The Ethics of Sports Coaching

Now in a fully revised and updated new edition, The Ethics of Sports Coaching examines the key ethical issues at the centre of sports coaching practice. Arguing that the coaching process is inherently moral rather than simply instrumental, and that coaches must be fully aware of the ethical implications of their actions, the book adds an important dimension to our understanding of sports coaching and the relationship between coach and athlete. The book is structured around three interrelated themes that are central to an understanding of coaching from a moral point of view: the practice of coaching, the character of the coach, and the coaching environment. It explores a range of key themes in contemporary sports coaching, including gender, coaching young athletes, coaching in disability sport, performance enhancement, dangerous and violent sports, and expatriate coaching. This edition also has brand new material on topics including professional ethics, professional judgment, women coaches, and ambiguity in coaching. Combining powerful theoretical positions with clear insights into the everyday realities of sports coaching practice, this is an agenda-setting book. It is essential reading for all students, researchers, and practitioners with an interest in sports coaching or the ethics and philosophy of sport.