By: Brandee Grate-Perry, MSW, LCSWA, AFH Athlete Mental Health Research Fellow

During a time such as March Madness, college athletics often celebrates the visible: the student-athletes competing under bright lights, the coaches leading from the sidelines, and the victories that define programs. Yet, behind every team is a network of professionals whose work is largely invisible but absolutely essential, particularly strength and conditioning coaches, athletic trainers, and academic coordinators, working under intense and often overlooked conditions. Research increasingly disseminates that these roles carry significant mental and emotional demands that are often under-supported (Neal, 2016).

Strength and Conditioning Coaches & Athletic Trainers

Strength and conditioning coaches are responsible for improving athletic performance while reducing injury risk, often across multiple teams. Studies have shown that these professionals report high levels of workload stress and role strain, particularly when staffing is limited (National Strength and Conditioning Association [NSCA], 2025).

Athletic trainers serve as frontline healthcare providers, managing injuries, rehabilitation, and emergency care. According to the NATA, athletic trainers frequently experience “compassion fatigue” due to the emotional demands of caring for injured athletes and maintaining constant availability (Hedrick et al., 2023).

Common challenges across both roles include:

• Extended work hours and insufficient rest
• High performance expectations tied to team success
• Emotional exhaustion from athlete care and oversight
• Limited organizational support

Academic Support Staff and the Transfer Portal

Academic advisors in athletics face growing challenges due to the rise of the NCAA transfer portal. While the portal increases athlete mobility, it has also introduced instability in academic planning.

Advisors spend significant time developing degree plans and monitoring academic progress. However, frequent transfers—sometimes after a single semester—can disrupt these efforts. The NCAA has acknowledged that transfer trends have increased significantly in recent years, impacting both athletic and academic continuity (NCAA.org, 2023).

This environment leads to:

• Increased workload due to constant onboarding of new athletes
• Difficulty maintaining long-term academic plans
• Reduced ability to build meaningful advising relationships
• Perceptions of inefficiency in academic planning

While advisors generally support student-athlete autonomy, the frequency of transfers complicates efforts to ensure consistent academic progress.

Nontraditional Schedules & Constant Demand

Athletic support staff operate on schedules that rarely resemble a traditional workday. Strength and conditioning coaches frequently begin work before sunrise, while athletic trainers often cover early treatments, practices, and late competitions. Travel and weekend obligations further extend their workweeks.

These irregular schedules are associated with sleep disruption, fatigue, and increased risk of burnout (Harknett et al., 2020). Long and unpredictable hours reduce opportunities for recovery and work-life balance, contributing to chronic stress and emotional exhaustion.

Limited Access to Mental Health Resources

While student-athlete mental health has become a priority, access to care for staff remains limited. Many universities have a finite number of on-campus mental health professionals, with services primarily directed toward students (National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA], 2021).

Even when staff have access, services are typically offered during standard business hours, which conflict with athletic schedules. As a result, utilization remains low. Time constraints are one of the primary barriers preventing healthcare workers and support staff from seeking mental health services (Zaman et al., 2021).

Additionally, after 10–14 hour workdays, many staff lack the physical and emotional energy to seek off-campus care. This creates a gap between available resources and actual accessibility, increasing the risk of untreated stress, anxiety, and burnout.

The Missing Piece

A consistent theme across the populations is the importance of organizational support. Employee well-being is strongly influenced by leadership practices, staffing levels, and access to resources (Saito et al., 2025).

Meaningful administrative support could include:

• Structured scheduling policies that protect time off
• Adequate staffing to distribute workload
• Expanded access to mental health services with flexible hours
• Embedded mental health professionals dedicated to athletic staff
• Leadership training that prioritizes empathy and communication
• Recognition systems that validate behind-the-scenes contributions

Without these measures, staff are often left to manage stress independently, increasing the risk of burnout and turnover.

Overall, athletic support staff are essential to the success and safety of college athletics, yet they face significant structural and mental health challenges. Strength and conditioning coaches and athletic trainers push through long, irregular hours to keep athletes performing and safe. Academic support staff navigate an increasingly unstable environment shaped by transfer mobility.

Their work requires resilience, adaptability, and deep commitment. But resilience should not be a substitute for support. Limited access to mental health resources, combined with schedules that make care nearly unattainable, places an additional burden on already stretched professionals.

Addressing these issues requires institutional commitment. Expanding access to mental health services, improving staffing and scheduling practices, and recognizing the contributions of support staff are critical steps. As college athletics evolves, and for them to truly thrive, institutions must invest not only in their athletes, but also in the people who support them every day often before sunrise and long after the final whistle.

Works Cited

Harknett, K., Schneider, D., & Wolfe, R. (2020). Losing sleep over work scheduling? The relationship between work schedules and sleep quality for service sector workers. SSM – population health, 12, 100681. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2020.100681 

Hedrick, A., Lynch, A., & Russ, A. C. (2023). Adverse Childhood Experiences and Burnout in Athletic Trainers: An Exploratory Study. Journal of athletic training, 58(10), 876–881. https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-0545.22 

Neal, T. (2016, May). Athletic trainers, take care of yourself. NATA. https://www.nata.org/nata-now/articles/athletic-trainers-take-care-yourself#:~:text=The%20AT%20provides%20health%20care,impairs%20social%20and%20personal%20functioning.  

NCAA. (2021, February). Mental health. NCAA.org. https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2021/2/10/sport-science-institute-mental-health.aspx#:~:text=Mental%20Health%20Best%20Practices%20Resources,within%20their%20scope%20of%20practice.  

NCAA.org. (2023, February 21). 2022 transfer trends released for Divisions I and II. https://www.ncaa.org/news/2023/2/21/media-center-2022-transfer-trends-released-for-divisions-i-and-ii.aspx 

NSCA. (2025, May 6). 7 tips for navigating mental health as a Strength & Conditioning Professional. 7 Tips for Navigating Mental Health as a Strength & Conditioning Professional. https://www.nsca.com/education/articles/7-tips-for-navigating-mental-health-as-a-strength-and-conditioning-professional/#:~:text=PRIORITIZE%20YOUR%20MENTAL%20HEALTH%20AND,burnout%20is%20a%20real%20risk.  

Saito, H., Brozović, D., & Baum, T. (2025). Well-being of hospitality employees: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 124, 103955. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2024.103955  

Zaman, N., Mujahid, K., Ahmed, F., Mahmud, S., Naeem, H., Riaz, U., Ullah, U., & Cox, B. (2022). What are the barriers and facilitators to seeking help for mental health in NHS doctors: a systematic review and qualitative study. BMC psychiatry, 22(1), 595. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04202-9