm2xl8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489815/original/file-20221014-26-hm2xl8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489815/original/file-20221014-26-hm2xl8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489815/original/file-20221014-26-hm2xl8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Fans hoist a banner in support of players after a report was released documenting systemic abuse in the National Women’s Soccer League.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/fans-hold-up-a-banner-saying-protect-nwsl-players-during-news-photo/1243801782?phrase=national%20women's%20soccer%20league&adppopup=true">Matthew Ashton/AMA via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>But our data – along with <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/01/world/americas/whats-behind-the-pileup-of-sex-abuse-scandals.html?searchResultPosition=1">other research</a> – strongly suggests that abusive behavior is widespread and baked into the <a href="https://theconversation.com/girls-no-more-why-elite-gymnastics-competition-for-women-should-start-at-18-143182">very essence</a> of organized sports.</p>
<p>Even though none of the people who participated in our research mentioned sexual abuse, we wouldn’t be surprised if some of them were victims of or knew about a coach’s sexually abusive behavior. Studies by the <a href="https://uscenterforsafesport.org/impact-report/">U.S. Center for Safesport</a> estimate that 90% of sexually abused athletes do not report the offense in real time. A study commissioned by the <a href="https://laurenskids.org/">Lauren’s Kids Foundation</a> puts that number at 75%. </p>
<p>The prevailing wisdom in organized sports is that physical and emotional antagonism – it is rarely called “abuse” – creates better athletes, just as it supposedly makes better soldiers. But athletic competitions aren’t wars. They’re games – at least, they’re supposed to be. </p>
<p>Firing, suspending or fining offending and offensive individuals will not by itself address the systemic conditions that enable this sort of behavior in the first place. Imagine for a moment if teachers publicly ridiculed a student for making an error. Or if they made an entire class serve detention when one student arrived late to class. </p>
<p>College and high school administrators, along with national oversight boards, tend to address abusive coaching by <a href="https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2018/03/08/larry-nassar-sexually-abused-gymnasts-michigan-state-university-usa-gymnastics/339051002/">blaming bad apples</a> rather than examining the conditions that allow bad apples to thrive. For decades, <a href="https://theconversation.com/serena-williams-forced-sports-journalists-to-get-out-of-the-toy-box-and-cover-tennis-as-more-than-a-game-189024">the media has fallen into the same trap</a>.</p>
<p>As long as organized sports continue to emphasize winning at all costs, abuses are unlikely to disappear – no matter how many bad apples are discarded.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/192048/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rick Eckstein does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The US National Women’s Soccer League was recently rocked by revelations of sexual abuse. But research shows that physical and verbal abuse is also disturbingly common in organized sports.Rick Eckstein, Professor of Sociology, Villanova UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1919482022-10-07T03:28:42Z2022-10-07T03:28:42ZWhat is ADHD coaching and do I really need it?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488672/original/file-20221006-20453-5zd8sl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=2%2C2%2C1914%2C1273&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/crop-unrecognizable-female-psychologist-and-patient-discussing-mental-problems-during-session-7176319/">SHVETS production/Pexels</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>ADHD coaching has been in the news this week, with the release of <a href="https://adhdguideline.aadpa.com.au/">new guidelines</a> for diagnosing and managing attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.</p>
<p>The evidence-based clinical guidelines recommend ADHD coaching could be <a href="https://adhdguideline.aadpa.com.au/non-%20pharmacological/adhd-coaching/">considered</a> for adolescents and adults as part of a holistic treatment and support plan.</p>
<p>What is ADHD coaching? Do you really need it? And how do you go about finding coaching support?</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/i-think-i-have-adhd-how-do-i-get-a-diagnosis-what-might-it-mean-for-me-190239">I think I have ADHD, how do I get a diagnosis? What might it mean for me?</a>
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<h2>Remind me again, what is ADHD?</h2>
<p>ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition. It involves difficulties focusing attention (for example, in class or at work) and/or excessive levels of activity (for example, being restless and constantly on the go) and/or impulsivity (for example, acting without thinking). These symptoms would be above and beyond what you would expect for a person’s age. </p>
<p>It is most commonly diagnosed <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-can-you-support-kids-with-adhd-to-learn-parents-said-these-3-things-help-187012">in childhood</a> but is increasingly being recognised <a href="https://theconversation.com/adhd-looks-different-in-adults-here-are-4-signs-to-watch-for-178639">in adults</a>. ADHD can occur in <a href="https://theconversation.com/adhd-affects-girls-too-and-it-can-present-differently-to-the-way-it-does-in-boys-heres-what-to-look-out-for-158635">males or females</a> and often occurs with other difficulties, such as autism and learning disorders.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-can-you-support-kids-with-adhd-to-learn-parents-said-these-3-things-help-187012">How can you support kids with ADHD to learn? Parents said these 3 things help</a>
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<h2>ADHD coaching is just one aspect</h2>
<p>The guidelines recommend a range of supports for people with ADHD. This includes offering <a href="https://theconversation.com/adhd-medications-have-doubled-in-the-last-decade-but-other-treatments-can-help-too-191574">medication and non-pharmacological supports</a>. ADHD coaching is one type of non-pharmacological support.</p>
<p>It involves working with a person to provide education about ADHD, building on individual strengths and resources, and developing new strategies and systems in daily life to help minimise the impact of ADHD symptoms.</p>
<p>ADHD coaching shares common elements with a type of psychological “talk” therapy known as cognitive behavioural therapy, <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-cognitive-behaviour-therapy-37351">which has strong evidence</a> to support it.</p>
<p>So allied health professionals, such as psychologists, already use elements of ADHD coaching. </p>
<p>There is also a specialised form of <a href="http://www.coachfederation.org">life coaching</a> for people with ADHD provided by an “ADHD coach”. This sometimes draws on the experience of people living with ADHD to help others achieve their personal goals.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/adhd-medications-have-doubled-in-the-last-decade-but-other-treatments-can-help-too-191574">ADHD medications have doubled in the last decade – but other treatments can help too</a>
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<h2>Does ADHD coaching help?</h2>
<p>There are few high-quality research studies evaluating the effectiveness of ADHD coaching, and the advantages of using this approach is unclear.</p>
<p>So <a href="https://adhdguideline.aadpa.com.au/non-%20pharmacological/adhd-coaching/">the guideline’s recommendation</a> that ADHD coaching “could” be considered as part of a treatment plan for adolescents and adults, was made after input from health professional groups, as well as from people living with ADHD. </p>
<p>We’d like to see more high-quality research evaluating the use of ADHD coaching.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/adhd-looks-different-in-adults-here-are-4-signs-to-watch-for-178639">ADHD looks different in adults. Here are 4 signs to watch for</a>
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<h2>Who provides ADHD coaching?</h2>
<p>As many allied health professionals use elements of ADHD coaching in their clinical practice, we suggest talking to your main health-care provider to discuss whether ADHD coaching may be right for you, and to discuss referral options. </p>
<p>When choosing the right professional help, consider whether in-person or telehealth sessions would be better, and whether input from someone who is living with ADHD is important.</p>
<p>If choosing an “ADHD coach”, rather than an allied health professional who provides health coaching as part of their practice, make sure they have received appropriate training and are a member of the <a href="https://coachingfederation.org">International Coaching Federation</a>.</p>
<h2>Can I get it on Medicare?</h2>
<p>The reality is that many people will have to go through the private system to access health care for ADHD.</p>
<p>This may include a <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/better-access-initiative">Better Access</a> plan to see a private psychologist for partially rebated sessions. So, this usually involves some out-of-pocket costs.</p>
<p>If you chose to see an “ADHD coach” (someone who is not an allied health professional like a psychologist), this is not covered by Medicare, so you will have to pay.</p>
<p>Coaching support may form part of a plan under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). But few people with ADHD receive NDIS funding.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/should-adhd-be-in-the-ndis-yes-but-eligibility-for-disability-supports-should-depend-on-the-person-not-their-diagnosis-191576">Should ADHD be in the NDIS? Yes, but eligibility for disability supports should depend on the person not their diagnosis</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/191948/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emma Sciberras receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Medical Research Future Fund, veski, the Waterloo Foundation, and internal research funding from Deakin University. She is a member and director of the Australian ADHD Professionals Association. Emma Sciberras was a member of the development group for the ADHD guidelines mentioned in the article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daryl Efron was a member of the development group of the ADHD guidelines mentioned in the article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Bellgrove receives funding from the NHMRC and MRFF for his research activities at Monash University. He is the President of the Australian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA) which has led the development of an evidenced-based clinical practice guideline for ADHD </span></em></p>You can go to a psychologist for ADHD coaching or to an ‘ADHD coach’. Whichever option you choose, this should be just one aspect of your care.Emma Sciberras, Associate Professor, Deakin UniversityDaryl Efron, Associate Professor, department of paediatrics, The University of MelbourneMark Bellgrove, Professor in Cognitive Neuroscience, Director of Research, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1888232022-09-16T01:46:39Z2022-09-16T01:46:39ZThis finals season, a brief ‘priming’ workout could boost performance on the sports field and beyond<p>As humans, it is in our nature to want to do better, find that edge and succeed. This couldn’t be truer than in sport, where winning and losing are often separated by <a href="https://7news.com.au/sport/olympics/australian-hurdler-liz-clay-misses-100m-final-at-tokyo-olympics-by-just-08-seconds-c-3567965">tenths of a second</a>, a successful <a href="https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/afl-finals-live-brisbane-aim-to-banish-finals-demons-in-elimination-blockbuster-against-richmond-c-8085824">score attempt in the dying stages of a game</a>, or a split-second decision. </p>
<p>So, there is always a need for effective and legal strategies to boost performance. “Priming” is a tool <a href="https://www.scienceforsport.com/gym-based-primer-sessions-1-2-days-before-a-game-do-they-work/">attracting more and more interest</a> from athletes, coaches and scientists. </p>
<p>The good news is it is not just for elite athletes. </p>
<h2>Not just a warm-up</h2>
<p>Priming, also called “morning exercise”, “pre-activation” or “pre-competition training”, has attracted renewed interest among scientists in recent years. Many sporting teams are already on the ball, with <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1440244019307170?via%3Dihub">more than half of coaches using priming</a> to help their athletes gain a performance advantage. </p>
<p>Typically, a relatively brief and non-tiring bout of exercise is performed the day before or on the morning of a competition – somewhere between <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-019-01136-3">one and 48 hours beforehand</a>. This stimulus to the muscles results in “<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33135577/">delayed potentiation</a>”. That is, the muscles can perform better after several hours of rest than they would have without the priming exercise. </p>
<p>In contrast, a warm-up takes place much closer to competition. What’s interesting is the benefits of priming are much longer-lasting than those typical of warm-up activation strategies. This is perplexing because we know that increases in <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-015-0376-x">muscle temperature, metabolism and the nervous system potentiation</a> with warm-ups return to baseline levels within minutes. </p>
<p>Warm-ups remain important but priming sessions could provide an additional edge. Sports scientists have reported improvements in running, jumping, throwing and weightlifting ability by as much as <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijspp/11/6/article-p763.xml">4%</a>. This might not seem like a lot, but it’s crucial when the difference between winning and losing can be measured in fractions of a percentage point. The physiological mechanisms that cause the priming effect are not yet well understood, but neuromuscular and hormonal changes have been <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijspp/11/6/article-p763.xml">suggested</a>.</p>
<p>And it may not be only muscles that benefit. Researchers have long known priming exercise can improve weightlifting performance <a href="https://paulogentil.com/pdf/Precompetition%20training%20sessions%20enhance%20competitive%20performance%20in%20high%20anxiety.pdf">in anxious athletes</a>. More recent research reinforces the idea priming activities can help <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijspp/14/7/article-p918.xml">athletes’ psychological state and stress levels</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-behind-the-spate-of-super-fast-sprints-at-the-tokyo-olympics-technology-plays-a-role-but-the-real-answer-is-training-165737">What's behind the spate of super-fast sprints at the Tokyo Olympics? Technology plays a role, but the real answer is training</a>
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<h2>Finding time to play, train and prime</h2>
<p>Very few of us are elite, full-time athletes. Finding time to train and compete, even at a community or sub-elite level, is hard – let alone making extra time for additional priming sessions. But priming exercises can be done with minimal equipment in minimal time. </p>
<p>Basic exercises such as squats and bench presses with relatively heavy weights (around 85% of your maximum capacity) <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-019-01136-3">for just a few repetitions</a> are enough to boost performance later that day. </p>
<p>Don’t have a rack of weights lying around? That’s OK. Explosive body-weight activities such as a few short <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26658460/">sprints</a> or <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28291764/">jumping</a> still have the potential to boost athletic performance. Stronger people <a href="https://www.thieme-connect.de/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/a-1898-4888">seem to respond better to priming</a>, likely because they <a href="https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2022/01000/Influence_of_Strength_Level_on_Performance.6.aspx">recover more quickly</a> from exercise.</p>
<p>Ideally, pick an activity that uses the same muscle groups you will use during your sport, and do the priming exercise <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31203499/">six to 33 hours before your event</a>, as this seems to offer the most benefit and practicality. And remember, more is not better. You may be able to incorporate your priming session into your existing training regime.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483944/original/file-20220912-14-k9qpi9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="man does squat exercise in gym" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483944/original/file-20220912-14-k9qpi9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483944/original/file-20220912-14-k9qpi9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483944/original/file-20220912-14-k9qpi9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483944/original/file-20220912-14-k9qpi9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483944/original/file-20220912-14-k9qpi9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483944/original/file-20220912-14-k9qpi9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483944/original/file-20220912-14-k9qpi9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A priming workout doesn’t have to be as strenuous as normal training.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://images.pexels.com/photos/4164465/pexels-photo-4164465.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&w=1260&h=750&dpr=2">Pexels/Ivan Samkov</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
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<h2>I don’t play sport – what’s in it for me?</h2>
<p>Priming doesn’t just apply to sport; it may help in the gym and with learning new skills. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1440244013001035">2014 study</a> showed bench-press and squat performance was greater in the afternoon if they were used as priming exercises that same morning. </p>
<p>And ten to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise may <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6920172/">improve reaction time, memory and attention</a>. Moderately intense cycling has been shown to help musicians <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.825322/full">learn the piano</a>. However, these changes appear more immediate and short-lived than those that relate to athletic performance, taking effect and lasting minutes rather than hours.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cant-get-your-teen-off-the-couch-high-intensity-interval-training-might-help-185033">Can't get your teen off the couch? High-intensity interval training might help</a>
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<h2>What we still don’t know</h2>
<p>There are still questions to be addressed when it comes to priming. </p>
<p>Could priming be useful in sports like rugby, football and basketball? These sports require multiple high-intensity efforts, coupled with dynamic decision-making to score and beat an opponent.</p>
<p>More research is also needed to work out what’s happening in the body and what exercises should be done when for the most effective priming. As researchers, we’re exploring the effect of different priming routines on muscular strength and power, as well as repeat sprint performance and reaction time in strength athletes and football players. </p>
<p>In particular, weightlifting protocols that provide strong stimulation, but minimise fatigue, seem promising. We expect the findings will be useful for coaches and athletes who want to improve athletic performance.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188823/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher Latella receives funding from the National Strength and Conditioning Foundation</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Krissy Kendall receives funding from National Strength and Conditioning Foundation </span></em></p>The muscle benefits of a brief ‘priming’ workout seem to last longer than a last-minute warm up.Christopher Latella, Lecturer, Master of Exercise Science (Strength and Conditioning), Edith Cowan UniversityKrissy Kendall, Lecturer of Exercise and Sports Science, Edith Cowan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1880322022-08-01T18:38:02Z2022-08-01T18:38:02ZBill Russell’s legacy of NBA championships and cerebral fight for equal rights<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476971/original/file-20220801-9120-m3wm0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=3%2C3%2C2627%2C1885&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Bill Russell, left, celebrates with Celtics coach Red Auerbach after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers to win their eighth-straight NBA Championship, in Boston, April 29, 1966.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/Obit-BillRussellBasketball/54de891d3f834b2b95558fd38c0d476e/photo?Query=(renditions.phototype:horizontal)%20AND%20%20(Bill%20Russell)%20&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=998&currentItemNo=10">AP Photo/File</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>On May 1, 1968, Bill Russell led the Boston Celtics to <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1968-nba-finals-lakers-vs-celtics.html">another NBA championship</a>, triumphing over the rival Los Angeles Lakers.</p>
