Computer-Mediated-Communication

Instant messaging programs such as Skype, text-messaging, Facebook, email, and MSN messenger, just to name a few, are some of the media which has entered our lives to facilitate communication between people. Our lives get more connected everyday and CMC (Computer-Mediated-Communication) is not something that will be leaving our society any time soon.

What does this mean for the coach-athlete relationship? CMC media brings obvious improvements to coach-athlete communication, as they are able to interact more efficiently, more effectively and more closely than ever before. But it can also bring on challenges, especially in the area of ethics.

Some of the questions that may come up are: Should my athlete and I be friends on Facebook? What do I do if my athlete adds me to MSN? What if I see a picture of my athlete engaging in illegal behavior? These are all situations which might blur the lines of coach-athlete interactions. If your sport organization doesn’t have a policy on coach-athlete interactions, it is recommended that every coach set his or her own personal standards for managing these new methods of communication. One example that the author gives us is; if you reject a Facebook friend request from one player, then you need to reject the friend requests from all your players. Each coach and each situation will be approached differently, but being aware is the first step.

Keeping an open communication platform with your athletes is important, but keeping the lines from becoming blurry is up to you. Ensure to make your standards clear to avoid any confusion and if the situation becomes too difficult to handle on your own, there is help. The most important thing is to guide discussions in a setting that fosters mutual respect and that will allow you to maintain a positive coaching environment.

Reference from the SIRC collection:
Lawrie, K. (2010). Computer-Mediated Communication - A Caution for Coaches. Coaches Plan/Plan du Coach, 17(1), 10-55.

Returning to play? Who decides?

So you lose your star player to injury. If you are a professional team, this may affect gate receipts. If you are in the hunt for a championship, this may cost you the title. So no matter the motivation to get your player back on the field of play, star of the team or not, how is the decision made and who makes it?

Does the athlete decide when they are ready? Should the coach make the final decision? Is it the team doctor, the athletic trainer, the parents or the family doctor? Whether the injury is a head concussion, sprained ankle, stress fracture or leg contusion, return to play protocols are a critical part of a physicians guidelines and they should be given the power and responsibility to abide by them for the sake of the athlete.

Conflicts of interest with players themselves, as well as with team management, are widespread. Because of the pressures associated from bringing together all the decision-making stakeholders involved in an athlete’s career, the decisions made by a physician or athletic trainer regarding an injured athlete’s return to play can occasionally have over-riding ethical dilemmas. Using a moral compass and doing the ‘right thing’ for the athlete, embraces the basic principles of ethical decision making.

And while the decisions need not be perfect, they should reinforce the medical practitioner’s responsibilities to the athlete. Decisions should focus solely on the athlete's welfare and not on the effect those decisions will have on the outcome of a sporting event.

Additional Resources:

• Stovitz, S. D., & Satin, D. J. (2006). Professionalism and the Ethics of the Sideline Physician. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 5(3), 120-124.
• Dunn, W. R., George, M. S., Churchill, L., & Spindler, K. P. (2007). Ethics in Sports Medicine. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 35(5), 840-844.
• International Federation of Sports Medicine / Fédération Internationale de Médécine du Sport – Code of Ethics
• Swisher, L., Nyland, J., Klossner, D., & Beckstead, J. (2009). Ethical Issues in Athletic Training: A Foundational Descriptive Investigation. Athletic Therapy Today, 14(2), 3-9. Available in the SIRC Collection.
• Borowski, Bill, Pack, Cory & Powell, David (2007). Ethical Issues in Sport Medicine. Unpublished. Retrieved from the Internet March 17, 2011.