scholarly journals “She is the Best Female Coach”: Female Swimming Coaches’ Experiences of Sexism

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-118
Author(s):  
Jessica L. Siegele ◽  
Robin Hardin ◽  
Elizabeth A. Taylor ◽  
Allison B. Smith

Sport participation for women and girls is at an all-time high in the United States, but women are still widely underrepresented in leadership positions and coaching (Acosta & Carpenter, 2014). Women hold approximately 50% of head coaching positions of women’s teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and only 18% of the head coaching positions of women’s swimming and diving teams (LaVoi & Silva-Breen, 2018). Numerous barriers have been identified through previous research on the factors that inhibit upward career mobility for female coaches. Semi-structured interviews were used to examine the career experiences of 21 current or former female swimming coaches at the NCAA Division I level. The theme of sexism in coaching was pervasive and identified in five different categories: (a) misidentification, (b) differential treatment, (c) isolation, (d) tokenism, and (e) motherhood. The sexism that female coaches experience hinders upward career mobility which can lead to career dissatisfaction and early exits from the field, contributing to the underrepresentation of women in the profession.

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 345-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan M. Buning ◽  
Melissa A. Thompson

Abstract Perspectives of female collegiate softball athletes (n = 41) attending universities (n = 25) in the United States classified as National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I teams, were examined in this study. Using Self-determination theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 2000) as a guide, structured interviews were conducted to assess athletes’ perspectives of head coach behaviors that influenced competence and motivation. Content analysis followed existential phenomenological interpretation methods and revealed three primary themes that influenced motivation: athletes’ perceived competence, coach-related factors (e.g., behaviors, strategies), and coach-athlete communication. Athletes acknowledge the head coach was a major influence on perceptions of competence. Perceptions of coach-athlete communication (including verbal communication) were the greatest influence on athlete motivation. Athletes were more motivated to perform when the head coach’s communication was clear and direct. Athletes’ motivation was most negatively influenced when the coach avoided communication or ignored athletes after a performance attempt. These findings are further explored as they relate to coaching interventions.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Horner ◽  
Neal Ternes ◽  
Christopher McLeod

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) clearly states there are many favorable qualities derived from participation that benefit those “who go pro in something other than sports.” However, the ability of collegiate athletics to deliver on the promise of attributable long-term vocational value is rarely questioned. Instead, student-athletes are encouraged to think of their participation as a personal investment with enduring rewards for the investor. In this study involving former NCAA Division I student-athletes, the authors examined whether participation can be regarded as an investment and how student-athletes perceive the returns thus derived. Extending Becker’s (1962) theory of human capital investment to sport participation, the authors probed participants’ experiences for evidence of investment thinking and lasting benefits in corporeal, economic, social, and cultural varieties. The findings support the notion that participation in collegiate athletics can be broadly defined as an investment, but not in accordance with the long-term utility maximizing rationale described by neoclassical economists. Furthermore, the high cost of participation, inherent uncertainty, and unreliable information confound the athlete’s decision-making and blur the distinction between consumption in the present and investing for the future.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 232596711986517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gretchen D. Oliver ◽  
Kenzie Friesen ◽  
Jeff W. Barfield ◽  
Kevin Giordano ◽  
Adam Anz ◽  
...  

Background: There is a paucity of research regarding the relationship between fastpitch softball pitching mechanics and reported pain. Thus, understanding the pitching mechanics of athletes pitching with upper extremity pain and those pain free is paramount. Purpose: To examine lower extremity pitching mechanics, upper extremity kinetics, and upper extremity pain in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I female softball pitchers. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: A total of 37 NCAA Division I female softball pitchers (mean age, 19.84 ± 1.28 years; mean height, 173.67 ± 7.77 cm; mean weight, 78.98 ± 12.40 kg) from across the United States were recruited to participate. Participants were divided into 2 groups: upper extremity pain (n = 13; mean age, 19.69 ± 1.18 years; mean height, 172.60 ± 11.49 cm; mean weight, 86.75 ± 13.02 kg) and pain free (n = 24; mean age, 19.91 ± 1.35 years; mean height, 174.26 ± 4.96 cm; mean weight, 74.78 ± 9.97 kg). An electromagnetic tracking system was used to obtain kinematic and kinetic data during the riseball softball pitch. Results: At foot contact ( F 3,33 = 7.01, P = .001), backward elimination regression revealed that stride length, trunk rotation, and center of mass (COM) significantly explained about 33% of variance with softball pitchers experiencing upper extremity pain (adjusted R 2 = 0.33). Conclusion: At foot contact, the kinematic variables of increased trunk rotation toward the pitching arm side, increased stride length, and a posteriorly shifted COM were associated with upper extremity pain in collegiate softball pitchers. Variables early in the pitching motion that do not set a working and constructive proximal kinetic chain foundation for the rest of the pitch to follow could be associated with breakdowns more distal in the kinetic chain, possibly increasing the susceptibility to upper extremity pain. Clinical Relevance: The identification of pitching mechanics associated with pain allows clinicians to develop exercises to avoid such mechanics. Avoiding mechanics associated with pain may help reduce the prevalence of pain in windmill softball pitchers as well as help coaches incorporate quantitative biomechanics into their instruction.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 232596712094249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry P. Boden ◽  
Ken M. Fine ◽  
Ilan Breit ◽  
Wendee Lentz ◽  
Scott A. Anderson

