Criticism of coaches.

[Rhea Co.]

Here is an article/blog that is very interesting, and I though I would just put it out here.

 

What happened to the gool old days of supporting the coach?

Sunday, November 04, 2007, at 7:31 p.m.

 

 

 

By Ward Gossett

Assistant Sports Editor

 

I doubt if any of his players' parents have ever called Tim Daniels a fool, an idiot or a buffoon, at least when he was within hearing distance.

 

The Red Bank football coach is 6-foot-8 and weighs in somewhere around 280 pounds.

 

Few coaches, though, cut the former University of Tennessee lineman's imposing figure, and few escape the second-guessing of so-called supporters, parents, older siblings or overly supportive relatives.

 

I use Tim as an example because of his stature but also because of the acknowledged skill he and his staff possess and the fact that they have won repeatedly over the last few years. I'm sure, though, that they still hear about disgruntled parents and field occasional phone calls.

 

Coaches are public figures and they put their work out there at least once a week for the world to see. They're a proud bunch and they strive for and encourage perfection but none that I know ever professed to be perfect, and yet all too often they are subjected to abusive second-guessing.

 

It's a disturbing trend, one fostered by college and pro TV game analysts and furthered by those disgusting Web sites where any anonymous and often gutless body can post his or her personal rant about a coach, a player or an even the analyst.

 

What happened to the days when a parent turned his child over to a coach with the belief that the coach was best qualified to determine what position the child would play or whether the child would play?

 

What happened to parents meeting with coaches to find out what their child was doing and how that child could improve? Nowadays, parents call coaches to find out why their child isn't playing more, why he isn't getting the ball or playing a particular position. They're often quick to criticize and perhaps even to start a petition to get that coach removed.

 

What happened to the times when coaches were respected and the community supported them to the fullest with the belief they were doing what was best for the school, the team and the individual?

 

Over more than 30 years I've seen coaches come and go.

 

Bobby Davis once enjoyed tremendous success at City High. With an eye for talent and a flair for scheming, he annually turned out winning teams every year. He had his rules and everybody abided by them, and he didn't tolerate parental interference.

 

Pete Potter, who became a legend at McCallie, once kicked a kid off a Brainerd team for smoking. He had rules. He enforced them, and few made the mistake of questioning them. It used to be about what was right.

 

I remember hearing a story about Raymond James, the late East Ridge football coach and father of current East Ridge coach Tim James. The elder James, a good coach in his day, once went after a parent, reportedly whipping him to the bone not because he criticized James but rather because of the language used in that unfortunate parent's critique.

 

Lamar Brown was a hard-nosed coach at Notre Dame and Ringgold and I can say from personal experience that his hard-nosed but fair approach had much to do with more than one kid succeeding and overcoming obstacles that were far removed from a football field.

 

And yet I've seen parents complain because their child was forced to run sprints when he forgot his equipment. I've also seen those who picked up trash in the stands or stood and cooked food in concession stands, and I bet there are a lot more of those.

 

I have been on both sides -- to a point.

 

Yes, I once met with a coach as a parent rather than as a journalist. It was a fruitful meeting, perhaps because I didn't go with criticism or complaints. Even if I had, I'm sure he would have appreciated the fact that I did it face-to-face.

 

There have been some educators, and I'm speaking here beyond the coaching realm, that I would like to jerk up and beat within an inch of their lives because of their ignorance or inexperience, or because they were more interested in political correctness and avoiding big waves than what was right and fair.

 

Did I ever want to question a coach or his methods? I'm human. I have learned from experience, though, that the overwhelming majority lead exemplary lives and that they are tremendous examples for peers and pupils.

 

You see things you don't always report like those coaches who go the extra mile whether the player involved is a star or a scrub. You see them teaching lessons that will carry your kids over hurdles and through life's constant challenges.

 

You see the postgame hugs or kisses for the wife or husband and their own children they see so little. You see the help they give students with academic, social and even economic hurdles or their filling the role of surrogate parent, big brother or big sister. You see them at their best, and occasionally their worst. You see them motivating, teaching and, yes, disciplining. You also see the respect they have earned and the hugs and the frowns and the smiles and the life-long and most often positive relationships they form. You see the big picture, viewing them as they really are.

 

And unfortunately you see them subjected to criticisms from people who forgot, never knew or never saw that big picture.

 

E-mail Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com

[adsmom86]

So glad to see an article about this!!! My brother is a coach a darn good one at that! He is a middle school coach and I know he has to put up with disgruntled parents at times.People tend to forget a coach builds character in their children, teaches them responsiblity,accountability among other things. Some of the best players are the ones whose parents let him do his job. The worst are the ones whose parents show no respect so why should their kids.He spends MANY hours not just coaching but scouting, working on the field,reviewing tapes and so forth. He makes sure every kid learns the fundamentals of the game and doesn't cut them any slack. I've seen him go to funeral home when a parent has died. Anyone that knows him will tell you the kids go to the next level VERY prepared. Sportsmanship is at the top of list. Parents need to realize what the do to a kid when they disrespect a coach. They rob their kids of a wonderful life experience. Thanks for posting the article.

[adsmom86]

I just told my brother about this article and he said,"People don't have a CLUE what goes into coaching."

[VolunteerGeneral]

Nowadays, parents call coaches to find out why their child isn't playing more, why he isn't getting the ball or playing a particular position. They're often quick to criticize and perhaps even to start a petition to get that coach removed.

