Coach suspended for ripping team in newspaper

I printed a quote from a coach earlier this year that basically called his kids chokers. He repeatedly used the word "gag" as he described his team's performances in various big games.It actually wound up having a positive affect on his team, they went on a 10-game winning streak after that. No repercusions for the harsh words.

 

Thank you. We all sit here and b_tch about the coaches who never want to say anything.

We have no evidence that the coach called out anyone in particular. One would think after 500 wins and 33 seasons that this guy might have a clue what makes teams and kids tick. He was honest ... if that means being a lightning rod that motivates the players through print, that's fine as well.

I'll take this coach over the same old "they played hard ... it just wasn't there ... things didn't go our way" crap that seems to enrage many of the practicing sports journalists on this board. Funny that this comes out of my keyboard, but some administrators and parents really need to lighten up.

 

The sad thing is all parents want to hear from the coaches are the "they played hard" comments, because they have to rationalize every loss and don't want to hear the truth, that sometimes their kids' teams aren't as good as the other team.

Last fall a mother wrote us a letter saying she wanted us to run more photos of one of the local high school football teams to "show how hard they're working." The team won four games.

God forbid anyone points out the truth _ that their kids aren't that good.

 

Shit, JB, talent's got nothing to do with it. Why would people understand much of anything we do if they don't want to?
I got a thing the other day chastising me for covering the men's team at the college I cover more than the women's. I cover bigger women's games, but I travel with the men, ergo many more stories.
I tried to explain to her the interest level -- especially the 110 ppl per game the women were drawing while the men were selling out their gym (albeit a very small gym). Didn't matter. "They're better than the men's team," she said. "Therefore they deserve more coverage."
Love how some people rationalize newspapers as some sort of a reward.

 

We had a girls' coach get suspended here for calling two players -- by name -- cowards

Quote: "(player 1 and player 2) were absolutely awful," coach said. "My role players did great. XXXX had a great game. But for us to stay within 20 points when XXXX and XXXX play like that, we ought to thank the Lord.

"Their passion was not there. Basically, they were cowards and hid from the ball. They did not want to make mistakes, so they ran from the ball. They are young, but that's no excuse. They have played a lot. They never played with any emotion. That has to change, and will change."

She was originally suspneded for three games, and given two weeks no coachng at all. It was changed to one game. Football coach at same school ripped his players just as bad and got nothing for it, and parents raised a stink after girls coach was suspended.

She's done stuff like this in the past, and has no problem calling her team out. Makes for fun interviews after the games though.

 

My advice to her would have been to ask herself, "is this good for the company?"

 

I once had a coach who was furious with his team tell me, "I would have kicked them in the balls - if they had any."

 

"I didn't get a piece of cake last time. If I don't get a piece of cake, I'll burn this building down."

 

I think the guy had it coming. He didn't criticize the players' effort, he didn't criticize their play in one game, he said the whole team is chicken shit.

Sounds like coach is just mad and covering his ass. How is that supposed to motivate players?

 

Honestly, when an action like this one is taken, I always wonder how much history is there. I mean, how many times has the principal gone to this guy and told him to cool it? We may never know. But when this kind of disciplinary action happens, it's rarely the first incident. Or, perhaps the principal doesn't like him. Stranger things have happened.

 

Junkie,

What if the player was quoted after the game saying that they would have won except for the coaching.

"You can't make chicken salad out of these chicken you-know-what plays that coach makes us run"

What, if anything, should happen to the player?

 

If a coach wants to strongly criticize the players' effort. Fine.

If he wants to criticize a player for his performance in a game or a stretch of games. Fine.

But to say the whole team basically sucks is not good coaching and the guy deserves what he gets.

He is free to say it, but he also has to take the consequences from his boss, just like a player would if he ripped the coach.