Navigating in the Gray Area of Coach-Athlete Relationships in Sports: Toward an In-depth Analysis of the Dynamics of Athlete Maltreatment Experiences

Abstract

Several studies have revealed the abusive behaviors directed against athletes in various sports contexts, but knowledge about the processes by which the athletes realize and accept or reject maltreatment is underdeveloped. Thus, it is difficult to establish a solid scientific basis for characterizing the mechanisms of maltreatment from the athletes' perspective regarding the forms of maltreatment they endure and the impact on their performance and wellbeing. The main goals of this paper are to show how the enactive approach (including theoretical assumptions and methodological standards) can meet these challenges, as it is well-suited to (a) describe the evolving interactions between athletes and the sports situations that lead to maltreatment (i.e., navigating in the gray area of coach-athlete relationships), (b) identify those alert landmarks that help us assess the level of risk of athlete maltreatment, and (c) provide concrete guidelines to prevent and deal with sports-related maltreatment. We illustrate our approach by a case study that examines the experience of a retired high-level boxer who faced several forms of maltreatment. Our results reveal a dynamic change in the interactions between the boxer and the maltreatment situations that led her through (a) Acceptance (i.e., future-oriented positive involvement), (b) Regulation attempt (i.e., negative feelings about weight loss, exhaustion and loneliness, questioning the compromise between performance and health, acceptance and loneliness), (c) Distancing (i.e., reopening to others) and (d) Rejection (i.e., rebellion and the decision to stand up to her coach and leave). Based on our results, we present concrete guidelines to prevent and address sports-related maltreatment, with four progressive alert landmarks that help situate the athlete in the gray area of coach-athlete relationships and suggest a “timeline” of maltreatment escalation with key warnings.

Towards an understanding of maltreatment in football

“…Various authors have considered the overarching term of maltreatment to encapsulate the numerous forms of harm which may occur in sport (10,13,14). Specifically, these authors operationalize maltreatment as: all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child's health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power (15).…”

“…Part of this issue may be explained by the complexity of understanding maltreatment (22). This is further complicated by what has been described as the "grey area" of relationships, such as between a coach and athlete (14). "Grey area" behaviors may be deemed as either acceptable or unacceptable, depending on the circumstances, the intent and frequency of the potential maltreatment (14).…”

“…This is further complicated by what has been described as the "grey area" of relationships, such as between a coach and athlete (14). "Grey area" behaviors may be deemed as either acceptable or unacceptable, depending on the circumstances, the intent and frequency of the potential maltreatment (14). The result of this are issues with the reporting of maltreatment which might be reflective of the degree to which key personnel (e.g., football players, coaches, sport scientists and welfare officers) are educated (or not) about this behavior (22).…”

“…Coaches' negative approaches can be ingrained, stemming from their careers as athletes and/or the experiences of other coaches, which, when coupled with situational factors such as job insecurity (27), can provide an additional context in which maltreatment can grow (28). The result can be a grey area within coaches' relationships with athletes, where the latter individuals often navigate maltreatment situations by accepting them through normalization (14). Unfortunately, other researchers have also shown that these practices of maltreatment extend beyond coaches to other members of an athlete's entourage, such as parents, partners, and general team managers (20,28).…”

“…Although this pointed to maltreatment occurring at the individual level, other accounts showed that these forms of neglect may be more driven at a wider club or systemic level, suggesting that the interaction of these factors leads to needs not being met. Unfortunately, this may reflect a failure such that safeguarding programs directed at the systemic level do not necessarily change individual behavior (14). As Anna described, We're coming to the end of the season now.…”