The December 11, 2011 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education published a powerful headline on its cover: “What The Hell Has Happened to College Sports? And What Should We Do About it?”
The article and commentaries came in the wake of the Penn State issues, but really was the climax of several high profile program problems. One year later, there is no answer to either question. Even worse, widespread media coverage may have spurred more public allegations of wrongdoing.
Recently cases of alleged abuse by coaches have made their way into national headlines. An Idaho State football player was shoved to the ground by an over-zealous head coach; a Washington State football player quit his team, citing coaching staff abuse; and an NCAA Division III golf coach was fired because of a post-tournament profanity laden tirade, secretly recorded by a player on the bus ride home.
True or not, public allegations taint an institution, its coaches and administration. And it is now easier than ever to get a story into the public mainstream with the wide scope of social and internet media available. Anyone is one tweet away from being interviewed live on ESPN.
Developing a culture in which honest and open feedback is encouraged, expected and honored will self-regulate the spikes in public attention to these types of matters. It will also allow athletic departments to proactively work with both student-athletes and coaches to develop communication skills and strategies. If a disgruntled student-athlete knows there is a clear, safe process to voice concerns, the likelihood of that concern leaking outside of the department decreases.
Further, if coaches know that they will be held accountable for all actions, not just those on game day, it will add an element of breadth to the profession. Not all coaches are bad and most still have the best intentions of educating and developing young men and women. But in today’s sports culture, it’s harder and harder to focus on those less tangible, yet more important, outcomes.
This topic is a complex issue with many moving parts. We all need to protect student-athletes and support coaches. NCAA reforms are a start, but campus-level changes must occur to make any reach change.
Here are a few observations and recommendations:
What happens in the locker room, no longer stays in the locker room
Social media has forever changed the world, and the locker room. Cell phones, twitter and internet media can explode within minutes after a post of a single piece of unverified but juicy information. In an instant of public awareness, the balance of power shifts to the ‘victimized’ student-athlete. If he/she feels like there is no one to turn to on campus, social media might be the next place they go.
Solution:
WRONG- Institute a ban on twitter accounts, hire a staff member or service provider to monitor all student-athletes’ tweets.
RIGHT- Embrace a twitter culture and expect coaches and student-athletes to work cooperatively to implement a social media strategy to help build brand awareness and support.
Coaches should know better, and most do
Some of the history’s best coaches are infamous for their tempers, outbursts and demanding expectations. As one saying goes, ‘There are three sides to every story… yours, mine and the cold, hard truth.’ It is difficult to know what really transpires in these situations and the coach-player relationship can be an emotional roller coaster, influenced by many things. We all need to trust coaches to do the right thing and support their efforts with clear expectations and training.
Solution:
WRONG- Try to change the coach’s personality with eight hours of sensitivity training.
RIGHT- Embrace the coach’s positive attributes and clearly outline the parameters for behavior expectations and consequences for not adhering to them.
Balance of power
The old school approach gave all the power to the coach. The dictator approach was widely accepted and less widely well-executed by generations of coaches. Military style approaches to running teams worked for the better part of the last century. Then, something changed. A shift in student-athletes has evolved and led to clash of power. Once motivated by responsibilities and obligations, student-athletes now operate on principles of rights and privileges owed to them. But student-athletes are not to blame for this.
Solution:
WRONG- Do anything possible to keep a student-athlete, or prospect, happy.
RIGHT- Clearly outline expectations for BOTH coaches and student-athletes, beginning in the recruiting process so prospects and their parents know what to expect. And, if these expectations are not acceptable, part ways immediately to save everyone time, energy, money and recruiting stress.
Student-athletes should know better, but can’t
So what is a player to do? He or she feels belittled, threatened or otherwise compromised by a coach and is unsure where to turn. For most Division I student-athletes, their abilities have garnered praise and promise but also created an unfair sense of entitlement. Encountering an authority figure with high expectations and consequences for accountability, often for the first time, causes emotional conflict. An 18-22 year old cannot effectively manage these situations.
Solution:
WRONG- Penalize or otherwise make an example of a student-athlete who raises an issue with coach behavior.
RIGHT- Develop ways in which coaches, student-athletes and administrators can openly discuss any issues that come up. An internal investigation is not the first time an administrator should be talking to a student-athlete about his/her experiences.
Who can we blame?
It’s never any one person’s fault, but everyone wants someone to blame. Coaches are fired, sometimes mid-season. In today’s ultra-competitive environment, a college coach doesn’t have the opportunity to build a program. At the big-time levels, wins equal money and money trumps all other aspects of a program: character, integrity, development, education, discipline. The system itself is broken and no one person, program or organization is to blame. We have all created this monster. Everyone wants a level playing field but the reality is that no playing field will ever be level.
Solution:
WRONG- Continue to embrace a culture that promotes and rewards excess and supports ‘what have you done for me lately’ coaches, student-athletes and boosters.
RIGHT- Well, this is a topic for another column. Stay tuned.