<p>But this time Russell was not just the star center, the defensive stalwart, the linchpin of pro basketball’s most extraordinary dynasty. </p>
<p>He was also <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/bill-russell-did-the-impossible-when-he-led-the-celtics-to-two-championships-as-their-player-coach/">the coach</a>.</p>
<p>During the locker room celebration, reporters marveled at Russell’s legacy of achievement. What else he could possibly achieve? </p>
<p>He deflected the question.</p>
<p>“To tell you the truth, it’s been a long time since I tried to prove anything to anybody,” he said.</p>
<p>He got quiet for a second.</p>
<p>“I know who I am.”</p>
<h2>Undisputed champion</h2>
<p>Russell, who <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/31/sports/basketball/bill-russell-dead.html">died on July 31, 2022</a>, had a winning <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/31/bill-russell-winner-nba-history/">record in basketball</a> that is unmatched. </p>
<p>From 1954 to 1956, he steered the University of San Francisco as a player to two consecutive NCAA championships and <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/25161913">a record 55-game winning streak</a>.</p>
<p>At <a href="https://usopm.org/1956-mens-basketball-team/">the 1956 Olympics</a> in Melbourne, Australia, he dominated the court and drove the United States to a gold medal. And during his 13-year professional career with the Boston Celtics, Russell <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/bill-russell-11-time-nba-champion-and-boston-celtics-legend-dies-at-88/">won an astonishing 11 NBA titles</a> – the last two, in 1968 and 1969, as the player-coach.</p>
<p>In my biography of Russell, “<a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520269798/king-of-the-court">King of the Court</a>,” <a href="https://www.memphis.edu/history/faculty/faculty/aram-goudsouzian.php">I argued</a> that he spearheaded a
“basketball revolution.”</p>
<p>During his athletic reign, the sport transformed from a white man’s game with a small-time, “bush league” reputation into a dynamic, modern, nationally televised sport associated with Black culture.</p>
<p>Russell was also the NBA’s essential barrier-breaker: its first Black superstar, its first Black champion, its first Black coach. </p>
<p>Most fascinating, though, was Russell himself.</p>
<p>As suggested by his proud comment after the 1968 title, he undertook an intellectual and personal journey during his career. He sought to find worth in basketball amid the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/08/01/1114795613/racial-justice-pioneer-nba-bill-russell">racial tumult of the civil rights movement</a>.</p>
<p>He emerged from that crucible not only as a stronger man, but also as one of the most potent figures at the intersection of sports and politics.</p>
<h2>A reluctant sports hero</h2>
<p>As fans crowded him for autographs at Madison Square Garden in December 1962, Russell raised a poignant question. </p>
<p>“What does all this mean?” he asked. “This is without depth. This is a very shallow thing.”</p>
<p>A few weeks later he confessed, “I feel that playing basketball is just marking time. I don’t feel that this can be it for a man. I
haven’t accomplished anything, really. What contribution have I made of which I can be really proud?”</p>
<p>At that point, Russell had won three MVP awards and five NBA titles. He had emerged as a hero in the media-driven rivalry with the taller and stronger scoring machine, <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/450703-the-greatest-debate-in-nba-history-wilt-the-stilt-or-bill-russell">Wilt Chamberlain</a>. </p>
<p>The Celtics won plaudits for their spirit of cooperation, serving as sports’ <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&page=Celtics-071219">greatest example of racial integration</a> in action.</p>
<p>Yet Russell chafed at every reminder that he was still a second-class citizen. </p>
<p>He <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/682589-bill-russell-civil-rights-hero-and-inventor-of-airborne-basketball">refused to accept segregated accommodations</a> on road trips. During a 1961 preseason tour, when a hotel coffee shop in Lexington, Kentucky, refused service to two teammates, Russell boycotted the exhibition game, and the Black players on both teams followed suit. </p>
<p>After the 1962 season, while driving back to his native Louisiana, he and his two young sons had to sleep one night in their car because no hotels would accommodate Black people.</p>
<p>If this happened to the best basketball player in the world, how much could basketball matter?</p>
<h2>Militant activism</h2>
<p>In response, Russell crafted a persona that one teammate called “a kingly arrogance.” </p>
<p>Most Black athletes gained wider public acceptance by acting humble and gracious.</p>
<p>In stark contrast, Russell started refusing to sign autographs. The ritual made him feel like a commodity, rather than a man with a real personality and his own ideas. He resolved to express his political opinions with fearless honesty.</p>
<p>During the 1963-64 season, in profiles in Sports Illustrated and the Saturday Evening Post, Russell questioned <a href="https://thekingcenter.org/about-tkc/the-king-philosophy/">the philosophy of nonviolence</a> espoused by Martin Luther King Jr., and he defended the ideas of <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/black-nationalism-in-american-politics-and-thought/malcolm-x-and-the-nation-of-islam/228B60C6FAC120DB12F6D389FAF5A672">Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam</a>. </p>
<p>“We have got to make the white population uncomfortable and keep it uncomfortable,” he insisted, “because that is the only way to get their attention.”</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="With an NAACP banner behind them, two Black men sit at a table as the third speaks into a microphone." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476952/original/file-20220801-24-lk1v43.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476952/original/file-20220801-24-lk1v43.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476952/original/file-20220801-24-lk1v43.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476952/original/file-20220801-24-lk1v43.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476952/original/file-20220801-24-lk1v43.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476952/original/file-20220801-24-lk1v43.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476952/original/file-20220801-24-lk1v43.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell, center, appears at meeting of the Boston branch of the NAACP.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/left-to-right-mr-kenneth-guscott-boston-celtics-player-bill-news-photo/158129197?adppopup=true">Hal Sweeney/The Boston Globe via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>In his 1966 memoir, “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/542501/go-up-for-glory-by-bill-russell-with-bill-mcsweeny/">Go Up for Glory</a>,” Russell extolled the ideals of American democracy, but he kept describing its shortcomings in practice. </p>
<p>He recalled such indignities as police brutality during his teenage years in Oakland, the racist fans who called him slurs such as “baboon” and the bigotry of the Boston press who praised white stars like Bob Cousy at Russell’s expense.</p>
<p>He urged the Black freedom movement to grow more aggressive, to express Black unity and anger.</p>
<p>“It’s a thing you want to scream,” he wrote. “I MUST HAVE MY MANHOOD.”</p>
<p>Such militant pronouncements stoked a backlash from not only conservatives who resented him, but also from liberals who felt betrayed. </p>
<p>Russell stood firm. </p>
<p>He had weathered his period of personal crisis, and he
had sharpened the tools to express his authentic humanity, whatever the consequences.</p>
<h2>Bigger than sports</h2>
<p>In the late 1960s, Russell’s career entered its most extraordinary and underappreciated phase. </p>
<p>When he replaced Red Auerbach as coach, the aging Boston squad no longer dominated the NBA, and the Celtics lost in the 1967 playoffs, spurring doubts about Russell’s viability as player-coach. </p>
<p>Then, improbably, he led the Celtics to two more titles. </p>
<p>By the time he retired in 1969, the Boston press could no longer doubt his significance. </p>
<p>“The Celtics story,” wrote Jerry Nason of the Boston Globe, “is bigger than the sports page.”</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A Black man dressed in a dark blue suit is placing a ribbon around the neck of another Black man." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476955/original/file-20220801-77797-4bga7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476955/original/file-20220801-77797-4bga7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476955/original/file-20220801-77797-4bga7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476955/original/file-20220801-77797-4bga7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476955/original/file-20220801-77797-4bga7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476955/original/file-20220801-77797-4bga7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476955/original/file-20220801-77797-4bga7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">U.S. President Barack Obama presents Bill Russell the 2010 Medal of Freedom on Feb. 15, 2011.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/president-barack-obama-presents-basetball-hall-of-fame-news-photo/109136573?adppopup=true">Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>At the same time, he stood like a lighthouse for his fellow Black athletes. When <a href="https://andscape.com/features/the-cleveland-summit-muhammad-ali/">Muhammad Ali was exiled</a> from professional boxing for refusing to serve in the Vietnam War, Russell described him as a man of principle. </p>
<p>When Black athletes threatened to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2020/10/16/today-sports-history-black-power-salute-1968-summer-olympics/3671856001/">boycott the 1968 Olympics</a> in Mexico City, Russell supported their cause.</p>
<p>For a generation, Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics had showcased the glorious possibilities of racial integration. But Russell had demanded that the public see the Black athlete as something more than a symbol.</p>
<p>“We see each other as men,” he said after the Celtics’ final triumph in 1969. “We judge a guy by his character.”</p>
<p>As he defined his place in the world, Russell had demanded the same of the public.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188032/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aram Goudsouzian does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Bill Russell leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of winning championships and civil rights activism during a time of racial segregation.Aram Goudsouzian, Bizot Family Professor of History, University of MemphisLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1746842022-04-06T12:25:10Z2022-04-06T12:25:10ZShame and secrecy shroud culture of sexual assault in boys’ high school sports<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456448/original/file-20220405-24-dalaeb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C22%2C4905%2C3638&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sports-related sexual assaults often take place in the locker room.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/teenage-football-player-hanging-head-in-locker-room-royalty-free-image/200193319-001?adppopup=true">Thomas Barwick/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A coat hanger. A broomstick. A pool cue.</p>
<p>All these objects were used in a series of sexual assaults in recent years in which the perpetrators allegedly targeted high school boys who play sports.</p>
<p>The perpetrators always had easy access to their alleged victims. That’s because they were teammates.</p>
<p>In the world of education, sexual assault is often <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2019/10/campus-sexual-assault-survey/">seen</a> or <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4185572/">portrayed</a> as something that men do by overpowering women or girls. But as a <a href="https://udayton.edu/directory/artssciences/sociology/small_jamie.php">sociologist</a> who studies <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=rQvXPboAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&authuser=2&gmla=AJsN-F5zLYUe63g3_3Wu7hcoTdNWfudT5Qb1k6viTrKiMf-pY0e_4JdLXlkiU6W2Txac-jiofydp9qLXhYtz7CXE49xk5sKphEqBJnqrdEmkNwiufZkb_w4">sexual violence and masculinity</a>, I know there’s another form of sexual assault taking place at America’s schools that is just as harmful but which seems to get far less attention, perhaps because it’s seen as ritualistic “<a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED529622">hazing</a>” or characterized as “<a href="https://www.news9.com/story/5e3682142f69d76f620968d9/assault-or-horseplay">horseplay</a>.”</p>
<p>It’s a form in which high school boys athletes – and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2017/10/22/these-middle-school-students-pretended-to-rape-black-classmates-on-snapchat/">sometimes middle school boys, too</a> – assault other boys who are members of their team.</p>
<p>In peer-reviewed research published in Social Problems in 2021, I examine this issue by taking <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spab030">a close look at how a small American community responded</a> to allegations that boys on the high school wrestling team had sexually bullied other boys on the team.</p>
<p>Prosecutors filed misdemeanor and felony charges against five defendants, which focused mostly on sexual assault and physical restraint. Some of the boys were facing up to life imprisonment. However, a conviction would prove difficult, as the allegations were portrayed as boys just horsing around, and many members of the community expressed concerns that its reputation was on trial.</p>
<h2>Reputation at stake</h2>
<p>To examine the case, I conducted in-depth interviews with one prosecutor and two defense attorneys; examined news accounts of the incident; and listened to audio recordings of police interviews with 21 witnesses.</p>
<p>What I found is that the community – mainly the boys’ school administrators, coaches and the boys themselves – were more concerned about whether what the perpetrators did was “gay” than they were with the effect it had on the victims. </p>
<p>No one disputed the facts of the case, only whether or not the actions were criminal.</p>
<p>They also expressed anxiety about how it would affect the community’s reputation as a whole if what the boys did was seen as a homosexual act.</p>
<p>One defense attorney told me that if the defendants had been accused of sexually assaulting girls, “they’d go along with” being referred to as accused rapists. But the dynamics were different, the defense attorney said, when the boys were accused of sexually assaulting other boys – an accusation they resented because it implied sexual behavior with another male.</p>
<p>Thus, what made these criminal charges so egregious – at least to some members of the community – was the fact that they called into question the presumed heterosexuality of the community’s star high school athletes.</p>
<p>The perpetrators, victims and male authority figures in the school community felt like the boys’ masculinity itself was threatened.</p>
<h2>Attacks mirror others</h2>
<p>In the attacks that I examined, groups of boys from the high school wrestling team targeted individuals in dark spaces with little adult supervision, such as the locker room and on bus rides. The attacks were rapid. They typically lasted less than a minute. They usually involved several boys pinning down the victim, restraining his arms and legs, covering his face, punching his genitals and attempting to stick their bare fingers in his anus. Targeted boys, especially those who were assaulted multiple times, were often younger and smaller than the aggressors. The targeted boys reported different reactions in their interviews with police investigators. Some became fearful, agitated and reluctant to stay on the team. But others brushed it off as annoying but not a big deal.</p>
<p>In this case, coaches and other school officials reported they knew there was ordinary horse play – as they named it – but they didn’t know that it involved sexual assault.</p>
<p>The attacks that I studied are in no way isolated. In many ways, they mirror other sexual assaults throughout the nation that have involved high school sports teammates as perpetrators and victims.</p>
<p>For instance, at Plainfield Central High School in Plainfield, Illinois, varsity football players <a href="https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/coaches-knew-about-violent-code-blue-hazing-rituals-at-plainfield-central-high-school-lawsuit/2596579/">targeted two players</a> for what the boys referred to as a “Code Blue” in the locker room after practice in October 2019.</p>
<p>“When one of the plaintiffs tried to run away, the players grabbed him and pinned him to the ground,” states a <a href="https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/coaches-knew-about-violent-code-blue-hazing-rituals-at-plainfield-central-high-school-lawsuit/2596579/">news account</a> describing a lawsuit filed in the case. “They then allegedly pushed a broom stick between both students’ buttocks, resulting in penetration, according to the suit. The assault was so violent that the broom stick snapped in half.”</p>
<p>The lawsuit alleged that the school “had ‘longstanding issues’ involving hazing, and coaches allegedly knew about the hazing ritual and failed to act to stop it,” according to the news account.</p>
<p>It’s common for perpetrators to view their assaults as something other than sexual.</p>
<p>For instance, on the last day of practice in 2018, four junior varsity players at Damascus High School in Damascus, Maryland, turned out the lights in the locker room and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/broomstick-hazing-lawsuit-damascus/2021/08/12/fb45fe90-df2b-11eb-b507-697762d090dd_story.html">attacked several teammates</a>. The attackers pulled down the pants of one boy and shoved a broom handle into him through his underwear as he screamed. They did similar things to two other boys and stomped another as he fought off the broom attack.</p>
<p>At court proceedings in 2019, a judge said the alleged attackers <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/broomstick-hazing-lawsuit-damascus/2021/08/12/fb45fe90-df2b-11eb-b507-697762d090dd_story.html">“didn’t seem to grasp the seriousness of the attacks”</a> and seemed to view their attack “as a prank or some kind of team-building exercise.”</p>
<h2>Scope of problem unknown</h2>
<p>As a researcher, I’ve found it difficult to pin down just how prevalent is the problem of adolescent athletes who sexually assault their peers in the same manner as the perpetrators in the case I examined.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.publicjustice.net">Public Justice</a> is a non-profit legal advocacy organization that tracks lawsuits involving sexual bullying, harassment and assault in K-12 schools. In its <a href="https://www.publicjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2022.03.18-Winter-2022-Edition-SCRP-Verdicts-and-Settlements-List-FINAL.pdf">January 2022 compilation of jury verdicts and settlements</a>, which includes cases from the past 20 years, 21 out of 334 of these lawsuits involved groups of boys sexually harassing and assaulting other boys, mostly in sports settings. Yet civil and criminal proceedings do not really reveal the scope of the problem.</p>
<p>The Department of Education <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/sexual-violence.pdf">tracks sexual violence in K-12 schools</a>, but not specifically cases that involve athletes who attack their teammates. There’s a <a href="https://www.stopbullying.gov">federal government campaign to stop bullying</a>, but sports-related sexual assaults <a href="https://www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/other-types-of-aggressive-behavior">fall outside of what the campaign considers bullying</a>.</p>
<p>There’s another barrier to getting an accurate picture of the prevalence of boy-on-boy sexual assault. Although victims of all genders may be reluctant to report that they’ve been sexually assaulted due to the stigma of being a rape victim, men and boys face a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X16652656">different type of stigma</a> in disclosing experiences of sexual victimization because men are expected to be strong and fight off physical attacks. For that reason, male victims of sexual assault may be reluctant to report their experiences of victimization.</p>
<h2>A focus on prevention</h2>
<p>In the case I examined, the prosecution was largely unsuccessful. The defendants pleaded guilty to minor misdemeanor charges, which were substantial reductions from the original felony charges. The defense attorneys had effectively portrayed the assaults as funny, ordinary and a normal part of friendship among boys.</p>
