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.

KEYWORDS:

• Mentoring
• sport
• mentor
• mentee
• coaches
• athletes
• at-risk
• vulnerable populations

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on contributors

Dr. Michael Fraina is an Assistant Professor of Sport Management at Farmingdale State College in Farmingdale, New York. His research interests include youth sport development, sport psychology, and mentoring in sport.

Dr. Samuel R. Hodge is a Professor of Kinesiology in the Department of Human Sciences at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. His research focuses on diversity, disability, and social justice in education and sports.