Collegiate atheletes' attitudes/perceptions of male and female coaches
Date
2023-08-13
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MAPC, The University of Tampa
Abstract
This research paper investigates collegiate athletes' perceptions and attitudes toward female and male coaches. By administering a Qualtrics survey to collegiate athletes, the study aims to determine whether a gender preference exists among athletes when selecting coaches, with the possibility that male athletes prefer male coaches, while female athletes may be more open to either gender. In this study there was 52 participants (19 males, and 33 females). Eighteen participants played at the division I level, 29 at division II, and five at the division III level. Thirty-five of the participants said they play lacrosse, three said soccer, one said football, eight said baseball, two said field hockey, and three said other. Of the 52 participants, 47 indicated the cultural background they most closely identify as is White/ Caucasian (90.4%), three said Hispanic (5.8%), and two said Black/African American (3.9%). The main results founded were that male athletes are less exposed to female coaches, making them biased in favor of male coaches, whereas female athletes have had both gender coaches and are more open to having either gender coach. Furthermore, exposing young athletes to both male and female coaches growing up will impact how they perceive different gender coaches later in life. These findings are important because they suggest that there are significant complex factors influencing athletes' coaching preferences. Ultimately aiding in creating a more inclusive and supportive coaching environment in collegiate sports. By promoting equitable coaching practices, collegiate and youth organizations can foster a culture of respect and empowerment for athletes, nurturing successful athletes as individuals and as a team. When universities and youth programs are looking for a new coach, they should pick one based on the preferences of the athletes to set both the coaches and athletes up for success. The findings contribute to enhancing coaching practices and promoting gender equity in collegiate sports. Women are overlooked in the coaching profession because people believe that they don’t have the masculine traits or knowledge needed to train athletes and a team to victory (Rima et al., 2020). NCAA states how women coaches are on the rise, with 41% of coaches being women collectively across all NCAA divisions in 2021-2022. According to the Department of Education’s Equity in Athletics data in 2020, 95% of the NCAA men’s sports teams had male head coaches, whereas less than half of women’s teams had women head coaches. It is also noted that among the top eight college sports by revenue, women were less than 15% of head coaches in men’s sports. “Across the 1,000 NCAA colleges, there were no women as head coaches for men’s football, soccer, baseball, or basketball teams. By comparison, men were 66% of women’s soccer head coaches, 33% of softball head coaches, and 43% of women’s basketball head coaches” (USAFacts, 2023). This study will seek to determine if a coach should be selected based upon merit, coaching skills, abilities, and winning.
Description
Capstone project for completion of the Masters of Arts in Professional Communication (MAPC)
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Keywords
College athletes, Coaches, Male, Female, Attitudes, Perceptions