<p>Preventing sexual violence in high school sports requires a multi-pronged approach. I see three things that merit priority status. First, federal agencies, such as the Department of Education, the Department of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control, could collect better data on the scope and nature of the problem. Second, prevention efforts can engage men and boys in promoting healthy forms of masculinity. <a href="https://www.acalltomen.org/about/team/tony-porter/">Tony Porter’s advocacy</a> with the NFL to prevent gender-based violence serves as a good model because it shows that prevention efforts are not just women’s issues. Finally, the forthcoming <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/03/08/executive-order-on-establishment-of-the-white-house-gender-policy-council/">U.S. National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence</a> could prioritize sexual violence in sports as a key issue. </p>
<p>[<em>Over 150,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletters to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-150ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/174684/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jamie L. Small received funding from the National Science Foundation (Dissertation Improvement Grant #1122312). Currently, she is a Science & Technology Policy Fellow through the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Through this fellowship program, she is on a two-year rotation as a Gender-Based Violence Advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development. The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not reflect those of the U.S. government.</span></em></p>Often dismissed as ‘horseplay,’ sexual assaults perpetrated by boys athletes against their teammates persist in high school sports, a researcher observes.Jamie L. Small, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of DaytonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1804862022-04-03T12:14:33Z2022-04-03T12:14:33ZAs a former elite gymnast, I know sport needs a cultural shift to ensure athlete safety<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/455856/original/file-20220401-25-bwli2t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C15%2C5225%2C3465&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Team Canada at the Gymnastics World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany in 2019.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source"> (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/as-a-former-elite-gymnast--i-know-sport-needs-a-cultural-shift-to-ensure-athlete-safety" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>There has been a recent outpouring of <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/olympian-jennifer-heil-says-changes-still-needed-canada-safe-sport-program-1.6101870">calls to make sport safer</a>. Athletes are <a href="https://www.thestar.com/sports/amateur/2022/03/22/ottawa-orders-financial-audit-into-bobsleigh-canada-skeleton-after-open-letter-detailing-toxic-culture.html">writing testimonials and letters</a> across many sports over allegations of abuse, maltreatment and harm. </p>
<p>The most recent development comes from the gymnastics world where <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/gymnastics/canadian-gymnasts-calling-for-investigation-into-abusive-practices-toxic-culture-under-gymcan-1.6399721">70 former gymnasts</a> penned a letter to Sport Canada calling for an end to the toxic culture in that sport. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/protecting-young-athletes-from-abusive-coaches-lets-get-it-right-111950">Protecting young athletes from abusive coaches – let's get it right</a>
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<p>While gymnastics <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/gymnastics/larry-nassar-sex-abuse-victims-settlement-usa-gymnastics-1.6283763">has been in the news</a> for years, these recent developments seemed to <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/more/article/sport-minister-holds-emergency-roundtable-to-address-safe-sport-crisis-in-canada/">strike a chord across Canadian sport</a>. The calls for making sport a safer, more inclusive and welcoming space are not new, <a href="https://www.thestar.com/sports/amateur/2022/03/25/canadas-sport-system-may-have-to-change-for-athletes-to-feel-safe.html">but they seem to be getting louder</a> with too little action being taken by the sport system. </p>
<p>As a sports scholar, I find myself in an interesting position. My early foray into research drew upon my love of gymnastics. My personal experience as an athlete was exceptional — I grew up competing at an elite level, leading to university involvement. I had strong, caring coaches who always put my health and safety first. But when I was competing, I wasn’t naïve to the cultural problems that existed within the sport and would often see fellow competitors over-trained and living in fear. </p>
<h2>Athletes need protection</h2>
<p>After stepping away from competition, I got involved as a coach and a judge. Around the same time, I was completing my master’s degree. It was logical for me to focus my research on something I was passionate about, and my advisor was a critical sport scholar so I examined <a href="https://www.academia.edu/467620/Critical_Policy_Analysis_for_Marginalised_Stakeholder_Groups_A_Case_Study_of_Youth_in_Canadian_Federal_Sport_Policy">youth protection policy</a> in sport, using a case of Gymnastics Canada. </p>
<p>I discovered the sport system was doing little to ensure young athletes received the necessary rights and protections from harm. At that time, I argued that sport needed to protect young elite athletes using mechanisms that had been adopted elsewhere, such as those for <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/child-performers">young actors</a>. </p>
<p>My research challenged my thinking about a sport that was my passion. I presented my research to Sport Canada and Gymnastics Canada, but nothing ever came of it. My work was dismissed. </p>
<p>The process was emotionally taxing, so I turned to other academic pursuits and continued my involvement in coaching, becoming a national level gymnastics judge. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="a woman stands in a judge's uniform" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/455857/original/file-20220401-53031-qrl16.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/455857/original/file-20220401-53031-qrl16.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1066&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455857/original/file-20220401-53031-qrl16.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1066&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455857/original/file-20220401-53031-qrl16.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1066&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455857/original/file-20220401-53031-qrl16.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1339&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455857/original/file-20220401-53031-qrl16.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1339&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455857/original/file-20220401-53031-qrl16.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1339&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Laura Misener judging at Canadian Gymnastics Championships.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Laura Misener)</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>During my 14 years as a gymnastics judge, I witnessed many disturbing things about the sport. I was often torn between my impartial role as a judge, and my feeling of moral responsibility to support the well-being of young athletes in the sport. </p>
<p>I felt <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/mar/28/canadian-gymnasts-call-for-investigation-into-sports-toxic-culture">complicit in the toxic sport culture</a> and started to try and push for change — I even sent letters to governing bodies outlining concerns about the behaviours of coaches toward young athletes. Despite the emergence of <a href="http://www.gymcan.org/programs/safe-sport/overview">safe sport guidelines</a>, the toxic culture remained. </p>
<p>I felt powerless and eventually left sport because I couldn’t bear witness to an institution that celebrates pushing youth to their limits and coaching behaviours that reinforce dominance, often in the form of adult men wielding power over <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/019372397021002003">young girls</a>. </p>
<p>As the <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/01/188295/gymnastics-abuse-toxic-culture-sports-psychology">mounting unrest in the sport community grows</a>, I look back and feel guilty that I didn’t speak out more, that I didn’t work harder to have my voice heard, that I didn’t do more. </p>
<p>But what I now realize is that the institutional structures in sport, particularly in gymnastics, where young girls are the stars, silence dissenting voices. Obedience, tolerance and compliance are what is expected in this culture — which is why it has taken so long for these issues to come to light. </p>
<h2>An athlete-centred approach</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Feet are seen pointed in the air with judges sitting in the background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/455866/original/file-20220401-19520-52r1e7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/455866/original/file-20220401-19520-52r1e7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455866/original/file-20220401-19520-52r1e7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455866/original/file-20220401-19520-52r1e7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455866/original/file-20220401-19520-52r1e7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455866/original/file-20220401-19520-52r1e7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455866/original/file-20220401-19520-52r1e7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A Canadian competes in the the women’s trampoline gymnastics qualifier at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)</span></span>
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<p>All sport organizations are now required to have <a href="https://athletics.ca/safesport/">safe sport policies</a>, but as scholars have noted there remains a gap between the ideological realm of safe sport and <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-must-challenge-the-culture-of-silence-about-child-sexual-abuse-in-football-69377">a culture of silencing</a>. The policies often do little to support athletes suffering from sport’s toxic culture — or change that culture. </p>
<p>As a sports scholar, I am now in a position of power and have the privilege and opportunity to support change. Moving towards a more <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00336297.2008.10483583">athlete-centred approach</a> to sport is one step in the right direction. But our funding models are fundamentally about medals and overall success, not on how well a sport performs in getting people moving or how culturally safe the sport actually is. </p>
<p>Safe sport policies and accountability are a start, but they are far from a much-needed cultural shift.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/180486/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Laura Misener does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Moving towards an athlete-centred approach to sport is one step in the right directionLaura Misener, Professor & Director, School of Kinesiology, Western UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1763512022-02-09T13:19:17Z2022-02-09T13:19:17ZNew evidence of discrimination against Black coaches in the NFL since 2018<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445153/original/file-20220208-26-190o31l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=254%2C152%2C4445%2C2910&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Eric Bieniemy, who has been the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive coordinator since 2018, has reportedly interviewed for 14 head-coaching jobs.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/offensive-coordinator-eric-bieniemy-of-the-kansas-city-news-photo/1181858020?adppopup=true">Dustin Bradford/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Boldly going where no NFL coach has gone before, <a href="https://thegamehaus.com/nfl/the-firing-of-miami-dolphins-head-coach-brian-flores/2022/01/15/">recently fired</a> Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores put his future career at stake and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/former-dolphins-coach-brian-flores-files-racial-discrimination-lawsuit-rcna14457">filed a class-action lawsuit</a> against the league, the New York Giants, the Denver Broncos and the Dolphins, alleging discriminatory hiring practices among team owners.</p>
<p>Coincidentally, a study I began working on in the spring of 2020 <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/00346446221076866">was published online</a> in the Review of Black Political Economy mere hours before Flores’ lawsuit went public. My colleagues and I used data on all NFL offensive and defensive coordinators since the 2003 introduction of the Rooney Rule, which required all NFL teams to interview at least one minority candidate for vacant head-coaching jobs.</p>
<p>We wanted to determine what factors were correlated with a coordinator’s probability of becoming a head coach. Our results identified many factors that have impacted a coordinator’s chances of landing a head-coaching job. One of those factors was the coordinator’s race. </p>
<p>The study pays specific attention to the case of Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator <a href="https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2020/01/29/rooney-rule-eric-bieniemy-taking-high-road-after-not-getting-job/4612974002/">Eric Bieniemy</a>, who is Black. </p>
<p>Before Flores’ lawsuit was filed, Bieniemy <a href="https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/06/28/eric-bieniemy-head-coaching-job-will-happen-at-right-place-with-right-people/">had largely been the face</a> of the <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2020/1/13/21063609/chiefs-offense-eric-bieniemy-nfl-head-coaching-job-candidate-texans-playoffs">discussion surrounding Black football coaches</a>. What makes his case particularly interesting is the fact that two of his predecessors, who are both white, were quickly promoted to head-coaching gigs.</p>
<p>Many in the media have suggested that Bieniemy’s lack of head-coaching opportunities can be <a href="https://www.newspressnow.com/sports/bieniemys-case-included-in-lawsuit-alleging-racism-in-nfl-hiring-processes/article_3c24ea7e-8482-11ec-8f5d-2fac0abb9cc9.html">attributed to racism</a>. In our study, we wanted to see if there was any validity to this claim.</p>
<h2>A dead branch in Andy Reid’s coaching tree</h2>
<p>When Andy Reid became head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013, his offensive coordinator was former NFL quarterback Doug Pederson, who is white. At the conclusion of the 2015 season, Pederson became head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.</p>
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<img alt="Man surrounded by confetti holds trophy." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444852/original/file-20220207-69470-1b4gh82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444852/original/file-20220207-69470-1b4gh82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444852/original/file-20220207-69470-1b4gh82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444852/original/file-20220207-69470-1b4gh82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444852/original/file-20220207-69470-1b4gh82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444852/original/file-20220207-69470-1b4gh82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444852/original/file-20220207-69470-1b4gh82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Doug Pederson won the Super Bowl in his second season as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/head-coach-doug-pederson-of-the-philadelphia-eagles-news-photo/914356218?adppopup=true">Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images</a></span>
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<p><a href="https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2016/01/18/report-brad-childress-to-replace-doug-pederson-as-chiefs-offensive-coordinator/">Pederson’s replacement for the 2016 season</a> was former Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress. In 2017, Childress remained with the Chiefs as assistant head coach, and Matt Nagy, who is white, <a href="https://arrowheadaddict.com/2017/02/13/kansas-city-chiefs-matt-nagy-offensive-coordinator-brad-childress/">was promoted</a> from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator. After only one season as Chiefs offensive coordinator, <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bears/bears-hire-chiefs-offensive-coordinator-matt-nagy-new-head-coach">Nagy accepted a head-coaching offer from the Chicago Bears</a>.</p>
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<p>Nagy’s replacement was Bieniemy. During Bieniemy’s tenure, the Chiefs have reached four straight AFC Championship games and two Super Bowls. </p>
<p>Using the <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/ReidAn0.htm">simple rating system</a> metric provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com, the Chiefs’ worst offensive performance under Bieniemy’s tutelage was better than any season for Pederson or Nagy. Yet Bieniemy, who was <a href="https://www.outkick.com/chiefs-oc-eric-bieniemys-contract-expires-after-being-passed-up-for-head-coaching-vacancies/">once again passed over in this year’s hiring cycle</a>, still awaits his first head-coaching opportunity despite reportedly <a href="https://chiefswire.usatoday.com/2022/02/04/kansas-city-chiefs-eric-bieniemy-head-coach-interview-new-orleans-saints-sean-payton-successor/">interviewing for 15 such positions as of February 2022</a>. </p>
<h2>What NFL owners like in a coach</h2>
<p>We collected data on all 267 NFL coordinators between 2003 and 2020.</p>
<p>In addition to race, our model accounts for a coordinator’s age; their years of experience as a coordinator; their years of NFL playing experience; what position they played in college; what positions they coached in the NFL; whether they had NFL or college head-coaching experience; whether they were an offensive or defensive coordinator; whether they were coaching under an offensive- or defensive-minded head coach; and their performance as a coordinator. The model also controls for the number of head-coaching vacancies each offseason.</p>
<p>Our research revealed several potential reasons for why Bieniemy has yet to secure a job as a head coach in the NFL.</p>
<p>One could have to do with the position Bieniemy played and coached prior to becoming Chiefs offensive coordinator: running back. NFL owners seem to devalue experience playing or coaching this position in their head coaches. Of the 32 head coaches to begin the 2021 NFL season, none were former running backs. Excluding special-teams positions, running back was the only position not played by at least one head coach for the 2021 season. </p>
<p>Pederson and Nagy are both former quarterbacks, which is a background NFL owners do value in head coaches. In fact, 12 head coaches in 2021 were former quarterbacks. Our model reveals that having played quarterback in college increases a coordinator’s probability of becoming a head coach by nearly 10%. </p>
<h2>Two strands of racial bias</h2>
<p>At the same time, our research suggests that, even when you control for factors like previous playing and coaching experience, Bieniemy’s race may have limited his head-coaching opportunities. </p>
<p>First, we found a statistically significant difference in how NFL playing experience impacts the probability of becoming a head coach for Black and non-Black coordinators. </p>
<p>Both Black and non-Black coordinators benefit from having played in the NFL. However, non-Black coordinators benefit more. Each additional year of NFL playing experience increases a non-Black coordinator’s probability of becoming a head coach more than a Black coordinator’s probability.</p>
<p>Second, our research found that Black coordinators were simply less likely to be promoted to head coach between 2018 and 2020. However, there was no such evidence of this between 2003 and 2017.</p>
<p>These two findings – that Black coordinators have been less likely to be promoted since 2018 and that Black coordinators benefit less from NFL playing experience – are not concrete proof that NFL owners are discriminating against Black coordinators. Concrete proof would require us to know and account for every characteristic that owners consider when deciding who to hire as their head coach. This isn’t possible.</p>
<p>However, the findings are “consistent with discrimination” against Black coordinators. In other words, if owners are discriminating against Black assistants, you would expect results similar to ours.</p>
<p>Using our model, we calculate that Bieniemy’s probability of promotion in 2020 would have increased from 42.5% to 57.2% if his race weren’t Black.</p>
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<h2>Race matters after controlling for other factors</h2>
