The phrase “tough love” is often thrown around by parents, teachers, or even friends, but few really pause to think about its true meaning, especially in sports. Coming from coaches, tough love can be crucial to the development of athletes, though only when it is done with the players’ best interests in mind.
Tough love is the idea that coaches should be hard on their players to encourage them to do better and to bring out their potential. However, there is a fine line between constructive criticism and verbal abuse.
According to a study in the Human Kinetics Journal, tough love can become harmful or abusive if the comments are directed towards the person, not a specific behavior, or if the coach fails to prioritize the athlete’s well-being.
Additionally, there is a connection between psychological well-being and a coach’s ability to satisfy their athletes’ basic psychological needs, according to a study from the National Library of Medicine.
The study found that athletes were less satisfied with coaches with more authoritarian styles and who demonstrated stricter control over athletes’ behaviors, belittling their abilities and contributions.
Most sports, especially at the high school level, are performance-based, meaning that the best-performing athletes receive the most playing time. This places pressure on players to outperform their teammates or to constantly be at their best.
For many athletes, this pressure can be beneficial. Another study on tough love from the National Library of Medicine found that low levels of psychological safety, or the idea that an environment is safe for risk-taking and mistakes, can potentially lead to increased effort and attention levels.
On the other hand, higher levels of safety may also be beneficial by allowing the athlete space to experiment and recover from the high expectations of their coaches and teammates.
However, for some athletes, this pressure is too much and can have various negative effects, such as higher stress levels and increased risk for injury.
According to the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, stress can increase an athlete’s risk of injury by causing attentional changes that interfere with an athlete’s performance, such as increased self-consciousness, as well as increased muscle tension and difficulty with coordination.
This is a big issue because most high school athletes experience some level of stress due to their sports.
The Health Psychology Research journal surveyed 200 high school athletes between the ages of 16 and 17, and found that approximately 91% of them experienced some level of stress due to sports.
They found that the most common causes of stress were fear of failure and self-pressure, indicating that they wanted to do well in their environment and were worried about underperforming.
This worry of not being good enough can lead some athletes to use anabolic steroids — a chemical derivative of testosterone that helps build muscle tissue.
Steroid usage is not allowed in most sports leagues, and athletes found using them often face suspension or a ban. In addition to league consequences, steroids can also have negative health effects.
Steroids can increase the risk of ligament and tendon injuries. It can also lead to high blood pressure and heart disease, according to the New York State Department of Health.
Excessive harshness from coaches can put athletes in a position of so much stress and pressure that they turn to steroids or are so mentally distracted that they injure themselves, demonstrating the importance of a coach’s support and player awareness.
Especially on a high school level, when athletes have so much other work on their plates, it is essential that coaches maintain a balance between support and criticism to foster a competitive environment where athletes can develop their skills and experience the true meaning of tough love.
This editorial reflects the views of the Editorial Board and was written by Lia Frazita. The Editorial Board voted 10 in agreement, 2 somewhat in agreement, and 5 refrained from voting.