Background: Football has the highest number of nontraumatic fatalities of any sport in the United States. Purpose: To compare the incidence of nontraumatic fatalities with that of traumatic fatalities, describe the epidemiology of nontraumatic fatalities in high school (HS) and college football players, and determine the effectiveness of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) policies to reduce exertional heat stroke (EHS) and exertional sickling (ES) with sickle cell trait (SCT) fatalities in athletes. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 20 academic years (1998-2018) of HS and college nontraumatic fatalities in football players using the National Registry of Catastrophic Sports Injuries (NRCSI). EHS and ES with SCT fatality rates were compared before and after the implementation of the NCAA football out-of-season model (bylaw 17.10.2.4 [2003]) and NCAA Division I SCT screening (bylaw 17.1.5.1 [2010]), respectively. Additionally, we compiled incidence trends for HS and college traumatic and nontraumatic fatalities in football players for the years 1960 through 2018 based on NRCSI data and previously published reports. Results: The risk (odds ratio) of traumatic fatalities in football players in the 2010s was 0.19 (95% CI, 0.13-0.26; P < .0001) lower in HS and 0.29 (95% CI, 0.29-0.72; P = .0078) lower in college compared with that in the 1960s. In contrast, the risk of nontraumatic fatalities in football players in the 2010s was 0.7 (95% CI, 0.50-0.98; P = .0353) in HS and 0.9 (95% CI, 0.46-1.72; P = .7413) in college compared with that in the 1960s. Since 2000, the risk of nontraumatic fatalities has been 1.89 (95% CI, 1.42-2.51; P < .001) and 4.22 (95% CI, 2.04-8.73; P < .001) higher than the risk of traumatic fatalities at the HS and college levels, respectively. During the 20 years studied, there were 187 nontraumatic fatalities (average, 9.4 per year). The causes of death were sudden cardiac arrest (57.7%), EHS (23.6%), ES with SCT (12.1%), asthma (4.9%), and hyponatremia (1.6%). The risk of a nontraumatic fatality was 4.1 (95% CI, 2.8-5.9; P < .0001) higher in NCAA compared with HS athletes. There was no difference in the risk of an EHS fatality in NCAA athletes (0.86 [95% CI, 0.17-4.25]; P = .85) after implementation in 2003 of the NCAA football out-of-season model. The risk of an ES with SCT fatality in Division I athletes was significantly lower after the 2010 NCAA SCT screening bylaw was implemented (0.12 [95% CI, 0.02-0.95]; P = .04). Conclusion: Since the 1960s, the risk of nontraumatic fatalities has declined minimally compared with the reduction in the risk of traumatic fatalities. Current HS and college nontraumatic fatality rates are significantly higher than rates of traumatic fatalities. The 2003 NCAA out-of-season model has failed to significantly reduce EHS fatalities. The 2010 NCAA SCT screening bylaw has effectively prevented ES with SCT fatalities in NCAA Division I football.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 232596712090682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth Ahlquist ◽  
Brian M. Cash ◽  
Sharon L. Hame

Background: There are 60 million US youth who participate in organized athletics, with large increases in both sport participation and specialization during the past 2 decades. There is some evidence that increased sport specialization and training volumes may be associated with increased injuries in adolescent populations. This study examines these variables in a population of elite college athletes. Hypothesis: Early sport specialization (ESS) and a high training volume are risk factors for injury and/or surgery in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I athletes. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: All Division I athletes at a single institution were surveyed regarding demographics, scholarship status, reason for specialization, age at specialization, training volume, and injury history. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests were performed to identify significant differences. Results: Athletes who specialized in their eventual varsity sport before age 14 years were more likely to report a history of injuries (86.9% vs 71.4%), multiple injuries (64.6% vs 48.8%), multiple college injuries (17.2% vs 6.0%), a greater number of total injuries (2.0 vs 1.0), and require more time out for an injury (15.2 vs 6.5 weeks) than those who did not. They were also more likely to be recruited (92.9% vs 82.1%) and receive a scholarship (82.8% vs 67.9%). Athletes who trained for greater than 28 hours per week in their eventual varsity sport before high school were more likely to report multiple injuries (90.0% vs 56.3%), multiple college injuries (40.0% vs 12.5%), a surgical injury (60.0% vs 22.9%), multiple surgical injuries (30.0% vs 4.7%), a greater number of total injuries (2.5 vs 2.0), and more time out for an injury (36.5 vs 11.0 weeks) than those who did not (all P < .05). However, these athletes were not more likely to be recruited (90.0% vs 89.8%) or receive a scholarship (80.0% vs 74.5%). Conclusion: NCAA Division I athletes with ESS and/or a high training volume sustained more injuries and missed more time because of an injury, but those with ESS were more likely to be recruited and receive a college scholarship. This knowledge can help inform discussions and decision making among athletes, parents, coaches, trainers, and physicians.


