Summary: Romantic Coach-Athlete Relationships

Romantic coach-athlete relationships are something that is still “overlooked and under-researched” (Johansson and Larsson, 2016, p.1). However, the NCAA is in the beginning process of attempting to require institutions to adopt policies that prohibit these types of relationships. At its core, these romantic relationships that are between coach and athlete, no matter the sex are harmful to the student-athlete, their teammates, the college or university, as well as the coach themselves. In the instance of what is happening at Southwest Coast University, it is vitally important that these two cases are not handled differently. Too often anymore, in cases of sexual abuse such as this, it makes a difference as to if this is a homosexual or heterosexual …show more content…
However, for the good of the athletic department, these are the types of situations that need to be addressed quickly. For Athletic Director Jo Ann Cochran, she needs to be able to assess the situation, talk to the HR department, and decide what course of action is best for the university, the athletic department, the other student-athletes, and the individuals involved in the relationship. The next course of action is to call all parties in individually and talk to them. During these meetings, AD Cochran would need to explain to them what is happening, get their sides to the story, and then explain to them what the potential courses of action will be. The final verdict should be made based upon both what university/athletic department/NCAA policies state regarding these types of situations, along with what she and other members of school administration, and the human resources department believe to be the most applicable punishment to hand out. However, all parties that are charged with handing down the punishment, should not consider their personal feelings regarding these situations. The homosexual coach-athlete relationship could draw more negativity and biased opinion as to what the punishment needs to be, and that needs to be avoided at all costs. If either coach is a favorite of the institution or the public, this should not be something that sways the way this verdict is handed down. …show more content…
In a study conducted of Canadian Olympic Athletes, it was found that “22 percent of the athletes responding reported that they engaged in sexual intercourse with an authority figure in sports” (p.9). In light of this statistic, this is why the relationship between the 25-year-old assistant coach and the 21-year-old student-athlete could be viewed as not being a very big deal. However, even in circumstances such as these, any romantic relationship between a coach and a student-athlete could garner unwarranted favoritism of that individual over his/her teammates. Other circumstances that can arise from romantic coach-athlete relationships are that perhaps the rest of the team would exhibit a level of discomfort where they would not be willing to play for that coach or want to play with that teammate and quit the team. What position would the university be in if they were not able to field one of their athletic teams? Could that move them into a territory in which they are violating one of the three prongs of Title IX? The homosexual coach-athlete relationship could bring even more negative press than the other coach-athlete relationship would. While this group of people is beginning to see more rights granted to them, the homosexual community still receives a great amount of negativity. This is one of the last things that a university or college needs to bring to