In 2005, the impactful sports drama Coach Carter starring Samuel L. Jackson hit the big screen. It is based on the true story of Richmond High School basketball coach Ken Carter, who made headlines in the late 1990s for suspending his undefeated basketball team due to poor academic performance and behavioral issues. There is considerable opposition to Carter’s strict expectations, but as the story progresses, we see the fruit of what consistency and accountability offer athletes and parents. Carter captures the essence of his philosophy in an inspiring speech to his team that we could summarize like this: winning in the classroom and on the court is the key to winning out there in the real world.  

Accountability means being answerable for our actions. Learning to be disciplined, accept correction, and live within the boundaries set by a coach are essential for success on the field, in the gym, and under the water. But, more importantly, these things matter because they help to build the right type of character we desire to see in our athletes. 

Why Do We Need Accountability?

Because of Sin

Page one of the Bible draws us into the story of God creating the world in which we live, a garden paradise filled with his presence. He creates humanity in his image to rule on his behalf as kings and queens to display his character to the rest of creation (Gen 1:26-28). The first man (Adam) and woman (Eve) were given one command — not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:15-17). Imagine that type of freedom, one rule, one prohibition; that's it! Everything else is fair game. Yet, Adam and Eve buy into the lie the serpent tells them (Genesis 3) that God is holding out on them. They would be better off defining for themselves what is good, true, and beautiful. Thus sin, suffering, death, and evil enter God’s good creation. The players you coach and the parents you partner have the same tendencies. Everyone wants to set their own boundaries and avoid accountability when it suits them. 

God holds Adam and Eve accountable for their sin, and as the Bible’s story unfolds we see the consequences of how this original sin impacts all relationships and realities, not just for Adam, but for you, the players you coach, and their parents. Here’s what I mean. Since all sin is ultimately against God, it alienates us from him, produces hostility with him, and renders us guilty before him (Rom 3:23). Sin makes us self-centered, self-deceived, and enslaved to its desires. Sin also strains and often breaks relationships, brings shame, fosters competition rather than cooperation, and destroys sympathy for others. We need accountability because we don’t naturally desire boundaries and constraints. We don’t naturally view them as beneficial or leading to more freedom, but as something to transgress when it suits us. We don’t keep our promises. We need a new heart and new motivations to do what we ought to do.  

Because of Redemption

Accountability, when done well, tethers us to good rather than evil, right instead of wrong, and true freedom rather than enslavement to our desires. It helps us treat every player and parent with the fairness that biblical justice demands, but it also allows for repentance and restoration. Genesis 3 is not just about the fall of man into sin; it also contains the first promise of hope, of redemption. 

Genesis 3:15 says this, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Later authors of Scripture will pick up on this promise, which is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the true son of promise who crushes evil, Satan, sin, and death through his perfect life, sacrificial death, and resurrection from the grave (1 Cor 15:54-55; Col 1:19-22; Heb 2:14-15). Therefore all who trust in Christ for eternal life can say along with the apostle Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20). That’s the gospel isn't it? Jesus absorbs the consequences of sin for all who believe. Jesus being faithful where we were not, and his righteousness becoming ours by grace. So, now accountability doesn’t strike fear in us, or a desire to rebel against authority, but rather serves as a tool to grow in holiness and Christ-like character and live with the grain of the universe that God created. But how? 

Benefits of Accountability: Responsibility and Trust

When coaches prioritize consistent and intentional accountability, they take the right steps toward building a culture of responsibility and trust. In Luke 16, Jesus tells a parable about the role of money and possessions. We are not to trust in such things to secure our future, but faithfully use them to the glory of God. In verse ten, Jesus says something about the meaning of the parable that transcends the money and possessions talk, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.” We are all accountable before God for the time, talent, and treasures he has given to us. For Christian coaches, this includes how they help athletes mature in sport and character. 

So, what does God require of you as a coach regarding accountability? To say it another way, what does God require of you as one who bears his image and for whom Christ died?  The prophet Micah is helpful at this point when he says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8). In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul answers like this:  “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thess 4:3). Maybe that seems sort of vague to you. What he means is your growth in holiness (Christ-like character) and the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:16-25). Now, let’s apply these two verses to your daily life as a coach. 

Trust is built on consistent actions and reliability over time. If you fail as a coach to hold your players accountable to team expectations, you hamstring your credibility as a mentor they should take seriously. You show yourself to be just as inconsistent as they are! Now they don’t need your perfection, and you don’t need theirs. Accountability also encourages us to own our mistakes and learn from them; it makes space for reconciliation and restoration as well. Taking responsibility for one’s actions demonstrates integrity and honesty, leading others to view you or one of your players as reliable and dependable. When accountability is consistent, it grows young and immature players into wise, fruitful, and compassionate citizens, husbands and fathers, wives and mothers, employees and bosses. Why? Because accountability teaches honesty, trust, self-control, personal responsibility, delayed gratification, and just rewards and consequences. Inconsistent accountability, on the other hand, is unjust, unloving, selfish, and cowardly. It produces an attitude of entitlement and a lone-ranger attitude that will wreak havoc everywhere it goes. 

How To Create a Culture of Accountability

1. 1. Clear Expectations. 
   1. a) Do you view parent meetings as formalities, or opportunities to showcase your desire to train young men or women to live for Christ and excel in life beyond the sport you coach?
   2. b) How clear and helpful are your parent and player handbooks?
   3.  
2. 2. Approachability
   1. a) Would your colleagues consider you humble or arrogant, defensive or easy to talk to?
   2. b) Do your players and their parents know when and how they can reach you?
   3. c) Do you set appropriate boundaries around your church and family life?
   4.  
3. 3. No favoritism
   1. a) Do you treat every player and parent with dignity and respect? 
   2. b) Do you hold your best or most likable players accountable to the same character standards as your worst or least likable players?
   3.  

• 4. Practice What You Preach

1. Could your players point to examples of how you seek out accountability in your life?
2. Do you admit your mistakes?
3. Do you model forgiveness and repentance?
4. Are you consistent and reliable?  
5.  
1. Seek to be the coach that keeps their word, and impacts players in ways that shape who they become far beyond the game.