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The Impact of Athletic Coaches' Ethical Behavior on Postcompetitive Athletes

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The Impact of Athletic Coaches' Ethical Behavior on Postcompetitive Athletes University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020- 2020 The Impact of Athletic Coaches' Ethical Behavior on Postcompetitive Athletes Charles Bachand University of Central Florida Part of the Sports Studies Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd2020 University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020- by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Bachand, Charles, "The Impact of Athletic Coaches' Ethical Behavior on Postcompetitive Athletes" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-. 324. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd2020/324 THE IMPACT OF ATHLETIC COACHES’ ETHICAL BEHAVIOR ON POST- COMPETITIVE ATHLETES by CHARLES BACHAND M.S. Sports and Exercise Science, University of Central Florida, 2015 B.S. Sports and Exercise Science, University of Central Florida, 2013 A.A. Business Administration, Keiser College, 1998 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Department of Learning Sciences & Educational Research in the College of Community Innovation and Education at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Fall Term 2020 Major Professors: Carolyn Hopp and Thomas Vitale ABSTRACT Much of the literature regarding abuse in athletics has focused on the effects these actions have on the athletes both short and long term. In relation to ethics, such research has been primarily focused on how ethics effects all aspects of athletics. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine if factors that cause coaches to victimize athletes are related to a lack of ethical understanding. This qualitative phenomenological research design was used to highlight emerging themes revealed during the study. Thirteen purposely selected individuals, labeled as athlete, athlete/coach, or coach, participated in one-on-one semi structured interviews. The participants’ interviews were conducted independently, reflecting a wide range of opinions and experiences. The conceptual framework included the theories of self-perception and Nash’s Three Moral Languages that guide ethical behavior. The use of the seven constructs as identifiers allowed for recommendations for athletes, coaches, the National Governing Bodies (NGB’s), and the United States Olympic Committee. For athletes, high-achieving or otherwise, this study provided a perspective into not only what allowed these individuals to achieve their athletic and coaching goals, but also a view into the issues they faced related to abuse and experiencing unethical situations. For coaches, their beliefs of what is acceptable behavior of athlete and coach is apparent to others on the field of play. However, their own self-perception of what is acceptable might be completely different. The ability to act ethically is dependent on coaches connecting their own actions to decisions that would be considered ethical according to the rules or guidelines of their sport. ii Recommendations include areas regarding teaching ethics to athletes as part of sports programs beginning in the early years of education, and better educating coaches to not put themselves in unethical situations. Though education is a factor in the quality of life post athletics, this and other research studies suggest that abuse of athletes can cause mental, physical, and emotional issues as these individuals transition into life post-athletics. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to first express my gratitude and unwavering dedication to my family. Without your continued support this dream would never have been possible. To my Nana and Pop, Margorie and Charles Anthony, and my Mom, Karen LaRocca. You were always the rocks that showed me that with hard work and effort anything is possible. From those days when I was extremely sick and hospitalized as a child to now your support never wavered is what truly got me through. I would never have turned out to be the person I am today if not for you. I am forever grateful to you. Thank you, and I Love You All. To my wife: Christine Regnier-Bachand. You took a chance on me many years ago when I was broken and beat down, wearing jean shorts and polo shirts. You are not only a blessing to me; you are my best friend. I never believed I deserved someone like you in my life, but I am so grateful that you are on this life journey with me. I Love You more then you will ever know. To my kids: Anya, Alyse, Leah, and Isabella. Your sacrifice during this process was just as important as any other. I want you to understand that this project represents my gift to you as a demonstration that even the craziest dreams can come true. I am not perfect, but all of you have made me the best possible version of myself that I could ever be. I write this so that hopefully we can change the world together. Always remember this; I will always love you no matter what. Your support has been an inspiration to me. Daddy loves you. To an individual of whom I have never met face to face but feel like I have known my whole life: Dr. Jennifer Fraizer. Your family has endured more than any family should have to due to the abusive nature of sport. I have talked to you about some extremely out the box iv theories and you always understood them. I hope this work can give your soul a little bit of peace in the chaos. To my dissertation committee: Dr. Thomas Vitale, Dr. David Boote, and Dr. Jeffery Biddle. You took a chance on me when I was in transition of my studies. I will never forget the look that Dr. Vitale and Dr. Boote gave me during my interview for entrance into this program when I said, “I am going to change the worlds view of abuse in sports.” You taught me how to create something that I never understood possible. Even when I was beaten mentally, your support never wavered. I like to think you found something in me I did not know was there. For the opportunities you provided me, I am forever grateful. To my committee chair, Dr. Carolyn Hopp. Where do I even begin? A part of me will always believe that we are the kind of ‘rebels’ that this world needed. The individuals that believe there is always a way. To imagine this all began with me noticing a tattoo of the Olympic rings. Charles Foster stated that your father, Dr. LeRoy Walker, taught, “With hard work, you could be better than you think you are, regardless of what you had achieved or how many times people told you that you couldn’t achieve something” (Hersh, 2012). You never stopped fighting for me even when I was ready to give up. You made me believe that I could write and research at this level even when others doubted. You are your father’s daughter in so many ways and I do not believe there could possibly be a higher complement then that. I will never forget our talks about sports, sometimes for hours before the real work began. You are my family. To Dr. LeRoy Walker. In so many ways, I feel like I knew you though I was never blessed with the opportunity. Through this whole process, I have found myself not only trying to v find out more about you but asking myself, “What would Dr. Walker do?” I have been honored to cross paths with some of your former athletes and family members and the way they speak of you is inspiring. I write this work in honor of your legacy. Lastly, I want to acknowledge every person that has ever been a victim of abuse of any form. Every single one of us deserves safety and not all of us have been provided this. I wake up every day fighting for this and I will not stop. I support each one of you. We, as a society, must do better to protect those who are in a position of weakness in that which is an imbalance of power. Life is hard enough without added abuse; athletics should provide an outlet from this not a place for it to fester. It is up to us to make this change and I challenge everyone to be a part of that change. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... xi LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ xii ANECDOTE ................................................................................................................................ xiii DISCLAIMER ............................................................................................................................. xvi CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................................. 1 Problem Statement ...................................................................................................................... 1 Significance of the Problem .................................................................................................... 1 Positionality ................................................................................................................................. 3 Experience as an Athlete ......................................................................................................... 3 Experience as a Coach ............................................................................................................. 4 Experience as a Parent ............................................................................................................
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