<p>A common reason given for Bieniemy’s – and other Black coaches’ – lack of head-coaching opportunities is a dearth of Black coaches who have experience playing or coaching the quarterback position. Black quarterbacks are <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/09/10/black-quarterbacks-nfl-2021/">becoming more common in the NFL</a>, but for a long time, that wasn’t the case. In a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12114-012-9149-z">2013 study</a>, I found that Black high school quarterbacks were significantly more likely to change positions in college than white high school quarterbacks. It’s likely that this segregation at the QB position has had a ripple effect that extends into the coaching ranks.</p>
<p>Others <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/why-is-eric-bieniemy-still-waiting-to-become-latest-product-of-chiefs-head-coach-factory-184604861.html">attribute the Chiefs’ offensive success</a> to Reid, who has a reputation as an offensive guru. Yet this is a belief that former offensive coordinators Pederson and Nagy would have also had to overcome to get their head-coaching gigs. </p>
<p>Our study did reveal that many of the common reasons given for Bieniemy’s lack of head-coaching opportunities are likely true. Being an offensive coordinator under an offensive guru, being a former running back and having only been a running backs coach in the NFL before becoming an offensive coordinator have all contributed to Bieniemy’s struggles in becoming a head coach.</p>
<p>However, in our model, even after controlling for each of these factors, and more, we still find that Black coordinators have been less likely to be promoted since 2018. And while some have suggested that Bieniemy could simply be <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/report-eric-bieniemy-allegedly-performing-poorly-during-interviews-is-bs/ar-AASSpVJ">a poor interviewer</a>, for that to explain our results, all Black coordinators would have to have suddenly become poor interviewers beginning in 2018. </p>
<p>In the case of Bieniemy, our findings suggest his race is not the only reason he has yet to secure a head-coaching job. But it’s likely one of the reasons.</p>
<p>In the wake of Flores’ lawsuit, the accused were quick to describe Flores’ allegations as “<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/02/03/new-york-giants-call-brian-floress-allegations-disturbing-and-simply-false">disturbing</a>,” “<a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/broncos-call-brian-flores-allegations-regarding-2019-e2-80-9csham-e2-80-9d-interview-e2-80-9cblatantly-false-e2-80-9d/ar-AATnrHL">blatantly false</a>” and “<a href="https://www.yahoo.com/now/dolphins-owner-stephen-ross-calls-054329862.html">malicious</a>.” </p>
<p>Our research is consistent with a different description of Flores’ allegation of discrimination: true. </p>
<p>[<em>More than 140,000 readers get one of The Conversation’s informative newsletters.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-140K">Join the list today</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176351/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joshua D. Pitts does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>An analysis of 267 NFL offensive and defensive coordinators since 2003 finds that the Chiefs’ Eric Bieniemy’s odds of being hired as a head coach would have gone up significantly if he weren’t Black.Joshua D. Pitts, Associate Professor of Sport Management and Economics, Kennesaw State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1528782021-03-31T21:20:48Z2021-03-31T21:20:48ZHow to cope with pandemic fatigue by imagining metaphors<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392662/original/file-20210330-19-bwhksp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=19%2C9%2C6308%2C4209&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Metaphors are figures of speech that imply likeness; they can be useful tools in dealing with pandemic fatigue.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have dramatic impacts on mobility, work routines, social interactions and psychological distress. Although no longer novel, the pandemic is still causing an overall disruption of normality and challenging our ability to make sense of the world around us.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/beyond-self-care-try-these-5-therapeutic-tools-to-manage-stress-better-during-covid-19-restrictions-150838">Beyond self-care: Try these 5 therapeutic tools to manage stress better during COVID-19 restrictions</a>
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<p>The <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/events-as-they-happen">World Health Organization</a> has been drawing attention to <a href="https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/335820/WHO-EURO-2020-1160-40906-55390-eng.pdf">pandemic fatigue</a>, a natural response to a prolonged public health crisis. Pandemic fatigue involves decreasing motivation to follow health-related directives, including engaging in pandemic protective actions like eating well, exercising and decreasing tobacco or alcohol consumption.</p>
<p>All levels of public health are attempting to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/12/health/pandemic-fatigue-wellness-partner/index.html">explain</a>, <a href="https://www.uchealth.org/today/5-tips-for-handling-pandemic-fatigue/">prevent</a> and <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/how-to-deal-with-coronavirus-burnout-and-pandemic-fatigue">cope with</a> this phenomenon.</p>
<h2>Making sense</h2>
<p>In <a href="https://theconversation.com/immigrant-women-are-falling-behind-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-147821">our research</a> on how people make sense of their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, we came to appreciate the power of metaphors as a coping tool.</p>
<p>A metaphor is a figure of speech in which one kind of object or idea is used to understand or explain another by implying likeness or analogy. By combining and reorganizing abstract and concrete features, metaphors influence thought processes, attitudes, beliefs and actions. They help us make sense of situations and stimulate new actions. </p>
<p>For example, by referring to the current growth of COVID-19 cases as the “third wave of the pandemic,” we call upon understandings of “waves” to facilitate understanding of the abstract and complex situation of the spread of the virus. </p>
<p>Metaphors make our experiences and desire tangible and allow us to see assumptions, behaviours and resources that are likely to support our goals and desires. As an intervention strategy, metaphors can help us gain insights into our situations.</p>
<p>Metaphors are commonly used <a href="https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/images-of-organization/book229704#tabview=toc">in research</a>, <a href="https://www.cleanlanguage.co.uk/articles/articles/127/1/Coaching-with-Metaphor/Page1.html">coaching</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S1754470X16000210">therapeutic practice</a> to help individuals make sense of situations and find new ways of dealing with problems. </p>
<p>Coaching helps people achieve specific personal or professional goals under the guidance of a trained professional. We drew on coaching principles used in <a href="https://cleanlearning.co.uk/about/faq/what-is-clean-language">Clean Language</a> and <a href="https://www.integralcoachingcanada.com/sites/default/files/pdf/jitpintroduction.pdf">Integral Coaching</a> to help international students and immigrants to cope with challenges in their lives during the first wave of the pandemic. We found that imaginative metaphors helped them find tangible ways to identify and achieve their goals and they felt more empowered through the process. </p>
<p>We propose that with a bit of imagination, anyone can use metaphors to cope with pandemic fatigue and find better ways to deal with these challenging times by following four simple steps.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392699/original/file-20210331-23-1bgsyw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man wearing a surgical mask with his hands on either side of his head." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392699/original/file-20210331-23-1bgsyw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392699/original/file-20210331-23-1bgsyw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392699/original/file-20210331-23-1bgsyw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392699/original/file-20210331-23-1bgsyw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392699/original/file-20210331-23-1bgsyw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392699/original/file-20210331-23-1bgsyw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392699/original/file-20210331-23-1bgsyw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">It’s been over a year since the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic, and we’re still unclear on when it will be over and we can resume our everyday lives.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<h2>Imagining metaphors</h2>
<p><strong>Step 1: Identify a goal or desire under your control.</strong></p>
<p>The goal should describe what you want in positive terms. Ask yourself: What would I like to have happen? It should be something that has not yet happened, contains a desire or need and does not include any reference to the problem. </p>
<p>Let’s take the example of Tim, one of the participants in our research, who was <a href="https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/health/a34819334/loneliness-survey-results/">struggling to feel connected</a> with his loved ones due to travel and social distance restrictions. Tim found virtual connections unsatisfactory and felt lonely. As he reflected on what was causing him pain, he identified the goal “to be better able to find satisfaction in virtual connections.” </p>
<p><strong>Step 2: Imagine a metaphor that depicts how you can achieve that goal.</strong></p>
<p>Ask yourself: And that is like what? Imagine a metaphor that represents the goal when achieved. It helps to think of a noun and then elaborate on the characteristics of that noun through adjectives. </p>
<p>Tim imagined a far-reaching satellite as a way to articulate a connection that is strong and reliable and happens at a long distance. </p>
<p><strong>Step 3: Fully develop the metaphor by focusing on details to gain a feel for the metaphor.</strong> </p>
<p>Ask yourself, “Is there anything else about this metaphor that I’m using?” </p>
<p>Tim continued to imagine his satellite and answering the question: “And is there anything else about this far-reaching satellite?” multiple times. Through this process, he explored how the satellite worked to have far-reaching connections. Through exploration, elaboration and articulation, Tim realized that what was important to him was to read the connection signals. He needed to be better at noticing when a connection was happening or when others were trying to connect with him from a distance.</p>
<p><strong>Step 4: Identify what needs to happen for the metaphor to become your new reality.</strong> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-to-set-goals_b_3226083">Successful goals</a> need to be broken down into small achievable steps to visualize and articulate an action or outcome to be fulfilled. Ask yourself: What needs to happen? And can that happen? Repeat those questions until what needs to happen is clear and achievable. </p>
<p>Tim decided to make a few phone calls to people he missed and made a plan to check in with his girlfriend every morning.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378367/original/file-20210112-19-luzksy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A four-step guide to using metaphors" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378367/original/file-20210112-19-luzksy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378367/original/file-20210112-19-luzksy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378367/original/file-20210112-19-luzksy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378367/original/file-20210112-19-luzksy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378367/original/file-20210112-19-luzksy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378367/original/file-20210112-19-luzksy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378367/original/file-20210112-19-luzksy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Four steps to using metaphors to help relieve pandemic fatigue.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Luciara Nardon)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>This four-step process can be repeated for various goals and is a useful practice to maintain during the pandemic and the long process of recovery ahead. Imaginative metaphors are a powerful tool to keep in the mix of self-care — they help create a renewed sense of empowerment and a change in mindset to deal with pandemic fatigue.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/152878/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Luciara Nardon received funding from the Centre for Research on Inclusion at Work and funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Partnership Insight Grant (435-2020-0025)</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amrita Hari received funding from the Carleton University Centre for Research on Inclusion at Work and funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Partnership Insight Grant (435-2020-0025).</span></em></p>Creative problem-solving using metaphors can help us deal with the long-term anxiety and challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.Luciara Nardon, Associate professor, international business, Carleton UniversityAmrita Hari, Associate Professor of Women's and Gender Studies, Carleton UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1484072020-11-01T13:03:26Z2020-11-01T13:03:26ZNew allegations of abuse have grounded Canada’s artistic swimming team<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366017/original/file-20201028-17-tc0xoz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C33%2C3208%2C2222&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Two members of Canada's Olympic synchronized swim team perform during the 2016 Summer Olympics. The sport is coming under scrutiny for its culture of abuse and body-shaming.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Recently, the Montréal training site for the senior Canadian artistic swimming team (previously referred to as synchronized swimming) <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/canada-artistic-swimming-allegation-abuse-harassment-1.5745905">closed following reports of abuse and harassment</a>.</p>
<p>Radio-Canada Sports obtained a recording of Julie Healy, Canada Artistic Swimming’s chief sport officer, responding to athletes’ allegations of psychological abuse and discriminatory comments: “We can’t continue to operate in an environment where athletes don’t feel safe, where coaches do not feel they can work without being accused of being hostile, harassing, abusive.”</p>
<p>Although Healy claims that the alleged abuses have only occurred since 2019, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/swimmers-break-silence-artistic-swimming-canada-allegations-1.5768537">artistic swimmers have expressed concerns about abusive training environments for years</a>, as shown by recent social media posts by former national team artistic swimmers. And a recent statement by the Ontario Artistic Swimming organization indicates that it’s more of a sports-wide issue.</p>
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<h2>Controlling environments</h2>
<p>Our research has found that female athletes from esthetic sports — those requiring physical capacity alongside skill and artistry, such as artistic swimming — report repeated experiences of psychological abuse, including body-shaming practices. Artistic swimming requires a lean, long, sleek physique and that all athletes on the team look similar. To meet these expectations, many coaches have engaged in practices such as regular weigh-ins, making derogatory statements about the athletes’ bodies and recommending unhealthy eating practices. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366009/original/file-20201028-13-zy1aat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A competitive swimmer flips through the air" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366009/original/file-20201028-13-zy1aat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366009/original/file-20201028-13-zy1aat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366009/original/file-20201028-13-zy1aat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366009/original/file-20201028-13-zy1aat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366009/original/file-20201028-13-zy1aat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366009/original/file-20201028-13-zy1aat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366009/original/file-20201028-13-zy1aat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A member of Canada’s artistic swimming team performs during the World Swimming Championships in South Korea on July 14, 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Mark Baker)</span></span>
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<p>Given the very real repercussions of speaking out about these concerns, including being removed from the team, athletes have learned to be compliant, and have often resorted to compromising their health if they choose to remain on the team. Some end up leaving the sport entirely.</p>
<h2>Coaching concerns</h2>
<p>Curiously, Healy refers to concerns about coaches feeling they cannot do their job without fears of being accused of being hostile, harassing or abusive. One has to wonder what these coaching practices are that raise fears of being abusive? </p>
<p>As professionals with oversight over the health and development of adolescents and emerging adults, how are they being perceived as abusive or harassing? </p>
<p>Research indicates that a culture of control persists in the elite sport world, one in which <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci9050068">derogatory and humiliating comments</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2014.872747">body shaming are normalized practices</a>. In these environments, athletes quickly learn that in order to pursue their talents and passion for sport, they are expected to tolerate these practices; in fact, many athletes are socialized into these environments in such a way as to accept these practices as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2014.872747">normal and required for optimal performance</a>. </p>
<p>Regrettably, however, the normalized practices that characterize many elite athletes’ experiences are harmful to athletes’ long-term health and well-being. The complaints about Canada Artistic Swimming are another reminder that archaic coaching practices must be replaced with evidence-based methods grounded in learning and development, and an environment in which athletes have agency over their experiences and the decisions that affect them. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">A 2018 CBC documentary about the Canadian synchronized swimming Olympic team.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>New oversight</h2>
<p>Fortunately, <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/article-canadas-artistic-swim-team-halts-training-undergoing-conduct-review/">an independent body has been engaged to investigate the concerns and climate</a> within which these Canada Artistic Swimming athletes and coaches work. This is a significant step forward. </p>
<p>To date, athletes’ recourse for raising concerns has been to address them with the sport’s governing body — the same body that hires coaches, makes decisions about Olympic team membership and funding, and sets the overall climate for the entire organization. Given these inherent conflicts of interest, it’s no wonder that athletes have been reluctant to report their concerns, <a href="https://athletescan.com/sites/default/files/images/prevalence_of_maltreatment_reporteng.pdf">or have seen their concerns ignored</a>.</p>
<p>Over the past few years, many researchers, athletes and others in the Canadian sport system have advocated for an independent mechanism outside of the sport organizations to receive and investigate complaints of athlete maltreatment. Currently, McLaren Global Sport Solutions — a Toronto-based consulting group — has been charged with recommending structures and processes to ensure such an independent mechanism. <a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1096372/mclaren-canada-safe-sport-appointment">A final report is expected shortly</a>. </p>
<p>The allegations within Canada Artistic Swimming again reinforce the need for an independent body where athletes can raise their concerns without fear of reprisal.</p>
<p>The situation with Canada Artistic Swimming is another reminder that the time has come for competitive sport to normalize practices that are aligned with the expectations and standards Canadians have of the treatment of young people.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/148407/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Allegations of abuse and harassment are not uncommon in Canadian sport. The closure of the Montréal site for Canada’s artistic swimming team is in part due to a lack of oversight for young athletes.Gretchen Kerr, Professor, Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of TorontoErin Willson, PhD Candidate, Kinesiology, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1262262019-10-31T14:44:32Z2019-10-31T14:44:32ZRugby World Cup: can England cope with the ‘favourites’ tag?<p>After six weeks of exciting clashes between the best rugby players on the planet, the <a href="https://www.rugbyworldcup.com/?lang=en">2019 World Cup in Japan</a> has come down to one final game on Saturday November 2 between England and South Africa. England go into the match as clear favourites against South Africa. What does this mean for both teams? </p>
