College coaches’ engagement in advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other gender and sexual minorities (LGBTQIA+) rights and racial justice: Experiences, facilitators, and barriers

There is a dearth of research examining the role of college coaches in advocacy related to the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other gender and sexual minorities and racial justice. The present study sought to explore college coaches’ engagement in such advocacy, from an ecological systems perspective. Using semistructured interviews and a grounded theory approach, our study elevated the voices of 16 National Collegiate Athletic Association coaches employed at Division I and III institutions who had a history of engagement in advocacy. Coaches engaged in advocacy for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other gender and sexual minorities and racial justice in multiple ways, such as by facilitating team conversations, discussing the importance of inclusion during recruitment activities, engaging in community events, partnering with community organizations, and voicing their perspectives on social media. Coaches also described facilitators and barriers related to their engagement in advocacy, including their sense of personal responsibility, desire to cultivate a supportive culture, access to institutional supports, knowledge of advocacy-related resources, awareness of power dynamics, and participation in major current social, political, and local events and protests. Our results frame an important discussion about the ways in which institutions can support coaches’ engagement in advocacy and documents how sport can serve as a platform to affect social change. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)