Legal & Ethical Roles of a Sports Coach

Sports play a significant part in the lives and education of many young people. Because sports have such an important place within society, we rely on coaches to undertake a multitude of responsibilities. Not surprisingly, coaches' roles as authority figures and caretakers often mesh to the extent that they become almost surrogate parents on the playing field.

  1. The Caretaker

    • Good coaches listen and respond to their players.

      Health and safety, above all, are every coach's primary concerns. This means that they need both access to and the knowledge to apply first-aid if needed, as well as contact information for emergency services. Health and safety are not limited to physicality. Coaches need to create an environment free from intolerance, fear, and judgment. Coaches must also listen and respond to the individual needs of players, and do so in a thoughtful and caring manner. It is in this role that coaches essentially become parents on the field.

    The Teacher

    • Good coaches stay current in techniques.

      Proper instruction lies at the heart of any coaching position. Regardless of the sport, coaches are teachers, and are expected to stay current with developments in coaching and in the techniques used in their respective sports. Coaches must be competent instructors whom their players -- and the parents of the players -- can trust.

      Furthermore, beyond technical instruction, coaches should also educate players and parents about nutrition and the use of supplements (See References 1).

    The Manager

    • Good coaches have advanced strategic skills.

      In addition to being instructors and caretakers, coaches are also administrators. Scholastic coaches spend hours each week planning practice and game schedules, arranging for transportation, scouting potential recruits, and keeping tabs on the academic progress of their players. On the field, in both practice and game situations, they need to possess adequate planning and critical thinking skills. They also need leadership skills, and to be able to manage successfully a group of players.

    The Role Model

    • Joe Paterno and Urban Meyer are respected as much for their personal qualities as for their records.

      Coaches bear an additional burden in that they should be role models off the field, too. They need to set examples for their players to follow, and maintain reputations as upstanding members of the community. This aspect carries even more weight at the college and university level, where coaches' personal lives are heavily scrutinized, and their reputations factor significantly in their ability to recruit top-level prospects.