<p>Before England’s semi-final defeat of New Zealand on October 26, the team’s head coach Eddie Jones focused on being the underdog, given the All Blacks’ recent dominance of world rugby. But he can’t do that this week.</p>
<p>Jones had a consistent message in the lead up to the semi-final:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>No one thinks we can win. There’s no pressure on us, we’ve just got to have a great week, enjoy it, relax.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In one <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_1NHF96FHc">press conference</a>, Jones even challenged journalists in the room to “Put up your hand if you think we can win”. No one did, and Jones took this response as confirmation that there were no expectations on England to be successful. The team had no pressure, they had nothing to lose.</p>
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<h2>Underdog spirit</h2>
<p>It’s not surprising Jones took advantage of the “underdog” tag in the lead-up to the semi-final. New Zealand had won the two previous world cups in 2011 and 2015 and have been heralded by many as the <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/rugby/are-the-all-blacks-the-greatest-international-team-in-the-history-of-sport/news-story/f61ad2d65623a9586929bbfba386b157">greatest sporting team</a> ever. In the mind games before the match, Jones had to find whatever edge he could get.</p>
<p>Being an underdog can be <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0146167207307488">a motivating factor</a>. The thought of exceeding expectations against a superior opponent and proving others wrong will often spurs players on. Meanwhile, the favourites are seen to be under more pressure because of expectations to win.</p>
<p>While saying England were under no pressure, mischievously, Jones took the chance to turn it round on New Zealand, at one point saying: “They’re looking for their third world cup, that does bring pressure.”</p>
<p>Highlighting the underdog status supported the findings of <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1747954117727684">our study</a> which examined leader communication in the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1526333/">1997 Lions tour</a> of the then world champions South Africa. We found that “embracing and reinforcing the underdog status” had been a key aspect in inspiring players.</p>
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<p>For example, in the famous “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM0dx0h2xsw">Everest speech</a>” by assistant Lions’ coach Jim Telfer from the 1997 tour, he said people: “Don’t rate us, don’t respect us”. It was before the first match of what was to be a hard series. South Africa were well known for their powerful forward pack, and were strong favourites to beat the Lions. </p>
<p>But people are inspired by these ideas of proving people wrong, and achieving in such situations. The Lions, against the odds, went on to win the first test match and ultimately the series, two matches to one. </p>
<h2>Change of strategy</h2>
<p>With England now favourites against South Africa’s Springboks, the coach has changed his underlying message. In <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9raiUfnkvo">his press conferences</a> since the semi-final, Jones has listened to the questions about being favourites and has performed a little side-step, choosing to talk about “being excited to be here, and the challenge that lies ahead”. He also focused on how the side were <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgoM8Oc4gQo&feature=youtu.be">ready for the challenge</a> ahead, saying: “There’s a nice relaxed feeling because they know they’ve done the work … we’ve had such good preparation, we can go out and play without fear.”</p>
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<p>The previous week, while claiming there was no pressure against the All BLacks, Jones’ message had been subtly different: “We’re going to have a great week, relax, train hard, enjoy this great opportunity.”</p>
<p>Ahead of the final, while the headline message is different, the underlying philosophy is the same: to take the pressure off the team, and to allow them be relaxed and play to their full potential. Maybe times are changing in the way coaches speak to their players ahead of big matches. If so, Jones’ calm approach certainly marks this change.</p>
<h2>How to inspire players</h2>
<p>The Hollywood-style depictions of inspirational speeches – possibly exemplified by Al Pacino in his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b7bgtu2O4E">“Inches” speech</a> in the 1999 American Football film Any Given Sunday (“We can climb out of hell one inch at a time”) or the passionate speeches we saw delivered on the 1997 Lions tour – may be a thing of the past.</p>
<p>It seems as if this deeply emotional appeal to players has been replaced by clear, calm approaches from the coach. When our team researched <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1469029216300115">inspiration in sport</a> in 2016 what we found supports the benefits of such an approach. We found that to inspire players, coaches should show them the way forward and provide clear messages on how they can be successful. They must demonstrate a calm belief in their players to achieve such success.</p>
<p>Jones is likely to be focusing on these key messages, such as working with the England team on strategies to overcome South Africa and reinforcing the players’ belief they have the skills and abilities to put those strategies into practice and emerge victorious.</p>
<p>A more recent research project that I was involved in, which also <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/sms.13513">examined inspirational coach leadership</a> and was published in June 2019, suggested that the players’ trust in their coach is at the heart of the process. Whatever Jones’ message, it appears the England team have full trust in their coach and the systems put in place to be successful. This may be key to why Jones is proving to have such an inspirational impact on the English side.</p>
<p>All England fans will be hoping that England approach the final with the right attitude and without feeling the pressure that might restrict the way they play and the intensity of their performance. They will be hoping that their team come out on Saturday, play with skill, flair and without fear – and justify their favourites tag.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126226/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Smith does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>How sports coaches can inspire their team to defy the odds and win.Matthew Smith, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology, University of WinchesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1166432019-06-04T12:41:54Z2019-06-04T12:41:54ZThe war on women coaches<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276387/original/file-20190524-187169-qzx95h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Former Georgia Tech head coach MaChelle Joseph looks on during an NCAA college basketball game against Notre Dame in February 2019.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Georgia-Tech-Notre-Dame-Basketball/fe87198e16ee48bf86a1dabe1ee2c938/5/0">AP Photo/Robert Franklin</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>During the past women’s college basketball season, two prominent head coaches, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill’s Sylvia Hatchell and Georgia Tech’s MaChelle Joseph, were fired.</p>
<p>In Joseph’s case, her players had accused her of <a href="https://www.ajc.com/sports/college/machelle-joseph-fired-georgia-tech/hH8W6QvPduR8ItGgzXvQ4N/">being abusive, demeaning and manipulative</a>. Hatchell’s players claimed she had <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/they-make-me-sick-unc-womens-hoops-coach-berated-injured-players-parents-say/2019/04/18/7259c7c0-6146-11e9-9412-daf3d2e67c6d_story.html?utm_term=.aab4017064b1">berated them, made racially insensitive remarks and forced them to play through injuries</a>.</p>
<p>We don’t want to litigate, refute or deny the claims against Hatchell, Joseph and countless other female coaches. But it’s not difficult to imagine a male coach with a similar style being called “tough,” “demanding” and “passionate.”</p>
<p>As social scientists who study <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Women-in-Sports-Coaching/LaVoi/p/book/9781138837966">coaching</a> and <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Women-in-Sport-Leadership-Research-and-practice-for-change/Burton-Leberman/p/book/9780367233259">leadership in sport</a>, we’re starting to see a double standard at play – one that holds female coaches to a different standard than their male counterparts.</p>
<p>We think it might help explain why the percentage of collegiate women head coaches is stagnant and near an all-time low.</p>
<h2>Dwindling numbers over the decades</h2>
<p>In 1972, <a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/overview-title-ix-education-amendments-1972-20-usc-1681-et-seq">Title IX</a>, a federal civil rights law which made gender discrimination in schools illegal, was passed. It led to record numbers of girls and women playing sports at all levels. But an unintended effect was that, over time, women started to hold a smaller share of sport leadership positions.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="https://www.cehd.umn.edu/tuckercenter/">Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport</a> at the University of Minnesota, the percentage of female coaches <a href="https://www.cehd.umn.edu/tuckercenter/research/womencoaches.html">has steadily fallen</a> since the passage of Title IX. In 1972, more than 90% of female collegiate athletes were coached by women. Today that number hovers around 42% at the NCAA Division I level.</p>
<p>After Title IX required schools to allocate more resources for women’s sports, male coaches started to see coaching female athletes as a legitimate career path. Today men occupy <a href="https://www.tidesport.org/copy-of-nba-1">nearly 75%</a> of all head coaching positions in collegiate athletics.</p>
<h2>A shorter leash?</h2>
<p>Hatchell and Joseph’s experiences are not isolated ones. </p>
<p>In recent years, a number of collegiate women coaches have encountered challenges to their coaching behaviors, integrity, character and job security, some high profile, many not. In 2014, University of Minnesota-Duluth women’s hockey head coach Shannon Miller <a href="http://www.citypages.com/news/shannon-miller-discrimination-victim-or-an-overpaid-college-coach/476952703">didn’t have her contract renewed</a> despite multiple national championships, high graduation rates and no NCAA violations. Miller sued for gender discrimination <a href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/03/15/minnesota-duluth-hockey-shannon-miller-wins-lawsuit">and won more than US$3 million in damages</a>.</p>
<p>In the wake of allegations of abuse, a few female coaches have been able <a href="https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/05/09/nku-keeps-womens-basketball-coach-players-emotional-abuse-allegations/1154469001/">to keep their jobs</a>. Some win <a href="https://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sports/college/iowa/2017/05/19/tracey-griesbaum-iowa-hawkeye-gary-barta-settlement/333218001/">court cases</a> against the <a href="https://www.superiortelegram.com/news/crime-and-courts/4570673-damage-verdict-increases-421-million-former-minnesota-duluth-hockey">university</a>. But many end up simply leaving their positions in the hopes of landing another coaching job at a different school. </p>
<p>Most of these women are <a href="https://www.thefearlesscoach.org/single-post/2019/02/12/Second-Chances-in-NCAA-Coaching-Women-Need-Not-Apply">not rehired</a>; if they are, it’s not at the <a href="http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211660312">same level</a> or <a href="https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/louisville/2017/11/02/shes-had-30-years-college-coaching-under-her-belt-beth-burns-joins-louisville-womens-basketball-staf/827144001/">position</a>. For example, Tracey Greisbaum, a highly successful former head field hockey coach at the University of Iowa, was fired after athlete allegations of harassment and mistreatment. She subsequently won a $1.5 million lawsuit for gender discrimination. But she’s now a volunteer coach for Duke University. </p>
<p>Male coaches also get accused of abuse, and some <a href="https://theconversation.com/dj-durkins-firing-wont-solve-college-footballs-deepest-problems-106118">do get fired</a>, like Maryland college football coach D.J. Durkin, who was fired in October 2018 after one of his players died after practice.</p>
<p>But many that <a href="http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/26334855/msu-players-defend-izzo-screaming-incident">exhibit behaviors</a> their female colleagues are fired for remain employed or quickly get hired for head coaching gigs at other schools. The most prominent example of the return to coaching is former Indiana men’s basketball coach Bobby Knight, who was fired in 2000 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm3YFFjj5y8">after choking a player in practice</a>. In 2001, Knight was hired as the head coach at Texas Tech. </p>
<p>On the women’s side, University of Illinois head women’s basketball coach Matt Bollant <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaw/2017/03/14/illinois-fires-womens-coach-sued-for-abuse-2-years-ago/99175158/">was sued by players</a> who claimed he had created a racially abusive environment. Bollant was fired in 2017, <a href="https://eiupanthers.com/news/2017/4/14/womens-basketball-matt-bollant-to-lead-eiu-womens-basketball.aspx">only to be quickly hired</a> as the head coach at Eastern Illinois University. </p>
<h2>When women don’t behave as expected</h2>
<p>What might explain the differential treatment?</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-6402.t01-1-00066">Due to gender stereotypes</a>, we expect women be more nurturing, caring, supportive and relationship-oriented. We expect men, on the other hand, to be assertive, independent and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1471-6402.t01-1-00066?casa_token=8fCuMYSsJowAAAAA:SrgRFNG5WFfRWbtIzcAevpXjMH3VW1oQy-tlVHAfDfNpHlPRI1awtIA7uEFSTOFCw4kM5kdp-XDBiw">dominant</a>. </p>
<p>Then there are behaviors we expect each gender to avoid. For men, this includes signs of weakness, like insecurity or sensitivity. Women, on the other hand, aren’t supposed to be aggressive or intimidating. </p>
<p>Studies show that when women exhibit dominant behavior or men appear to be weak, <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-56707-001">people tend to react negatively</a>. </p>
<p>But the backlash isn’t evenly distributed: <a href="https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/josi.12261">Research has shown</a> that women who act in dominant and more masculine ways generate much stronger feelings of contempt, disgust, revulsion and disdain in others.</p>
<h2>Damned if you do, damned if you don’t</h2>
<p>It’s easy to see how these gender stereotypes can make things more difficult for female coaches.</p>
<p>Coaches are expected to be confident, demanding and assertive. Women in head coaching roles are, not surprisingly, expected to act “like a coach.” </p>
<p>But many of the behaviors expected of coaches also align with stereotypical male behaviors. So when women act like a coach, it violates traditional female gender stereotypes, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.10.008">subjecting them to backlash</a>.</p>
<p>Another problem is that female college athletes seem to value coaches who act in dominant, sometimes <a href="https://docplayer.net/18971095-Final-report-for-cage-the-coaching-and-gender-equity-project.html">authoritarian ways</a>. When female athletes are asked what they want in a coach, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19357397.2017.1315994?casa_token=wRIUCc5x1vYAAAAA:KQ7rqIc5yPGTQMyYFvoe3t-e4OiWqoeZs9BsELZnSHtIxb7XyGQIp5my_16HiiQ1xBRxgnk7PWHsNg">they’ll say</a> they want someone who is commanding, confident, assertive and knowledgeable.</p>
<p>At the same time, female athletes consider <a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=QWCpCwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA126&dq=schull+female+athletes&ots=PfE5d8LNed&sig=dTAzjCVcc0E5CFlNca5GUSbT5eY#v=onepage&q=schull%20female%20athletes&f=false">ideal female coaches</a> to be caring, supportive and nurturing. But this contradicts <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/doi/abs/10.1123/wspaj.2018-0011">what they value in a coach</a>.</p>
<p>Female coaches ultimately <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.25.1.36">find themselves in a double bind</a>: They’re damned if they act like men, and damned if they don’t.</p>
<p>On March 30, Notre Dame head women’s basketball coach Muffet McGraw <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/this-top-womens-college-basketball-coach-is-done-hiring-men-5f3b6d06609b/">told Think Progress</a> that she would no longer hire men coaches for her staff. A few days later, when she was asked to elaborate on her stance, <a href="https://twitter.com/ncaawbb/status/1113842633481310212">she said</a>,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Girls are socialized to know … that gender roles are already set. Men run the world. Men have the power. Men make the decisions. It’s always the men that [are] the stronger ones. When these girls are coming out, who are they looking up to telling them that that’s not the way it has to be? And where better to do that than in sports?” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>McGraw’s impulse to hire more women is well-founded. But the issue goes beyond simply hiring more women. These women, once they’re hired, need to be able to thrive in their jobs. Understanding how – and why – they’re held to a different standard is an important step in addressing the larger problem of inequality.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1113842633481310212"}"></div></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/116643/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Why do female college coaches seem to be held to a different standard than their male counterparts?Laura Burton, Professor of Sport Management, University of ConnecticutNicole M. LaVoi, Senior Lecturer of Social and Behavioral Sciences of Physical Activity, University of MinnesotaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1126392019-03-06T23:12:24Z2019-03-06T23:12:24ZBreaking up the Old Boys club by elevating women coaches<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262259/original/file-20190305-48450-1k4teti.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">San Antonio Spurs head coach Greg Popovich has advocated for women in coaching. He's pictured here with assistant coach Becky Hammon at a game against the Los Angeles Lakers in San Antonio, Feb. 6, 2016. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Darren Abate)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The federal government has a goal of achieving gender equity across all levels of sport by 2035. Minister of Sport Kirsty Duncan announced the development of a <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/working-group-gender-equity.html">Working Group on Gender Equity in Sport</a>. </p>
<p>In the group are experts, leaders and <a href="https://www.caaws.ca/working-group-on-gender-equity-in-sport/">advocates for girls and women in sport</a> and in coaching — Olympians <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/hayley-wickenheiser-maple-leafs-hired-player-development-1.4795874">Hayley Wickenheiser</a> and <a href="https://olympic.ca/team-canada/adam-van-koeverden/">Adam van Koeverden</a> and former Canadian women’s soccer team head coach <a href="https://nationalpost.com/pmn/sports-pmn/coach-john-herdmans-challenge-now-is-to-work-his-magic-with-the-canadian-men">John Herdman</a> are just a few of the high-profile members.</p>
<p>Currently, only <a href="https://www.coach.ca/files/Mentor_Guide_EN.pdf">16 per cent of head coaches in Canadian universities and 16 per cent of Canadian national team head coaches are women.</a></p>
<p>In Ontario, several coaching bodies and networks partnered with the province to launch <a href="http://www.ctgctc.ca/">Changing the Game – Changing the Conversation</a> to recruit and support women coaches. </p>
<p>It’s time for leaders in athletic communities to not only celebrate women in coaching, but perhaps also to ask: what can I do to open the door for more women coaches? Then do it.</p>
<h2>Why the low numbers?</h2>
