It’s not limited to one sport.
And it’s not limited to one team.
Behavior by athletes outside of the game is ruining lives and costing millions.
- The Sportster reported over 100 notable pro athletes from various fields have committed suicide.
- Sports Illustrated reported 78% of former NFL players are bankrupt or financially distressed within two years of retirement, and 60% of NBA retirees go broke within five years of leaving the court.
- DRUGABUSE.com reported from 2002 – 2015 there were nearly 1,000 substance-related game suspensions and $68,203,788 in fines in the NFL alone.
- Virtually every pro sport is plagued with charges of sexual harassment and assault against players and other team personnel.
- An Olympics doctor was found guilty of sexually abusing hundreds of athletes in his medical care.
When video of a footballer beating his fiancé unconscious in an elevator went viral in 2014, teams and leagues rushed to fix an ongoing problem by introducing stronger policies, organizational changes, sensitivity classes, and counseling.
- The NFL Appointed a female VP of Social Responsibility.
- The UFC touted their Fighter Conduct Policy requiring all athletes to act in an ethical and responsible manner, not tolerating domestic violence or any other violation of the policy.
- Representatives from the Major League Baseball Players Association and the commissioner’s office talked extensively to representatives from domestic violence groups to craft a comprehensive policy.
- The NHL moved quickly to suspend a two-time Stanley Cup champion indefinitely after his arrest on domestic violence charges.
- The NBA commissioner vowed the league would take a look at its policies regarding domestic violence.
- The IOC opened four sexual assault centers to address incidents of sexual misconduct for athletes, volunteers, spectators, and anyone else to come forward for help.
Yet as recently as September 2018 the owner of an NBA team gave $10 million to women’s groups in lieu of the mandatory $2.5 million fine assessed on the organization for mistreatment of women.
So while some things are better for some people, the basic problem persists:
Unprepared and ill equipped to handle the unrelenting pressures and scrutiny of the professional sports culture, many athletes are trying to cope through substance abuse, money mismanagement, sexual harassment, and domestic violence.
No player, owner, coach, or agent would expect a policy, class, and how-to materials to make an athlete effective in a real game. That’s why they have coaching . . . targeted instruction and guidance to help individuals master specific skills necessary to accomplish a particular goal.
ARD Coaching helps ensure players’ success out of the game in the same way their other coaches help ensure their success in the game.
We coach players, their families, and their organizations to:
Anticipate what’s likely to happen as they navigate in the world of sports;
Recognize it when it occurs; and
Deal with it successfully.