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You have to be a coach or a trainee to want to talk about this stuff. Say you're a university professor. You might not coach. But you've got a study, results or a perspective to sell to the public and your peers, right?
I'm not arguing against holding coaches to a high standard of accuracy. But I have a problem with this idea that it is inherently problematic for me to hawk my skill by talking about my work. I've seen doctors enter the realm of wellness and fitness too. And some doctors say absurd and provably false things. There are dentists who use the doctor title and say silly things about push ups and training.
The question here is straightforward: Does a degree entitle you to say silly things? To produce tier lists of exercises without any context. Split squats are A. Push ups are C. And you should listen to me because I studied anatomy in the first year of my BDS degree?
And does a lack of a degree mean you shouldn't advertise your work or your track record? Especially if what you are saying can be verified as true.
If you're saying untrue or false things, you need to be held accountable. If you are misleading people about your track record or the science to sell your programs, you should be held accountable. By whom? I don't know.
Think of how many nonsensical programs exist to fix your posture. Plenty of biomechanics and corrective exercise specialists say patently unprovable things to sell you programs or their coaching services. They sell you fixes for your hips, knees, ankles and posture to deal with pain. Oversimplified, unprovable nonsense.
Same goes for physios who oversell dry needling, cupping and other 'therapies' for recovery and pain.
Let's take peptides. BPC-157 has no human trials or solid evidence behind it. If an influencer pushes it, is that worse than a doctor pushing it? The same recommendation without sound backing reads fine thanks to a degree. The onus of evidence can't change simply because of what you majored in college.
How about PRP shots pushed by orthos? I've heard them defend it with 'It helped my patient.' No trials. Just a testimonial. The same kind of evidence coaches get mocked for when they post client results.
There is plenty of evidence that surgery for everything from slipped discs to ACL tears often yields outcomes that are marginally better than old fashioned movement sans surgery. Surgery isn't always necessary. 'It helped my patient' has been a shield for some unscrupulous stuff for years now. Let's not go down the rabbit hole of medication and favouring certain brands due to pharma reps.
This isn't to excuse unethical or immoral behaviour by influencers. I am arguing that everyone and every claim needs to be under a magnifying lens.
I don't think a degree, certification or license should give you the freedom to say stupid or false things. And not having one does not automatically mean everything you say is untrue or unproven.