<p>An examination of the research, and my own experience as a former university coach and current community club coach, suggests <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21640629.2012.695891?journalCode=rspc20">there are multiple challenges that make it difficult for women to pursue coaching and to advance in coaching</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262245/original/file-20190305-48441-6a7jty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262245/original/file-20190305-48441-6a7jty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262245/original/file-20190305-48441-6a7jty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262245/original/file-20190305-48441-6a7jty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262245/original/file-20190305-48441-6a7jty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262245/original/file-20190305-48441-6a7jty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262245/original/file-20190305-48441-6a7jty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Olympian Hayley Wickenheiser is part of Canada’s working group on Gender Equity in Sport and is now the first woman in the NHL to hold an operations role as assistant director of player development for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Here, in a January 2017 portrait.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="https://www.coach.ca/files/WiC_Journal_July_2004_Vol_4_No_5.pdf">Old Boys club</a>
presented by many sport organizations makes it challenging for young female coaches trying to enter coaching, as well as for those looking to advance through coaching ranks. </p>
<p>The vast majority of coaches, and those in leadership positions in sport, are men. Studies have shown that <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/doi/10.1123/ssj.8.1.47">people have a tendency to hire from a position of similarity</a>.</p>
<p>Women coaches may also face <a href="https://www.coach.ca/files/WiC_Journal_October_2007_Vol_7_No_4.pdf">expectations about managing domestic labour and caregiving at home</a>; the amount of time expected of women in those spheres can make the non-traditional work schedules associated with coaching challenging. Coaching often requires late nights and long weekends devoted to training, competition and travel.</p>
<p>Issues of harassment, low salary, stereotyping and being the <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/doi/10.1123/wspaj.18.2.25">token woman in a sport organization</a> are also well-documented barriers, but women coaches are not the only ones who face these challenges. </p>
<p>Women in various other professional sectors — business, medicine, law, engineering and higher education — have reported facing similar barriers in their careers. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262554/original/file-20190306-100790-h4a22k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262554/original/file-20190306-100790-h4a22k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262554/original/file-20190306-100790-h4a22k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262554/original/file-20190306-100790-h4a22k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262554/original/file-20190306-100790-h4a22k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=558&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262554/original/file-20190306-100790-h4a22k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=558&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262554/original/file-20190306-100790-h4a22k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=558&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer talks to Rutgers guard Arella Guirantes during an NCAA college basketball game Nov. 13, 2018, in Piscataway, N.J. Rutgers defeated Central Connecticut 73-44 as Stringer got her 1,000th career win.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, the percentage of women entering into and advancing in these sectors has increased over the years, <a href="https://kpe.utoronto.ca/sites/default/files/cis-gender-equity-report---2013.pdf">while the percentage of women in coaching is decreasing</a>. </p>
<h2>Sponsorship makes a difference</h2>
<p>My preliminary doctoral research shows that leaders in non-sport fields such as business and medicine believe sponsorship is responsible for improving the landscape of women in their fields. </p>
<p>Sponsorship, in this context, refers to <a href="https://www.coach.ca/files/CJWC_JANUARY2016_EN.pdf">mentorship but with added advocacy and personal investment in advancing a person’s career</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://hbr.org/2010/09/why-men-still-get-more-promotions-than-women">What makes sponsorship different from mentorship</a> is that a sponsor must be in a senior-level position or a position of leadership with influence and decision-making power. </p>
<p>In mentoring relationships, mentors can sit at any level in a hierarchy of an organization. They serve as role models, provide emotional support and feedback on how to improve professionally. They help mentees learn to navigate corporate politics and to increase a sense of competence, and they have an <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232463073_Mentoring_at_Work_Developmental_Relationships_in_Organisational_Life">overall focus on a mentee’s personal and professional development</a>.</p>
<p>Sponsors use their position of influence to actively advocate for their mentee. They make sure they are considered for promising opportunities, expose them to people who might help advance their careers and ultimately fight to get them promoted.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262252/original/file-20190305-48420-mzmoyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262252/original/file-20190305-48420-mzmoyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262252/original/file-20190305-48420-mzmoyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262252/original/file-20190305-48420-mzmoyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262252/original/file-20190305-48420-mzmoyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262252/original/file-20190305-48420-mzmoyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262252/original/file-20190305-48420-mzmoyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">John Herdman, left, now head coach of the Canadian men’s soccer team, is part of Canada’s Gender Equity in Sport working group. He’s here in Feb. 2016 with Bev Priestman, when he was head coach of the Canadian women’s soccer team and Priestman was on the coaching staff. Priestman is now assistant head coach to England’s women’s soccer team.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Neil Davidson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Sponsorship is focused on advancement and predicated on power, which is exactly what women coaches need.</p>
<p>Providing sponsorship opportunities is <a href="https://www.coach.ca/files/Mentor_Guide_EN.pdf">arguably the most important consideration for advancing women’s careers in coaching.</a></p>
<p>In the corporate sector, through the pairing of exceptional executive women with experienced and senior level board members, the Canadian program <a href="https://www.catalyst.org/">Women on Board</a> has appointed more than 100 women to corporate boards since it was established in 2007.</p>
<p>In my doctoral research looking at sponsorship in medicine, I examine how a now-established doctor credits senior-level men for tapping her on the shoulder when she was a junior doctor and encouraging her to apply for a leadership position. This process landed her the chief role at a major hospital in Toronto.</p>
<p>In coaching, we need more senior-level men and women to stick their necks out for exceptional and high-potential women coaches to recruit, retain and advance them in coaching.</p>
<p>What does this look like?</p>
<p>It looks like more athletic directors taking a chance on hiring graduating female athletes; provincial and national sport organizations giving women coaches more opportunities to head coach at major sporting events; and head coaches referring their assistant women coaches for head coaching jobs.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262257/original/file-20190305-48450-1781c4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262257/original/file-20190305-48450-1781c4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262257/original/file-20190305-48450-1781c4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262257/original/file-20190305-48450-1781c4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262257/original/file-20190305-48450-1781c4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262257/original/file-20190305-48450-1781c4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262257/original/file-20190305-48450-1781c4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jenny Boucek, left, former Seattle Storm head coach, with guard Jewell Loyd during a team practice, April 24, 2017, in Seattle. Boucek is now assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It also means seeing more women like Wickenheiser, <a href="http://www.nba.com/article/2018/06/27/san-antonio-spurs-promote-coach-becky-hammon-front-bench">Becky Hammon</a> and <a href="https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-mavericks/mavericks/2018/12/20/ready-choose-motherhood-nba-career-now-blazing-dual-trails-mavericks-first-female-coach">Jenny Boucek</a> in professional sports.</p>
<p>As part of the education and development of women coaches, advocacy from those in powerful positions is key. We all have a part to play in advancing women coaches and shifting the culture of coaching.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/112639/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jenessa Banwell receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). </span></em></p>Sponsorship, whereby a mentor in a powerful role advocates for a mentee, is what’s needed for women to advance in coaching.Jenessa Banwell, Ph.D. Candidate, Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1102672019-02-25T03:27:00Z2019-02-25T03:27:00ZToughen up snowflake! Sports coaches can be emotionally abusive – here’s how to recognise it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259697/original/file-20190219-43291-l77zzk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Emotional abuse, which includes humiliation and intimidation, is rampant in coaching culture.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Sports coaches have been in the headlines recently for all the wrong reasons. At the end of 2018, the University of Maryland investigated a football coach for <a href="http://www.espn.com.au/college-football/story/_/id/24351869/maryland-terrapins-football-jordan-mcnair-death-dj-durkin-scandal-line">intimidation, humiliation and verbal abuse</a>. This followed a player dying of heat stroke after a training session on a 41°C day.</p>
<p>Earlier that year, UK swimmer Karen Leach revealed the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/45084970">long-term impact</a> of what she said was sexual, mental, physical and emotional abuse inflicted on her by a former Olympic coach when she was a young swimmer. And US Olympic swimmer Ariana Kukors <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/21/sports/olympic-swimmer-ariana-kukors-coach-abuse.html">filed a lawsuit</a> against a former coach for sexual abuse.</p>
<p>Studies show nearly <a href="https://www.jsams.org/article/S1440-2440(14)00075-9/fulltext">50% of athletes suffer</a> from a mental health issue such as depression or anxiety.</p>
<p>Athlete abuse includes physical abuse, sexual abuse and emotional abuse. A study of 12 <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/car.843">former child athletes</a> in the United Kingdom showed most had been frequently threatened and humiliated – part of emotional abuse. These were former athletes across several sports including diving, football, gymnastics, hockey, netball, and track and field athletics. </p>
<p>So, what does emotional abuse in sport coaching look like, and why does it happen?</p>
<h2>Signs of emotional abuse</h2>
<p>Many youth sportsmen and women will be familiar with one or more coaching behaviours that are considered emotionally abusive.</p>
<p>Emotional abuse involves <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/17/1019?utm_source=trendmd&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=alljjs&utm_content=americas&utm_term=1-B">deliberate, prolonged, repeated non-contact behaviours</a> that occur in unbalanced relationships of power such as between a coach and athlete. Researchers suggest <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/car.843">emotional abuse by coaches can include</a> belittling, <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/03/14/teachers-bullying-scarred-us-say-student-athletes.html">humiliating</a>, shouting, <a href="https://theprovince.com/sports/high-school/youth-sports-cost-of-coaching-abuse-is-always-high-and-sometimes-fatal">scapegoating</a>, rejecting, isolating, threatening and ignoring. These forms of abuse can be subtle and hidden in accepted coaching practice. </p>
<p>Coaching that uses such methods can contribute to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-22/matildas-environment-of-stress-and-fear/10734412">psychological distress</a> and cause <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/17/1019?utm_source=trendmd&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=alljjs&utm_content=americas&utm_term=1-B">emotional breakdown</a> in athletes. In youth sport, participants who suffered emotional abuse reported a range of emotions including feeling <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/car.843">stupid, humiliated and depressed</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1082655487093542921"}"></div></p>
<h2>Why some coaches may be abusive</h2>
<p>Organised sport in Australia has been described as a <a href="https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/knowledge_base/organised_sport/value_of_sport/sport_for_community_development">focal point for community engagement, pride and achievement</a>. Australia has well-developed coach education programs to support such values in sport. These programs <a href="https://www.sportaus.gov.au/coaches_and_officials/coaches/coaching_children#children_s_characteristics">focus on skill development</a> and fun. </p>
<p>But research has found coaches <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13573322.2011.608949">value the knowledge of admired</a> or experienced coaches more than that of formal coach education. This may result in coaches recycling practice seen as accepted, but which may include abusive or harmful methods.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/jelena-dokics-story-of-abuse-shows-links-between-elite-sport-and-child-labour-87506">Jelena Dokic's story of abuse shows links between elite sport and child labour</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Formal coach education also uses mentors to help develop beginning coaches. But use of mentors <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/2159676X.2013.809376">has been shown</a> to shape practice so old ideas are valued and acceptance of more senior, and perhaps “old-school” coach’s ideas encouraged.</p>
<p>Coaches have been shown to use emotionally abusive behaviours when trying to develop mental toughness. Methods including <a href="https://cyclingtips.com/2015/04/extreme-methods-australian-womens-selection-camp/">extreme training environments</a> and <a href="https://web.b.ebscohost.com/abstract?direct=true&profile=ehost&scope=site&authtype=crawler&jrnl=19758286&AN=112950379&h=UeNHrTOfxagS9Z4Zpa2VolczUB7uQsZ5Wqh4Qvj68awcF7eQs1h2hPKggBFYdEBwA1vYoDGBS1LLwAOLVO94%2bQ%3d%3d&crl=c&resultNs=AdminWebAuth&resultLocal=ErrCrlNotAuth&crlhashurl=login.aspx%3fdirect%3dtrue%26profile%3dehost%26scope%3dsite%26authtype%3dcrawler%26jrnl%3d19758286%26AN%3d112950379">practices such as</a> humiliation, intimidation and forced physical exertion.</p>
<p>Talking about a program where female cyclists are trained for a competition in Europe, ex professional cyclist <a href="https://cyclingtips.com/2015/04/extreme-methods-australian-womens-selection-camp/">Rochelle Gilmore said</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>… they’ve got together to work out how they are going to mentally and physically break these girls down and get them to their breaking point, and that’s pretty much what the camp wants to do. It wants to see these athletes – see how they respond to things under pressure, under really, really severe fatigue.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Why do athletes accept this?</h2>
<p>Emotionally abusive coaching can sometimes be difficult for athletes and parents of athletes to recognise. Research shows parents can also become socialised into sporting cultures and become <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10413200.2011.608413">bystanders to abuse</a>. The motivation to ignore abuse can be as simple as wanting their child to reach their full potential.</p>
<p>Some athletes show a willingness to forgo personal safety in the pursuit of results. Some are willing to <a href="https://europepmc.org/abstract/med/12112974">subject themselves to anything that might assist</a> in achieving success. Athletes can also <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10926771.2014.872747">misinterpret emotionally abusive</a> practice as a sign their coach is interested in their improvement. </p>
<p>In one study of abuse in elite sport, a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10926771.2014.872747">female gymnast said</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>My coach would scream at me, but I knew she cared about me. I knew that she wasn’t screaming at me just to make me feel like I was nothing. There was an ulterior motive and that was to make me the best.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Respect for the coach and an expectation <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10413200008404218">this behaviour is normal</a> can encourage the behaviour to continue. Research also shows media, including films, can <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21640629.2016.1175149">contribute to the normalisation</a> of abusive coach/athlete relationships. </p>
<p>Abusive coaching behaviours, for instance, are hidden behind inspiring music and cinematography in the 2000 drama Remember the Titans, where the coach tells the team:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>… we will be perfect in every aspect of the game… You drop a pass you run a mile… You fumble a football and I will break my foot off in your John Brown hind parts. And then you run a mile</p>
</blockquote>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4f4pNwg_K9Q?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The media can normalise abusive coaching behaviours, such as those hidden in this ‘Remember the Titans’ speech.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And elite athletes who misrecognise potentially abusive practice <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13573322.2017.1417257">can steer public opinion</a> when sharing of <a href="https://swimswam.com/michael-phelps-favorite-hard-set/">stories of extreme practices</a> through social media. For instance, swimmer Michael Phelps once discussed in a Facebook post a training set he was proud of that brought him “pain”.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/violence-against-women-and-sports-ethical-responsibility-or-brand-control-32270">Violence against women and sports: ethical responsibility or brand control?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What can be done?</h2>
<p>Building toughness and resilience through exposure to challenging situations and training loads is an appropriate way to boost performance. But athletes need to be aware of the ethical boundary – the line between tough and abusive. Finding this line is the challenge of education.</p>
<p>Most coaches believe they are acting in the best interest of the athletes under their guidance. But coaches must be better educated in the kinds of methods that, even with the best intentions, can result in abuse. </p>
<p>Sporting organisations, coaches, athletes and parents need to understand <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/17/1019?utm_source=trendmd&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=alljjs&utm_content=americas&utm_term=1-B">what constitutes abuse</a>. Gender and power imbalances between coaches and athletes that are central to abuse need to also be highlighted in coach education. </p>
<p>It should be remembered that coaching practice in elite contexts is not always transferable to junior sport.</p>
<p>Parents and sport participants need to think critically about the practice of trusted coaches and make informed decisions about what we think is acceptable.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110267/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Zehntner does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Sports training often involves exposure to challenging situations to boost performance. But this can cross the line into emotional abuse. Here’s how to recognise when that happens.Chris Zehntner, Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, Southern Cross UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1119502019-02-21T22:19:58Z2019-02-21T22:19:58ZProtecting young athletes from abusive coaches – let’s get it right<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260276/original/file-20190221-195867-10fe3kf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">New approaches are needed to address the issue of coach abuse of young athletes.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The federal government has announced new initiatives aimed at keeping young athletes safe from abuse and harassment. The announcement by Minister of Sport Kirsty Duncan follows a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/shattered-trust-sexual-offences-in-amateur-sport-1.5013772">CBC investigation</a> that revealed more than 200 coaches have been convicted of sexual offences against 600 victims under the age of 18 in the past 20 years.</p>
