Male collegiate student-athletes’ experiences and perceptions of female head coaches

ABSTRACT Eleven current and former male college student-athletes were interviewed about their experiences with female head coaches. Three themes emerged from the data: (a) Give Her a Chance, (b) A Coach is a Coach, and (c) Gendering of the Female Coach. The mixed-gender environment of the sports in which these athletes participated (e.g. track and field, swimming, and rifle) may offset any biases typically characteristic in the male-dominated environment of collegiate athletics as minimal explicit sexism emerged. Male student-athletes who had previous experience with women in leadership or authoritarian positions may also be more open-minded to women as head coaches. The results also demonstrate male student-athletes are accepting of women in leadership positions despite the many stereotypes women face. Therefore, athletic administrators should target female head coaches of co-ed sports teams as a way to assist in improving the under-representation of women in collegiate coaching.