2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 677-700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard M. Southall ◽  
Mark S. Nagel ◽  
John M. Amis ◽  
Crystal Southall

As the United States’ largest intercollegiate athletic event, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men’s basketball tournament consistently generates high television ratings and attracts higher levels of advertising spending than the Super Bowl or the World Series. Given the limited analysis of the organizational conditions that frame these broadcasts’ production, this study examines the impact of influential actors on the representation process. Using a mixed-method approach, this paper investigates production conditions and processes involved in producing a sample (n= 31) of NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament broadcasts, examines the extent to which these broadcasts are consistent with the NCAA’s educational mission, and considers the dominant institutional logic that underpins their reproduction. In so doing, this analysis provides a critical examination of the 2006 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament broadcasts, and how such broadcasts constitute, and are constituted by, choices in television production structures and practices.


2003 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandy S. Cowell ◽  
Christine A. Rosenbloom ◽  
Robert Skinner ◽  
Stephanie H. Summers

Iron deficiency is the most prevalent nutritional deficiency in the United States. This condition has been reported to affect 60% of female athletes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasize screening for anemia in women of childbearing age. The purpose of this study was to determine the number of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I-A schools that implement screening for iron deficiency in female athletes as well as the screening policies for those who do. A link to an online survey was sent to 94 NCAA Division I-A schools to determine current practices concerning screening and treating female athletes for iron deficiency. There was a 58% response rate. Frequencies for each response were computed. Forty-three percent of responding institutions report screening female athletes for iron deficiency. This study suggests that screening for iron deficiency in female athletes at NCAA Division I-A schools is not a routine procedure and, for those who do screen, variability exists in the criteria for diagnosis, as well as in treatment protocols. Standard protocols for assessment and treatment of iron deficiency in female athletes need to be developed and implemented.


2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela N. Pratt

Intercollegiate athletics directors (ADs) in the United States are high-profile representatives of their departments and universities. Their publics include media, sponsors, donors, fans, faculty, students, and government officials. However, few studies have explored ADs from a public relations perspective, especially regarding their understandings of public relations. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to learn how ADs understand public relations in the context of their athletics departments. A phenomenological approach was used to pursue this purpose. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I ADs. Their transcripts were analyzed using comparative-analysis procedures. The findings show that the participants understand public relations as integrated impression management: a combination of image, message, and action/interaction. Integrated impression management ties into ideas from Goffman (1959), as well as systems theories of public relations. However, the results also imply that ADs do not necessarily separate public relations from other disciplines such as marketing.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey Darvin ◽  
Alicia Cintron ◽  
Meg Hancock

Representation of Hispanics/Latinas in intercollegiate athletics is lacking. During the 2014-2015 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletic season, only 2.2 percent of all female Division I student-athlete’s identified as Hispanic or Latina (NCAA, 2015). This low percentage of Hispanic/Latina female participants calls into question how these young women become involved in athletics and sustain their involvement within sport. While previous research has examined the socialization processes of youth athletes and parents of youth athlete participants, there is little research aimed at examining these processes for elite-level athlete participants (Dorsch, Smith, & McDonough, 2015; Greendorfer, Blinde, & Pellegrini, 1986;). Thus, the aim of this current study was to examine the potential factors that may have contributed to consistent sport participation for an elite group of Hispanic/Latina female athletes throughout their youth and collegiate careers. Participants for this study identified as current NCAA Division I Hispanic/Latina female student-athletes. Results showed that family, specifically parents and siblings, contributed to socializing Hispanic/Latina athletes into sport, while family and coaches contributed to the persistence of their athletic endeavors. Findings also show a sense of cultural indifference, youth coaches who invested in the participants long-term, and a significant involvement of the patriarch of the family in their athletic success.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
W. Guy Hornsby ◽  
Abigail L. Tice ◽  
Jason D. Stone ◽  
Justin J. Merrigan ◽  
Joshua Hagen ◽  
...  

The purpose of this longitudinal, descriptive study was to observe changes in maximal strength measured via isometric clean grip mid-thigh pull and home runs (total and home runs per game) across three years of training and three competitive seasons for four National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 baseball players. A one-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed, revealing significant univariate effects of time for peak force (PF) (p = 0.003) and peak force allometrically scaled (PFa) (p = 0.002). Increases in PF were noted from season 1 to season 2 (p = 0.031) and season 3 (p = 0.004), but season 2 was not significantly different than season 3 (p = 0.232). Additionally, increases in PFa were noted from season 1 to season 2 (p = 0.010) and season 3 (p < 0.001), but season 2 was not significantly different than season 3 (p = 0.052). Home runs per game rose from the 2009 (0.32) to 2010 season (1.35) and dropped during the 2011 season (1.07). A unique aspect of the study involves 2010 being the season in which ball-bat coefficient of restitution (BBCOR) bats were introduced to the NCAA competition.


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