<p>“No athlete or child should ever experience abuse and my heart breaks for those that have suffered,” said Duncan after announcing the government would work with the Coaching Association of Canada <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/federal-sport-minister-new-steps-eliminate-abuse-sport-1.5026911">to develop a national code of conduct.</a> The government will also create a new secretariat to develop a gender equity strategy in the hope that having more women coaches will lead to greater safety.</p>
<p>These new moves follow an announcement in 2018 that made <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/4284366/sporting-organizations-must-report-allegations-of-abuse-or-lose-federal-funding/">national sporting funding contingent on organizations having mandatory training and reporting mechanisms, among other rules</a>.</p>
<p>If we truly want to address the issue of coach abuse of young athletes, we need to look critically and realistically at the different risks young people face in different sporting contexts. </p>
<p>In amateur sports, I believe two things are needed: support for parents in educating their children about the grooming techniques of predatory coaches, and a simple and expedient independent reporting mechanism. </p>
<h2>Efforts to date to keep young people safe</h2>
<p>Ideas that the federal government is now raising follow earlier reform attempts. </p>
<p>On the heels of public awareness of abuse perpetrated by <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/2016827/a-timeline-of-graham-jamess-legal-history/">convicted sex offender and former junior hockey coach Graham James</a>, a federal advisory panel was convened in early 2000 to address concerns. </p>
<p>After a working group <a href="http://www.crdsc-sdrcc.ca/eng/documents/Working-Group-Report-e.pdf">released its report</a>, criminal record checks have been required every four years in order for <a href="https://www.coach.ca/trained-vs-certified-s16468?gclid=CjwKCAiAkrTjBRAoEiwAXpf9CfdXAUogwUa3nmsgCfHkiUTEWgZ0PW3sGFxmfu6Vv-V9971G0lNjdBoCfOMQAvD_BwE">coach certification</a> through the Coaching Association of Canada to be current. An educational component about making ethical decisions was also added to the association’s certification program. </p>
<p>Coaching certification doesn’t always happen in grassroots amateur sport. However, a rigorous screening process for coaches working with minors came into place, including criminal record checks and what’s known as a “vulnerable sector check” that <a href="http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/types-criminal-background-checks">verifies if a person has a pardon for sexual offences</a>. </p>
<p>Additional programs were <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00336297.2008.10483583?casa_token=2IqRl00XdiIAAAAA:anbmLnoFwGFlZfpaQzsiDABsk8eNTL8MBP1e8Gz_iuDxkKWrv-OkuYZgoZzWKS4GbbYJrwMGCzI57w">also developed</a>, including the <a href="https://cces.ca/responsible-coaching-movement">Responsible Coaching Movement</a>, <a href="https://truesportpur.ca/">True Sport</a> and <a href="http://respectgroupinc.com/respect-in-sport">Respect in Sport</a>. In Manitoba, the provincial government has partnered with Sport Manitoba to run the latter program to help <a href="https://www.sportmanitoba.ca/coaching/respect-sport-faq">coaches, parents and bystanders identify and deal with abuse, neglect, harassment and bullying in sport</a>. </p>
<p>Yet other suggestions were never taken up. For example, in 2008, kinesiology and physical education researchers Gretchen A. Kerr and Ashley E. Stirling recommended a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00336297.2008.10483583?casa_token=2IqRl00XdiIAAAAA:anbmLnoFwGFlZfpaQzsiDABsk8eNTL8MBP1e8Gz_iuDxkKWrv-OkuYZgoZzWKS4GbbYJrwMGCzI57w">federal government agency should provide broad information for parents and organizations, as well as “mechanisms for reporting, processes of investigation and standardized consequences.”</a> </p>
<h2>Will online education stop abusers?</h2>
<p>I agree with many physical education researchers that it’s important for governments to provide <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10538712.2011.573459?casa_token=pmr5w-43JegAAAAA:ixuhZn-NKJ-Uh9KVB4S16H6idEowtcbTu-EerSk5kQfC9-z0NF_eGYnAOrkO4_GehUl8o3UQgdMW9">protection for athletes with human, material and financial resources</a>. </p>
<p>But through my professional and academic coaching experience, and as a parent in athletic communities, it’s clear to me some of the directions we are taking with education are wrong. </p>
<p>Additional education isn’t going to prevent predators from preying on children. It may simply provide them with knowledge to circumvent screening.</p>
<p>My doctoral research analyzed how <a href="https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/133/">professional career coaches made ethical decisions in an attempt to develop a model for moral reasoning</a>. I didn’t look specifically at sexual abuse, but I interviewed seven high-level coaches who discussed a range of power and boundary issues they were familiar with. </p>
<p>Through this, and also based on anecdotal evidence from conversations with some victims, I believe sexual predators know what they’re doing is wrong. </p>
<p>For the tiny percentage who may actually not see their actions as harmful, a brief online course won’t change their misguided perception.</p>
<p>I also teach sport ethics at the University of Winnipeg. Even addressing boundaries at what seems to be the most basic level requires people talking to each other. This is difficult stuff to talk about. </p>
<p>It could be the case that more intensive education like this might prevent particular forms of exploitation and inappropriate behaviour — for example, by challenging understandings of power, sexual consent or sexual harassment. </p>
<p>But successful coaching requires intimate knowledge about a person in order to prescribe training and elicit a peak performance. Predators in any profession can inappropriately exploit this knowledge and groom potential victims.</p>
<p>Requiring all parent volunteer coaches to follow online training I think is redundant and adds unnecessary cost and time to decent coaches. </p>
<p>Where education could be particularly helpful is with supporting parents in educating their children about the dangers of predatory coaches.</p>
<h2>The problem with police checks</h2>
<p>Additional screening is also sometimes floated as a route to safer sport. </p>
<p>But there are several problems with police checks. Most obviously, this measure does nothing to prevent people from coaching with the intent or risk of abusing children who have no records. People with criminal records don’t get into coaching. </p>
<p>In 2012, <a href="https://yorkulions.ca/coaches.aspx?rc=703">Alix Krahn</a> (now a coach and PhD student at York University) and I wrote an article for Coach Plan, a newsletter of the Coaching Association of Canada. We questioned the value of police record checks for coaches and asked what more could be done if that money was spent elsewhere to improve safety. </p>
<p>By requiring police checks, we also exclude people with convictions for crimes such as tax evasion that don’t put children at risk or impact coaching ability. Police record checks only indicate a criminal record, not the reason for the criminal conviction. </p>
<p>As with additional moral education, extra requirements for screening may simply turn away good volunteer coaches, making it more difficult to deliver grassroots sport. </p>
<h2>A new approach</h2>
<p>The solution is better-informed parents and athletes and a clear, open, expedient and supportive reporting structure. </p>
<p>Kim Shore, a gymnastic parent and Gymnastics Canada director at large, discussed with CBC <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/sexual-abuse-amateur-sports-canada-protecting-kids-1.5014330">the importance and the difficulty discussing sexual abuse in sport</a> with her 11-year-old daughter in an effort to ensure early intervention should anything occur. </p>
<p>But <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/shattered-trust-key-questions-that-parents-should-be-asking-1.5022850?cmp=rss">resources for parents</a> are in short supply. </p>
<p>In search of swift political action, we should not obscure the different contexts of sport. Being alone in a hotel with a coach at an Olympic event is a far cry from little league baseball where parents supervise everything. </p>
<p>As new codes of conduct are proposed at various levels of sport, further research will be needed to understand the particular and exact cases where abusers have wreaked harm in sport and in individual lives to ensure the solutions we propose will be genuinely helpful.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/111950/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Telles-Langdon does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>As Canada examines new measures to protect young athletes, an emphasis on rigorous police checks and educating would-be offenders is not the answer.David Telles-Langdon, Associate Professor, Kinesiology and Applied Health, University of WinnipegLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1105632019-02-01T11:41:32Z2019-02-01T11:41:32ZBelichick versus McVay: An age-old question of leadership<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256687/original/file-20190131-109820-wlmmtr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay, left, shakes hands with New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Patriots-Rams-Super-Bowl-Football/6cd52073fd98456a80dce3e9ef3c3a7f/3/0">AP Photo/David J. Phillip</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Super Bowl LIII will pit the Los Angeles Rams against the New England Patriots, but the sidelines will be the setting for another kind of matchup: youth versus experience. </p>
<p>In 2017, Sean McVay, at 30 years old, was the youngest head coach to be hired in NFL history. Now in his second season, he’ll be facing off against Bill Belichick, the league’s longest tenured head coach.</p>
<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5_mbOXUAAAAJ&hl=en">As a leadership professor</a>, I study how leaders of all ages navigate generational differences, including how to motivate those that might be on the other side of the generation gap.</p>
<p>For Belichick and McVay, the challenges might seem particularly acute. Most of Belichick’s players hadn’t even been born when Belichick secured his first coaching gig. And while McVay can probably talk about social media with his players <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RevWkLfRJg">in a way Belichick can’t</a>, he’s in charge of a coaching staff that includes septuagenarians.</p>
<p>But it doesn’t matter if you’re the greenest of leaders or a grizzled veteran: With some insight into generational dynamics, your age can become irrelevant.</p>
<h2>Bridging the generational divide</h2>
<p>Having a leader at one end of the age spectrum can lead to all kinds of assumptions.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2014.06.001">Research has shown</a> that older leaders are expected to be stable, dependable and interested in upholding the status quo. Younger leaders are thought to be natural change agents and innovators.</p>
<p>There seems to be a basis for these assumptions. Studies have found older leaders do tend to take a more measured approach and lead in ways that are described <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10887150709336612">as structured and conservative</a>. Younger leaders, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10887150709336612">in contrast</a>, are more energetic and have what employees describe as a “take charge” approach.</p>
<p>But one approach isn’t necessarily better than the other. Instead, what matters is the ability of a leader, young or old, to do two things. </p>
<p>First, they must reflect certain leadership qualities. <a href="https://search.proquest.com/openview/9e35acc2a0c883b3f73c4f38b9623105/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=41493">Research shows</a> that people want leaders who they see as inspiring, competent, forward-looking and honest. </p>
<p>Second, a good leader must also understand the needs and perspectives of each team members – specifically, the different kinds of support younger and older employees require from their leaders. Navigating these generational differences requires what I call “gentelligence.” </p>
<p>For example, a young employee and an older employee might interpret the same action differently. While boomers tend to interpret a lack of feedback as a sign that everything is going well, millennials may assume the opposite. Studies show that they expect a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jls.21474">steady stream of feedback and mentoring</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03075079.2014.981516">We also know</a> that millennials place a lot of weight on how well a leader communicates and connects with them on a personal level, which makes them feel valued. Boomers also want to feel valued, but asking them what they did over the weekend isn’t the way to do it. Instead, a boss could ask them <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2012/09/17/the-four-things-young-leaders-must-do-to-effectively-lead-older-generations/#5c1401c3686f">to offer advice or input</a>. </p>
<h2>The yang to McVay’s yin</h2>
<p>The Rams aren’t the only organization giving the keys to a young leader: Across many industries, the number of millennial bosses is rising. Those born between 1981 and 1996 now make up <a href="https://www.ddiworld.com/DDI/media/trend-research/glf2018/global-leadership-forecast-2018_ddi_tr.pdf?ext=.pdf">20 percent</a> of organizational leadership roles. Baby boomers like the 66-year-old Bill Belichick currently <a href="https://www.ddiworld.com/DDI/media/trend-research/glf2018/global-leadership-forecast-2018_ddi_tr.pdf?ext=.pdf">hold just 18 percent</a> of these roles.</p>
<p>Baby boomers may appreciate the energy and communication skills of younger leaders. But in order to gain the trust of older employees, young leaders often need to be willing to openly acknowledge what they don’t know yet, and ask others for input. </p>
<p>McVay appears eager to do just this. When asked what it means to have the older, more experienced Wade Phillips as his defensive coordinator, McVay described it as a “yin and yang” dynamic. </p>
<p>“It allows you to have a sounding board from someone who has been through a whole lot more than you have, have somebody to bounce things off of,” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FqZcyputAZE?start=499">he told NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico</a>. “It’s all about the people you’re around,” he later added, “and not being afraid to say, ‘Hey, help me figure this out.’”</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FqZcyputAZE?wmode=transparent&start=499" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Sean McVay, who admits he can be too ‘wired’ at times, values the wisdom of his levelheaded assistant, Wade Phillips.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Belichick never rests on his laurels</h2>
<p>Older leaders need to grapple with a different set of challenges when engaging younger members of their team. </p>
<p>Established leaders such as Belichick grew up in an age when holding positions of leadership meant unquestioned respect. But younger generations are <a href="http://rave.ohiolink.edu/ejournals/article/348372921">less inclined to listen to someone simply because they hold a title</a>. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, older leaders are still well positioned to connect with younger employees who are eager for guidance, and their years of experience make them effective mentors. They also tend to bring <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1080%2F10887150709336612">a calm and consensus-building approach</a>.</p>
<p>Just as important is an older leader’s openness to the ideas of their young employees. It signals that they’re confident enough in their own experience and track record to empower those beneath them.</p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/JdnWmKnUcWg?t=90">According to his coaching staff</a>, what makes Belichick such an effective leader is his willingness to listen to and trust his staff.</p>
<p>As former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia explained, “We go to him with new ideas all the time – or what we think are new ideas.” </p>
<p>“He wants you to disagree,” receivers coach Chad O'Shea added. “He respects that. He listens. He trusts us and demonstrates that by letting us go out and make decisions.”</p>
<p>Success, whether in the boardroom or on the field, depends on the talent of a leader to understand and navigate the expectations and needs of all their team members – no matter their age.</p>
<p>For a leader in today’s 21st-century workplace, that may be the most important playbook of all.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110563/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Megan Gerhardt is founder and owner of The Gerhardt Group, LLC, a leadership consulting organization. </span></em></p>Even though young leaders and old leaders may have different approaches, one isn’t necessarily better than the other. But in order to succeed, a leader better be able to bridge generational divides.Megan Gerhardt, Professor of Management, Farmer School of Business, Miami UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1061182018-11-02T10:52:31Z2018-11-02T10:52:31ZDJ Durkin’s firing won’t solve college football’s deepest problems<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243554/original/file-20181101-83641-1mrzub3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Former University of Maryland football coach DJ Durkin pictured on the field in an undated photo.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Maryland-Fires-Coach-After-Reinstatement/5967056d8a2b4b13b9628ecad6339ff9/2/0">mpi34/MediaPunch /IPX</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Maryland college football coach DJ Durkin was ultimately fired after the death of a player during practice – and findings that his players were <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2018/10/25/report-maryland-football-culture-cites-problems-stops-short-toxic-label/?utm_term=.099bf6d97fcb">bullied and abused</a> by coaches and staff over the course his three-year tenure. However, his <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/As-Another-Head-Rolls-at-U-of/244975?cid=wsinglestory_hp_1">11th hour ouster</a> on Oct. 31 is evidence of how much the culture of college football still needs to change. </p>
<p>This culture encourages players to ignore signs of physical or mental exhaustion and is present across the college football landscape, not just at Maryland. </p>
<p>Durkin may be gone, but only because the public – including current players, students and alumni at the University of Maryland – wanted him gone. It wasn’t because the people in charge of Maryland’s university system suddenly realized how wrong it was for Durkin to run a program in which <a href="https://247sports.com/college/maryland/Article/Jordan-McNairs-Parents-Attorneys-Calls-DJ-Durkin-Maryland-Football-Coach-Decision-Heartbreaking-124024706/">complaining of pain was seen as unmanly</a>. </p>
<p>The board of regents at the University System of Maryland actually wanted to <a href="http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/25128085/maryland-board-recommends-keeping-dj-durkin-damon-evans">keep</a> Durkin. The board even <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/As-Another-Head-Rolls-at-U-of/244975?cid=wsinglestory_hp_1">reportedly pressured</a> University of Maryland President Wallace Loh to keep Durkin or risk losing his own job.</p>
<p>Loh initially responded by announcing his own resignation. But after hearing the <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/higher-ed/bs-md-umd-protest-20181031-story.html">public outcry</a> after the board moved to reinstate Durkin – Loh <a href="https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/terps/tracking-the-terps/bs-md-durkin-gone-20181031-story.html">fired Durkin instead</a>.</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://president.umd.edu/communications/statements/our-football-program">statement</a>, Loh noted how “the overwhelming majority of stakeholders expressed serious concerns about Coach DJ Durkin returning to the campus.”</p>
<p>“This is a difficult decision, but it is the right one for our entire University,” Loh stated. He also vowed to devote the remaining months of his presidency to “advancing the needed reforms in our Athletic Department that prioritize the safety and well-being of our student-athletes.”</p>
<p>A student-led protest was <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/higher-ed/bs-md-umd-protest-20181031-story.html">reportedly</a> being planned before the firing took place.</p>
<p>In our view as <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=list_works&hl=en&user=btoK1KsAAAAJ">researchers</a> who focus on the <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=YQkG8wIAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">intersection of race and college sports</a>, none of these events will rid big-time college sports of its deepest problems. Those problems include the placing of winning games and generating revenue ahead of the best interests of the student-athletes.</p>
<p>In recent years, legal <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1012690217718170">activists</a> like former athletes Ed O'Bannon, Cain Colter and <a href="https://www.law360.com/cases/53a1a2681101ea59be000001/articles">Martin Jenkins</a> have sought to change this <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1012690217718170">state of affairs</a>.</p>
