The current study was undertaken to explore how U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I female and male head coaches defined and implemented care in their coaching practice. Eighteen coaches (M ¼ 39.2 years; nine females, nine males) from eight different sports (baseball, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming, track and field/crosscountry, volleyball, and golf) consented to be interviewed via a semi-structured interview guide based on the care literature. Data analysis was conducted using Consensual Qualitative Research with a team of five researchers including an external auditor. Results revealed that care revolved around six domains: (a) definition of care; (b) manifestations of care; (c) limits to capacity to be caring; (d) development of care; (e) factors facilitating care, and (f) factors hindering care. Each domain contained several categories (N ¼ 22 total categories) composed of core ideas. Results are presented using participants' own words to illustrate domains and categories. Implications for research and practice are also put forth, which link the findings to the broader U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association coaching context.

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In NCAA Division I women’s basketball, Black female coaches make up only a small percentage of the total number of coaches (i.e., 26%; NCAA, 2016) even though the majority of student-athletes are Black (i.e., 51%). Although these discrepancies have recently been recognized in sport studies literature (Borland & Bruening, 2010; LaVoi & Dutove, 2012), sport psychology researchers have yet to explore the underlying structural and psychological issues that lead to the underrepresentation of Black female coaches in NCAA Division I women’s basketball. To this end, we utilized narrative inquiry (Smith & Sparkes, 2009a) in the current study to explore the stories of eight NCAA Division I women’s basketball assistant coaches who identify as Black females. During face-to-face interviews, participants described the roles they are asked to fill and the ways they cope with the multiple oppressions they experience as Black women in coaching. The first and second authors co-constructed four themes, (a) Pregame: Learning to coach; (b) First half: Experiences from the first 10 years; (c) Second half: Experiences from the last five years; and (d) Overtime: Thinking about the future, throughout their thematic analysis of these narratives (Braun & Clark, 2006). It is hoped that these findings will lead to the development of interventions that can empower NCAA Division I Black female coaches as well as challenge current structural ideologies that disadvantage Black female coaches in this context. Further, creating a more inclusive environment at NCAA Division I institutions could enhance the experiences and coaching career aspirations of Black female student-athletes by allowing them to see empowered Black female role models in coaching positions. Implications for certified mental performance consultants (CMPCs) working within NCAA Division I women’s basketball, who are well positioned to contribute to these efforts, are also discussed.

The focus of the current study was on the ways that U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I female and male assistant coaches defined and implemented care with their student-athletes. Twenty-three coaches (14 female, 9 male) from nine different sports (baseball, basketball, golf, rowing, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field/crosscountry, and volleyball) agreed to participate in a semi-structured interview. The data were analyzed using Consensual Qualitative Research by a team of four researchers as well as an external auditor. Results indicated that care was encompassed within 12 total categories and four major domains: (a) development of care, (b) definitions of care, (c) manifestations of care, and (d) factors influencing care. Results are presented using direct quotes from assistant coaches in the form of core ideas to highlight the domains and categories. Throughout the discussion, the findings are linked to previous research on care and the broader U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association coaching context. In addition, directions for future research are also put forth.

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