As part of my Master’s program in Coaching Leadership, I chose to complete an independent study that I titled Recruiting and Coaching the 21st Century Athlete: Dealing with Mental Health and Entitlement Issues. The goal of the independent study was to design a curriculum around the topic using 3-5 class objectives and then complete them. The objectives of the curriculum were:

1. Develop a 3-dimensional coaching philosophy based upon completion of the 3D Coaching Class offered by the 3D Institute and Dr. Jeff Duke
2. Interview at least 3 collegiate coaches with 10+ years of coaching experience on issues of entitlement and mental health
3. Read Joe Ehrmann’s book InSideOut Coaching to gain an understanding of the influence and impact sports can have on student athletes of all ages
4. Interview at least 3 collegiate athletic directors on their current strategies to manage student athlete entitlement and mental health and how they empower coaches to positively influence these issues
5. Create a summative coaching portfolio to broadcast your coaching and recruiting philosophies and your individual techniques and strategies to handle student athlete entitlement and mental health

The following coaches were interviewed as part of this study: Andy Bernatow from Mount Marty University Baseball, Tom Billeter from Augustana University Men’s Basketball, and Yaphett King from Southern Methodist University Men’s Basketball. The athletic directors interviewed in this study were Dr. Micah Parker of Northwestern College (IA), Pam Gohl of the University of Sioux Falls, and Angella Muller of Concordia University, Nebraska.

The ADs were asked nine questions, and the coaches were asked those nine plus an additional three specific to coaching. The largest takeaway from these six interviews was the increased awareness and preparation within athletic departments of and for athlete mental health. Universities, as a whole, have spent  considerable resources and time training staff to be aware and follow certain procedures in the event of a mental health crisis.

All of these individuals stated that mental health awareness has increased throughout their careers, though they do not believe mental health, as a whole, has gotten worse – people are just more open and willing to communicate these issues as they’re no longer taboo. This change has been positive, but there is still more work to be done in increasing awareness and providing support to those struggling with these issues.

Many of the coaches referenced the increased connectedness and communication driven by technology and social media that has had a mostly negative impact on mental health and entitlement. Many of the coaches and athletic directions noted how social media has made people much more aware of other peoples’ situations and successes, which can lead to speaking out on issues or voice opinions, which was not the case earlier in many of these coaches’ and athletic director’s careers. Players definitely have become much more of the focus in athletics, leading to them having a larger voice. In regards to mental health, coaches need to emphasize as early as possible that their door is always open to listen and be an aid to athletes in these struggles by way of following protocols and getting them professional help if/when needed. Secondly, coaches need to simply be aware of changes in behavior or attitude and not be afraid to ask intentional questions to their student athletes when they notice these changes. As far as entitlement, most of these coaches and athletic directors found that this is best directed and handled in recruiting and addressed immediately when issues arise during the year. With that, entitlement is addressed more on the recruiting philosophy page.

One of the other objectives was to read Joe Erhmann’s book InSideOut Coaching. This book is a great read that challenges coaches to ask themselves the following questions: Why do I coach?, Why do I coach the way I do?, What does it feel like to be coached by me?, and How do I define and measure success? These questions are also asked in the 3D coaching class. I address these questions in the coaching philosophy, but the heart of Ehrmann’s book and message, one I strongly agree with, is for coaches to seek to be transformational coaches rather than transactional coaches. While transactional coaches coach for themselves and for their own glory using players as a means to reach their own goals, transformational coaches seek to transform their athletes life through love and mentorship that goes beyond simply winning and losing games. If coaches can successfully implement and strive to be transformational coaches, they naturally will be more aware of mental health issues and have the relationship with players to where they will hopefully be comfortable reaching out when and if needed. Additionally, transformational coaches make the game more than just wins and losses, which can help aid in limiting and handling entitlement issues.

Mental health and increased entitlement or player empowerment are issues that are not going to dissipate in the near future. Coaches need to be willing to address and meet these concerns head on. I strongly believe that coaches stuck in their ways and those unwilling to change and meet these challenges will naturally withdraw from coaching as it gets more taxing. However, coaches willing to make changes and take part in these dynamic issues will separate themselves and be highly coveted by athletic departments.