<h2>Risking their lives</h2>
<p>It would be naive not to view big-time college sports through the lens of race. A recent report that shows black males make up only 2.4 percent of the general student body at Power 5 Bowl Championship Series schools, but <a href="https://race.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2018_Sports_Report.pdf">55 percent and 56 percent</a>, respectively, of football and men’s basketball teams.</p>
<p>Further, black male college athletes graduate at the <a href="https://race.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2018_Sports_Report.pdf">lowest rates</a> among all college athletes and in the NCAA and Division I Power 5 member institutions, which <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristidosh/2018/01/01/how-have-college-football-playoff-payouts-compared-to-bcs-a-conference-by-conference-breakdown/#10b7ebc82938">generate</a> <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/NCAA-Signs-108-Billion-Deal/65219">billions of dollars</a> primarily off the broadcasting and sponsorship rights for football and men’s basketball.</p>
<p>These trends underscore how black males are primarily valued at these institutions as athletic gladiators, but not as students deserving of quality educational opportunities and support for their <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10665684.2016.1194097">overall well-being</a>.</p>
<h2>Failed to render medical aid</h2>
<p>Had Durkin been allowed to continue to coach despite the toxic culture uncovered at Maryland following the May 2018 death of 19-year-old offensive lineman Jordan McNair, many would have considered it a gross <a href="https://www.si.com/college-football/2018/10/30/jordan-mcnair-parents-dj-durkin-return-maryland">miscarriage of justice</a>.</p>
<p>McNair died of heatstroke during practice earlier this year. A cold-water immersion would have <a href="https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/terps/bs-sp-jordan-mcnair-heatstroke-treatment-20180717-story.html">likely saved his life</a> but team staff and coaches <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/terrapins-insider/wp/2018/08/14/university-of-maryland-apologizes-to-jordan-mcnair-family-for-mistakes-that-our-training-staff-made/?utm_term=.e66e152d1efb">failed</a> to promptly seek medical assistance.</p>
<p>While player deaths during practice may be rare, indifference toward black athletes, especially their <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-spt-ncaa-brain-injuries-lawsuits-20180703-story.html">physical</a> and <a href="https://theundefeated.com/features/black-student-athlete-summit-raises-awareness-about-mental-health/">mental health</a>, is widespread in college sports.</p>
<p>The prevalence of college athletes’ unmet mental and physical health needs is <a href="https://www.si.com/edge/2017/10/31/former-college-athletes-chronic-injuries-health-issues">well-documented</a>. The NCAA’s Sport Science Institute, through its own research, has acknowledged that college athletes’ <a href="http://www.ncaa.org/sport-science-institute/mind-body-and-sport-depression-and-anxiety-prevalence-student-athletes">health issues</a> remain a major problem.</p>
<h2>Disparities in discipline?</h2>
<p>Yet, as the story of Durkin demonstrates, both the NCAA – and the University of Maryland as one of its member institutions – have failed to create and enforce policies that hold coaches responsible for creating conditions that are injurious to college athletes’ overall well-being.</p>
<p>The system seems more bent on policing and punishing black student-athletes than it does on holding accountable those who are responsible for their care.</p>
<p>For instance, several players on the University of North Carolina football team were <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/acc/2018/08/06/north-carolina-unc-suspensions-team-issued-shoes/917234002/">suspended for four games</a> for selling their team-issued shoes in violation of NCAA rules. Another black player, a University of Central Florida kicker, was <a href="https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/ucf-knights/knights-notepad/os-sp-ucf-kicker-ineligible-20170731-story.html">ruled ineligible</a> after receiving money through a YouTube channel he created. </p>
<p>These student-athletes who engaged in victimless acts and tried to make a few dollars in a system that <a href="http://assets.usw.org/ncpa/pdfs/6-Billion-Heist-Study_Full.pdf">makes billions of dollars</a> from their labor are made to sit out games or get kicked off the team entirely. Yet, as demonstrated by the initial decision to keep Durkin, neglecting the health needs of a player in medical distress is excusable.</p>
<h2>Balancing academics and sports</h2>
<p>Being a college athlete is inherently tough work. One of us is <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdSzb2A2auz4zMVysCKSjTlx8HA_pZdaoNPZ0nh5FsuI8JsFw/viewform">conducting research</a> into black Division I football and men’s basketball players. Thus far, the research shows 64 percent of respondents find it difficult or very difficult to balance their student and athlete identities while they’re in season, compared to only 34 percent when out of season. </p>
<p>These numbers illustrate the imbalance in what college athletes are expected to do versus how much time they have for school. If it’s already difficult for players to manage the demands of college and the obligations to their team, how much more difficult was it for Maryland football players, who faced a <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2018/10/30/18045516/maryland-terrapins-dj-durkin-toxic-culture-college-football">football culture</a> that normalized physical and mental abuse under Durkin. It was noted in a report that before McNair passed away, one of the staff <a href="https://247sports.com/college/maryland/Article/Jordan-McNairs-Parents-Attorneys-Calls-DJ-Durkin-Maryland-Football-Coach-Decision-Heartbreaking-124024706/">called him a vulgar name</a> for a female private part. </p>
<p>College football players are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/18/sports/ncaafootball/nlrb-says-northwestern-football-players-cannot-unionize.html">not allowed to form a union</a>. In our view, this curtails their ability to seek recourse if their rights are being violated.</p>
<p>Before Durkin was fired, <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2790984-maryland-strength-coach-rick-court-resigns-in-wake-of-jordan-mcnairs-death">blame</a> initially fell on strength and conditioning coach Rick Court, who resigned after McNair’s death. Court was, in some ways, cast as a bad apple and the tragedy allowed to be seen as an isolated case of inattentiveness to one player’s medical needs by a few replaceable athletic staff.</p>
<h2>The wrong kind of firing</h2>
<p>It’s important to note that in being “fired,” Durkin is still reportedly being <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2018/10/31/maryland-parts-ways-with-head-football-coach-dj-durkin/?utm_term=.253bea052d07">bought out</a> for the remainder of his five-year contract, valued at more than $5 million.</p>
<p>If the University of Maryland had taken <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2016/10/26/college-football-coach-salary-database-buyouts-kirk-ferentz-iowa-charlie-strong-texas/92417648/">the more difficult route</a> of firing Durkin for just cause and taking away his payout, that would have sent a powerful message that players’ lives matter.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/106118/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Even though Maryland college football coach DJ Durkin has been fired, his 11th hour ouster will not rid college football of some of its deepest problems, argue two scholars on race and college sports.Joseph Cooper, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, University of ConnecticutJasmine Harris, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Ursinus CollegeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/914862018-02-28T01:14:36Z2018-02-28T01:14:36ZMore money may be pouring into women’s sport, but there’s still a dearth of female coaches<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206896/original/file-20180219-75997-106ak6z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Adelaide's Bec Goddard (centre) is one of just two female senior coaches in the AFLW.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Dan Peled</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Participation in women’s sport has grown exponentially in recent years. There are 80,000 more females playing Australian rules football in 2017; females now account for <a href="http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-11-30/football-participation-hits-record-numbers">30% of all participants</a>. And there are now 1,690 dedicated female teams – an increase of 76% on 2017 numbers.</p>
<p>However, the number of women in coaching positions has stayed relatively stagnant <a href="http://wwda.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/sportfr06.pdf">since 2006</a>, when 36% of all lower-level coaches and only 15% of coaches within high-performance sport were female. There are only two women in senior coaching positions and four working as assistants in the AFLW; the VFLW has similar numbers. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/growth-of-womens-football-has-been-a-100-year-revolution-it-didnt-happen-overnight-71989">Growth of women’s football has been a 100-year revolution – it didn't happen overnight</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<h2>Why the lack of women coaches?</h2>
<p>In 1972, the US passed a gender equity law, <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/tix_dis.html">Title IX</a>, which ensured equal opportunities for females working in federally funded educational institutes. It resulted in 90% of female sports teams in the US having a female head coach. That number <a href="http://www.acostacarpenter.org/AAUP_%20Are%20We%20There%20Yet.pdf">has now declined</a> to about 40%, despite increases in funding and female participation in sport.</p>
<p>It can be argued that while Title IX’s introduction led to greater investment in women’s sport, this came with more opportunities for more experienced male coaches to take full-time paid roles as coaches of female teams.</p>
<p>High-performance sport is a unique workplace, with many stressors and challenges. The coach’s role is often ill-defined and constantly changing, and though it can be a high-pressure environment, many enjoy the energy that competitive sport brings. </p>
<p>While all coaches at the highest level face these stressors, female coaches face several distinctive challenges. These include: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>a traditionally male-dominant domain;</p></li>
<li><p>lack of social networks and role models; and</p></li>
<li><p>reported conflict between coaching and personal responsibilities. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>This has created <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21640629.2012.695891">barriers for females</a> both entering coaching and having a continued engagement with coaching.</p>
<p>Improving pathway access for aspiring female coaches is a challenge. Part of this challenge is visibility.</p>
<p><a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1985-98423-000">Learning is social</a>, and is a result of observation, imitation and modelling. So, if a female cannot see someone like them in a coaching role, then it is difficult to see themselves in the role.</p>
<h2>How can the numbers be increased?</h2>
<p>Few interventions have proven effective to retain female sport coaches. </p>
<p><a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1260/174795408787186431">The tendency is</a> to assume the problem lies with women, but sport’s patriarchal culture is what needs to contested and transformed. </p>
<p>When the culture is gendered and behaviours are represented by masculine and hyper-masculine actions, females are positioned as bringing no value to the profession. </p>
<p>The problem is further exacerbated by the prevailing views about acceptable female behaviour within the sporting community. As coaches, women face a double bind: feminine behaviours are deemed not appropriate for coaching, while masculine or hyper-masculine behaviours are not becoming of a female. </p>
<p>Coaches are expected to be work-ready so they can elevate a team to the next performance level. This requires time and experience, and timely experience. The AFLW is a case in point: its accelerated timeline left female coaches behind, not unlike Title IX in the US. </p>
<p>Professional women’s sport has opened the door to dual coaching pathways for men. Sporting organisations need to think long term and creatively about how to design and provide experience that jettisons women into head coaching roles. For example, women could become head coaches in high-performance male youth programs or in men’s leagues that are mature.</p>
<p>Adelaide’s AFLW coach, Bec Goddard, is a great example of someone who gained experience in high-profile men’s leagues before taking up her current position. This enabled her to be work-ready, and demonstrated her competence. </p>
<p>For female coaches, having knowledge about sport’s historical, social and cultural evolution can empower them to externalise rather than internalise issues and challenges faced, and <a href="https://www.coach.ca/files/WiC_Journal_July_2005_Vol_5_No_4.pdf">look for opportunities</a>. But sport is a labyrinth, and its culture is far from transparent. </p>
<p>So, selected sponsors and influential people must go beyond mentoring to provide public support <a href="https://www.coach.ca/files/CJWC_JANUARY2016_EN.pdf">to female coaches</a>, and advance and promote them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91486/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Despite participation rates in women’s sport growing exponentially in recent years, the number of women in coaching positions has remained frustratingly stagnant.Fraser Carson, Lecturer In Sport Coaching, Deakin UniversityJulia Walsh, Senior Lecturer in Sports Coaching, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/877692017-12-04T19:18:04Z2017-12-04T19:18:04ZWhy coaching, not gadgets, is key to getting the most out of employees<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197236/original/file-20171201-30923-sfy9z5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Coaching means many things, from simply listening to staff, to helping them set personal goals.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/154606111@N05/38648705292/">Taylor Johnson/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Forget the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/the-best-business-technology-and-productivity-gadgets">gadgets</a> and “<a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/featured/50-ways-to-increase-your-productivity.html">lifehacks</a>” to increase productivity, my <a href="http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1397&context=gsbpapers">research</a> with Julia Milner shows that managers need to become coaches to get the best out of their employees.</p>
<p>Coaching means many things, from simply listening to staff, to helping them set personal goals or understand the company’s objectives. When employees understand the business goals, they can make their own decisions and not wait for someone to tell them what to do. </p>
<p>When employees are listened to, they feel valued and empowered. They have greater ownership and commitment to actions that they themselves have identified as necessary. As one manager in our study noted:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>When you coach people rather than command people, you almost always win their hearts and minds, so loyalty, trust and confidence are built.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1338&context=gsbpapers">Our research</a> shows manager coaching led to improvements in productivity, engagement and customer service. One manager reported that coaching led to an increase in output from 35% of the target to greater than 100% within 12 months. One organisation improved customer service by 450% within five months of introducing manager coaching. </p>
<p>Coaching also transformed some underachievers into star performers. For example, one employee who was described as “very lacking in self-confidence” developed enough confidence to apply for a promotion and became a highly effective manager. Coaching had helped the employee to identify solutions, by providing advice and expertise when needed.</p>
<h2>Coaching in practice</h2>
<p>Coaching is a conversation between two or more people to find a way forward together. The participants reflect on the current situation, agree on a goal, and identify options and actions for moving toward the goal. </p>
<p>In practice there are four things mangers should do during coaching:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Genuinely listen to their employees, allowing time to think out loud and come up with their own ideas.</p></li>
<li><p>Ask questions that help employees develop their thinking. If an employee identifies a problem the manager can ask what solutions they can think of.</p></li>
<li><p>Work with employees to set goals. Create an energising dialogue to make this task more than ticking boxes.</p></li>
<li><p>Give constructive feedback to help employees align with organisational goals and develop professionally. </p></li>
</ol>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/six-effective-ways-to-have-that-difficult-conversation-at-work-39559">Six effective ways to have that difficult conversation at work</a>
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<p>The majority of the 580 general managers and human resource managers who participated in <a href="http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1338&context=gsbpapers">our research</a> coached their employees at least once a week.</p>
<p>Organisations in our study used quarterly coaching sessions to set employee expectations, monthly sessions to review progress, and weekly sessions with new employees or employees in new roles. Informal coaching happens whenever opportunities arise – for example, discussing an incident the manager has observed and identifying alternative approaches. The employee can take ownership of the situation by choosing what alternative to implement.</p>
<p>Of course, implementing manager coaching is easier said than done. <a href="http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1443&context=gsbpapers">Most training</a> in coaching does not address the complexities of the manager as coach.</p>
<p>For example, what should a manager do if an employee tells them something in confidence that they would not normally tell a manager? The best way to deal with this is by being honest and upfront about what can and cannot be kept confidential. </p>
<p>Managers also find it difficult to make time for coaching, although they may save time in the long run as employees don’t need their advice as often. This frees up managers to spend more time thinking strategically.</p>
<p>Managers in our study spent more time with new employees or employees in new roles than with employees who were already comfortable in their roles. They also recommended choosing the right time to coach – for example, not starting a session in the middle of a crisis.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/productivity-push-should-focus-on-frontline-managers-23595">Productivity push should focus on frontline managers</a>
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<p>You’ve probably heard of “<a href="http://www.afr.com/leadership/time-for-executive-coaching-to-come-out-of-the-shadows-20130715-jyl0q">executive coaches</a>”. These people are like consultants who work one on one with managers on how to improve their leadership style, act as a sounding board for their ideas, or manage work-life balance.</p>
<p>But, as our research shows, there’s no reason for coaching to be restricted to outside consultants – managers should <a href="http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1397&context=gsbpapers">coach their own employees</a>.</p>
<p>Coaching achieves fantastic outcomes for employees, for the organisation and for the managers themselves. As one manager in our study said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Staff who believe their managers and organisations care about them by investing their time in coaching them are naturally more positive, happier whilst working. They are great team players. Their skills improve, they get promoted. </p>
<p>Most importantly this flows on to how your customers are treated. Treat staff well and they treat your customers well. Your business then flourishes.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>If managers don’t know where to start, they should begin by listening to employees. They may be surprised by how much staff know and how much they appreciate being asked. </p>
<p>The greatest reward for a leader is seeing their staff develop and grow. Coaching is a practical way to achieve this.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/87769/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Grace McCarthy does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Research shows that coaching employees makes them feel valued and empowered, and builds better relationships with management.Grace McCarthy, Dean Sydney Business School, University of WollongongLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.