 

 

Those are fair questions when handled right. I don`t know why the writer insinuates it is wrong to ask. In fact they are basically asking the same question that he insinuates it is okay to ask...

What happened to parents meeting with coaches to find out what their child was doing and how that child could improve?

[Rhea Co.]

Those are fair questions when handled right. I don`t know why the writer insinuates it is wrong to ask. In fact they are basically asking the same question that he insinuates it is okay to ask...

 

 

I think what he ment by the first one is more or less just a parent yelling at a coach over the phone about why their kid is not playing, and not trying to understand why.

 

The second one I think he was trying say is, The parent comes in and sits down with the coach and just talks about how they can make their son better and just how they are doing on the team, and also just have an understanding between the coach and parent.

[JetFan21]

Here is an article/blog that is very interesting, and I though I would just put it out here.

 

What happened to the gool old days of supporting the coach?

Sunday, November 04, 2007, at 7:31 p.m.

 

 

 

By Ward Gossett

Assistant Sports Editor

 

I doubt if any of his players' parents have ever called Tim Daniels a fool, an idiot or a buffoon, at least when he was within hearing distance.

 

The Red Bank football coach is 6-foot-8 and weighs in somewhere around 280 pounds.

 

Few coaches, though, cut the former University of Tennessee lineman's imposing figure, and few escape the second-guessing of so-called supporters, parents, older siblings or overly supportive relatives.

 

I use Tim as an example because of his stature but also because of the acknowledged skill he and his staff possess and the fact that they have won repeatedly over the last few years. I'm sure, though, that they still hear about disgruntled parents and field occasional phone calls.

 

Coaches are public figures and they put their work out there at least once a week for the world to see. They're a proud bunch and they strive for and encourage perfection but none that I know ever professed to be perfect, and yet all too often they are subjected to abusive second-guessing.

 

It's a disturbing trend, one fostered by college and pro TV game analysts and furthered by those disgusting Web sites where any anonymous and often gutless body can post his or her personal rant about a coach, a player or an even the analyst.

 

What happened to the days when a parent turned his child over to a coach with the belief that the coach was best qualified to determine what position the child would play or whether the child would play?

 

What happened to parents meeting with coaches to find out what their child was doing and how that child could improve? Nowadays, parents call coaches to find out why their child isn't playing more, why he isn't getting the ball or playing a particular position. They're often quick to criticize and perhaps even to start a petition to get that coach removed.

 

What happened to the times when coaches were respected and the community supported them to the fullest with the belief they were doing what was best for the school, the team and the individual?

 

Over more than 30 years I've seen coaches come and go.

 

Bobby Davis once enjoyed tremendous success at City High. With an eye for talent and a flair for scheming, he annually turned out winning teams every year. He had his rules and everybody abided by them, and he didn't tolerate parental interference.

 

Pete Potter, who became a legend at McCallie, once kicked a kid off a Brainerd team for smoking. He had rules. He enforced them, and few made the mistake of questioning them. It used to be about what was right.

 

I remember hearing a story about Raymond James, the late East Ridge football coach and father of current East Ridge coach Tim James. The elder James, a good coach in his day, once went after a parent, reportedly whipping him to the bone not because he criticized James but rather because of the language used in that unfortunate parent's critique.

 

Lamar Brown was a hard-nosed coach at Notre Dame and Ringgold and I can say from personal experience that his hard-nosed but fair approach had much to do with more than one kid succeeding and overcoming obstacles that were far removed from a football field.

 

And yet I've seen parents complain because their child was forced to run sprints when he forgot his equipment. I've also seen those who picked up trash in the stands or stood and cooked food in concession stands, and I bet there are a lot more of those.

 

I have been on both sides -- to a point.

 

Yes, I once met with a coach as a parent rather than as a journalist. It was a fruitful meeting, perhaps because I didn't go with criticism or complaints. Even if I had, I'm sure he would have appreciated the fact that I did it face-to-face.

 

There have been some educators, and I'm speaking here beyond the coaching realm, that I would like to jerk up and beat within an inch of their lives because of their ignorance or inexperience, or because they were more interested in political correctness and avoiding big waves than what was right and fair.

 

Did I ever want to question a coach or his methods? I'm human. I have learned from experience, though, that the overwhelming majority lead exemplary lives and that they are tremendous examples for peers and pupils.

 

You see things you don't always report like those coaches who go the extra mile whether the player involved is a star or a scrub. You see them teaching lessons that will carry your kids over hurdles and through life's constant challenges.

 

You see the postgame hugs or kisses for the wife or husband and their own children they see so little. You see the help they give students with academic, social and even economic hurdles or their filling the role of surrogate parent, big brother or big sister. You see them at their best, and occasionally their worst. You see them motivating, teaching and, yes, disciplining. You also see the respect they have earned and the hugs and the frowns and the smiles and the life-long and most often positive relationships they form. You see the big picture, viewing them as they really are.

 

And unfortunately you see them subjected to criticisms from people who forgot, never knew or never saw that big picture.

 

E-mail Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com

 

 

What do you do if a coach just isn't performing? When the team has lost 20 games in a row, and have only scored 42 points in a entire season. Kids do not want to play for the man, not because they do not play. But, because they do not trust him and they are not getting better. You do not see the coach motivating, teaching or disciplining. The school administration agrees there is a problem, but still does nothing about it. They say "we are just trying to get through the year". Do you stand back and watch a coach hurt your kid mentally, emotionally and physically? Not on purpose, but he does and doesn't even know it. What do you do?