SafeSport Professional Ethics and Conduct 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A parent asks you, a team administrator, to share the home address of another athlete for a carpool arrangement. What is the ethically correct response?
- Share it since the request seems innocent and convenient
- Share only the general neighborhood, not the exact address
- Decline and suggest the parent contact the other family directly through the organization's official channels (Correct answer)
- Post the information in the team group chat for easy access
Correct answer: Decline and suggest the parent contact the other family directly through the organization's official channels
Sharing athletes' personal information without their consent violates privacy standards; the administrator should facilitate the connection through proper channels instead.
Question 2: Which scenario BEST illustrates a violation of emotional boundaries in a coaching relationship?
- Encouraging an athlete after a poor performance
- Discussing an athlete's academic struggles to support their overall wellbeing
- Repeatedly telling an athlete they are worthless and will never succeed to motivate them (Correct answer)
- Setting firm expectations for training attendance and conduct
Correct answer: Repeatedly telling an athlete they are worthless and will never succeed to motivate them
Using demeaning language to 'motivate' an athlete constitutes emotional abuse and violates professional ethical standards in SafeSport.
Question 3: Under SafeSport's Code of Conduct, social media contact between coaches and minor athletes should:
- Occur freely since it is not physical contact
- Be limited to public, team-wide accounts or platforms visible to parents and other staff (Correct answer)
- Be unrestricted for coaches who have known the athlete for more than a year
- Only be restricted during active competition seasons
Correct answer: Be limited to public, team-wide accounts or platforms visible to parents and other staff
SafeSport requires that digital communications with minor athletes be transparent, using team or public platforms rather than private messaging.
Question 4: What is 'hazing' as defined in SafeSport standards, and why is it prohibited?
- Competitive team drills that push physical limits, prohibited only for athletes under 14
- Any initiation rituals or acts that humiliate, degrade, or endanger athletes, prohibited regardless of consent (Correct answer)
- Informal team bonding that excludes new players temporarily, allowed if no physical harm occurs
- Mandatory team meetings held without coaches present, allowed for senior athletes
Correct answer: Any initiation rituals or acts that humiliate, degrade, or endanger athletes, prohibited regardless of consent
SafeSport prohibits hazing — any act that humiliates, demeans, or endangers athletes — regardless of whether the victim consents or the act is framed as tradition.
Question 5: A coach receives a gift from an athlete's family valued at $200. What is the ethically appropriate action?
- Accept it privately since it shows appreciation
- Accept it but report it to the organization as required by conflict-of-interest policies
- Return or decline the gift to avoid any appearance of favoritism or obligation (Correct answer)
- Accept it only if no other athletes are present to see it
Correct answer: Return or decline the gift to avoid any appearance of favoritism or obligation
Accepting valuable gifts from athletes or their families can create real or perceived conflicts of interest and should be declined per professional conduct standards.
Question 6: Which of the following BEST describes 'power imbalance' in the athlete-coach relationship?
- The physical strength difference between a coach and athlete
- The authority a coach holds over an athlete's playing time, advancement, and athletic future (Correct answer)
- The age difference between a youth athlete and an adult coach
- The financial disparity between professional and amateur athletes
Correct answer: The authority a coach holds over an athlete's playing time, advancement, and athletic future
Power imbalance refers to the coach's control over an athlete's opportunities, playing time, and advancement, which makes athletes vulnerable to manipulation or coercion.
Question 7: An organization's written policy prohibits one-on-one electronic communication with minor athletes, but the practice is widely ignored. What is the ethical responsibility of staff who know this?
- Follow the majority practice since the policy is clearly not enforced
- Comply with the written policy and report non-compliance to leadership (Correct answer)
- Wait for formal policy retraining before changing their own behavior
- Assume the policy was repealed since no one follows it
Correct answer: Comply with the written policy and report non-compliance to leadership
Staff are obligated to follow written safeguarding policies regardless of common practice, and should report known non-compliance through appropriate channels.
SafeSport Professional Ethics and Conduct 3
A parent asks you, a team administrator, to share the home address of another athlete for a carpool arrangement.
What is the ethically correct response?