Why would any coach EVER massage one their athletes?? Huge red flag

💀 lmao

Bad analogy of the decade.

+1

Jamesengle6 wrote:

No. Its not a new concept or a "woke" thing either. It's just plain sense. We knew this in the 60s and 70s: only a very naive or creepy coach would lay hands or anything else on a student/runner. Lots of them laid their respective trips on them about training, diet, health and some religion (a heinous offense in my mind, but a not unusual occurence.) but you do not do that. We also avoided being alone with a student. Not paranoid: healthy caution. Like getting the t.b. shot: odds were you wouldn't get "caught" but a wise adult doesn't gamble with such things.

Touché. I started running competitively in junior high, in 1976, and from then on through high school, college, and a couple of post-collegiate teams, I never once knew of any coaches -my own coaches, or others as well- giving "massages" to athletes. Any coach who did suggest such a thing would've immediately been considered a creep at best, if not a pervert, and the athlete this was targeted at would've been rightly suspicious and refused, immediately.

Even in my high school, which was a public one, athletes with physical issues were referred to a podiatrist, PT, or sports medicine specialist.

Why would a professional massager want to massage athletes? Isn't that an even redder flag? They don't even want to do anything else but poke their dirty little fingers around athlete bodies all day.

Agree OP -- especially when I'm guessing the coach in question doesn't have any background as a massage therapist. No defense of this kind of behavior at this point.

A coach should never massage an athlete unless they are a licensed massage therapist (or equivalently trained medical expert). There is just no reason for it.

Any athlete can use a foam roller (or home-made equivalent). Any athlete can be taught effective stretching strategies.

Athletes at higher levels that may need more sophisticated massages would have resources through colleges or through their professional teams.

Massage provides benefits to and can help athletes recover, feel better, deal with injuries, etc.

Scheduling and receiving a massage from a trained and licensed massage therapist is expensive.

I could easily believe that some coaches would want to provide athletes with the benefits of massage by massaging their athletes if neither could afford the services of a professional massage therpist.

Maybe those coaches are not trained and licensed massage therapists. But if someone has ever received massages, has some understanding of anatomy, and can communicate they can give someone a massage that provides benefits. It probably will not be as beneficial as a massage from a professional, but it is better than nothing.

My wife is a trained/licensed professional massage therapist and I have received many massages from her and other therapists. With no specific massage training, I have been able to give her sports massages that provide benefits by repeating the movements and techniques she and other have used on me. There are numerous good online sources of information that anyone can use to provide acceptable self massage or massage on others.

Trained, licensed professional sports massage therapists and associations representing them have fought long and hard for years to become recognized and accepted as legitimate medical/health providers. Great progress has occurred toward this, especially given the climate of the last 20+ years.

Now more than ever, It is ok and acceptable for those who identify as male, female or other to have responsible and appropriate close non-sexual relationships and contact with others.

oldJelly wrote:

I mean WTF!!!...I have been around a loooooooong time and have never heard of such activity/behavior from a coach. Secondly, given the climate of the last 20+ years, what coach would even consider this even if trained in massage?? Mind boggling.

I have had my coach work on me plenty of times when I needed an adjustment in my hamstrings or lower back. It’s about trust. Last year I had 0 health care and couldn’t afford to go get worked on. My coach however helped me through the whole process and got me healthy. I think there’s a fine line between a genuine adjustment/massage and sexual assault.

Just because you wouldn’t do it doesn’t mean that’s how everyone should think. If you work with a brand odds are you can afford to get a massage from anyone other than your coach.

oldJelly wrote:

I mean WTF!!!...I have been around a loooooooong time and have never heard of such activity/behavior from a coach. Secondly, given the climate of the last 20+ years, what coach would even consider this even if trained in massage?? Mind boggling.

Come here! Let me give you a rub down and I'll explain it all to you!

My college coach would offer massages during the XC season to all athletes the night before every big meet and occasionally give them to athletes who needed them during the track season. At no point did my coach ever try to shove a finger up our butts, nor did anyone think they were being raped. I guess I was fortunate enough to have run with a coach that wasn't a rapist and teammates who were mentally stable enough not to make false accusations. Am I in a minority here??

What??? No there's not a fine line between a massage and sexual assault. You must be a virgin and not know what sex is in order to think that. First, you're consenting to a massage; and two, a massage is not done for the sexual gratification of anybody. Those are not fine lines, those are very clear, extreme contrasts.

What is wrong with people????

natty ice wrote:

My college coach would offer massages during the XC season to all athletes the night before every big meet and occasionally give them to athletes who needed them during the track season. At no point did my coach ever try to shove a finger up our butts, nor did anyone think they were being raped. I guess I was fortunate enough to have run with a coach that wasn't a rapist and teammates who were mentally stable enough not to make false accusations. Am I in a minority here??

In 2022, yes you are in the minority.

Found a video of OP

Oh wow! Could you post the name and phone number of this masseuse so I know never to get a massage from her?

TrackCoach wrote:

oldJelly wrote:

I mean WTF!!!...I have been around a loooooooong time and have never heard of such activity/behavior from a coach. Secondly, given the climate of the last 20+ years, what coach would even consider this even if trained in massage?? Mind boggling.

Perhaps "climate of the last 20+ years" makes the difference, but I've given and received quite a few massages in my day. I guess things have changed, but this was not an uncommon thing to see at track meets back in the day. Massages are really beneficial for athletes coming off of or nursing an injury. Being that coaches generally gave massages at a track meet, I am not sure how you could sexually assault someone out in the open,

Are you positive massage is really beneficial? It might feel good (let's go with licensed MT and nothing shady going on), but I think the evidence of "benefits" is sketchy at best. Everyone likes it and maybe there is an expectation effect so maybe there is benefit there.

natty ice wrote:

dumbassMF wrote:

It actually is a fine line as I can attest.

I was receiving a massage of my chest and shoulders by a woman who at some point straddled my hips, nominally to better reach both shoulders. I was contemplating whether this was strictly necessary, or more sexual, especially given her rocking back and forth.

The issue was forced when I popped a root and looked away awkwardly. She broke the ice by removing my shorts and cramming it into her snatch. I was afraid my mother would hear all the commotion. I never complained to anyone.

Oh wow! Could you post the name and phone number of this masseuse so I know never to get a massage from her?

Ha yes. This was 30 years ago, and although a fond memory, I imagine she has aged out of such activities. She was a good 15 years older than me.