Shouldering the burden: how stories shape esports coaching careers

Esports coaches have become a prominent feature of the esports landscape, yet currently not much is known about esports coaching practices, research, and education. Consequently, esports coaches have had to navigate their development in the absence of standardised pathways and a context-specific research base. There is much we can learn from the organic evolution of esports coaching practice, so we used narrative inquiry to understand the processes and resources esports coaches’ employ in shaping their careers and development. Narrative interviews were conducted to collect the stories from 11 professional esports coaches (10 men, 1 woman) and were analysed using creative analytic practices (CAP). Thematic narrative analysis informed our construction of four creative nonfiction vignettes that portrayed the current sociocultural performance of the role, ‘esports coach,’ and highlighted the (un)available resources affording personal and professional development. We reflect on our CAP by offering a response to the stories that are situated within existing literature on esports and traditional sport coaching, with implications for coach education in esports and the wider esports industry. To our knowledge, this study was the first to apply a creative-nonfiction approach to experiences of esports coaching.