Mentoring relationships among athletes, coaches, and athletic administrators: A literature review

ABSTRACT The purpose of this comprehensive review of literature was to synthesize research findings regarding structures and outcomes of mentoring relationships among athletes, coaches, and athletic administrators. Data-based studies involving mentoring in sport contexts were located, retrieved, reviewed, and analyzed. The primary search criteria for this literature review were data-based, peer-reviewed articles published between the years 2005–2016 involving the salient keywords mentoring and sport, which yielded 18 peer-reviewed articles for inclusion in this review. In this review, each study’s purpose(s), theoretical framework(s), data collection strategies, data analysis procedures, and results are presented. Emergent themes included: (a) mentoring of vulnerable populations, (b) attributes of mentors, and (c) outcomes of mentoring relationships. Lastly, practical implications based on the findings are discussed. Five strategies are developed as a measure to improve mentoring relationships.