Coach-Athlete Relationships: Impacts, Motivation, Coach Mental Health

Ryan Healey, Verrazzano Class of 2026, completed major in Psychology

As someone who enjoys keeping up with sports, I chose to research this topic because I have seen so many careers ruined due to poor relationships between the athlete and coach. In addition to their careers falling apart, players and coaches’ mental health can be negatively impacted from these relationships.

My expectations for the capstone was for it to be difficult because research for this subject is limited, as it is something that has really only become popular after the 2010’s. Mental health was an overlooked factor in sports before that time, and if you had a problem with a coach and/or were underperforming you were dropped, no questions asked. However, it was surprising to find that there was new research from the coach’s perspective on said relationships with athletes and how they too are affected. I was originally going into this project only focusing on athletes, but after seeing this additional research, I changed course a bit.

After completing my capstone, I am satisfied with what I found because it gives me hope. In recent years there has been evidence of support for coaches and athletes going through issues like this and they are no longer completely on their own. I do believe though that more can be done in the future to further accommodate people in situations with mental health. An example could be sports organizations as a whole taking accountability for the athletes and coaches that represent them. They could do this by making required training regimens for all members who are involved in the organization about the concern for safety not just physically, but mentally.