Where's the Inspiration Gone?

Let me first quantify what I am about to say by letting you know that I did coach a youth sports team for twelve years, so I do speak from experience. Having played a number of different team sports for many years, I've realized that my current level of participation has changed dramatically. While I still do enjoy a number of sports-like activities, when it comes to team oriented games I've been benched. I now consider myself a spectator. A spectator with a camera but a spectator nonetheless. I've come to enjoy sitting on the sidelines though. As much as I enjoyed competing, I now get to really appreciate the game as well as the efforts and energy of the kids playing. However, being on the sideline has also allowed me to see and hear some things which aren't so heroic or admirable. This really came to light recently while photographing a local rec league football game.

Although it wasn't my sport of choice, I did play some high school football. I realize that's a very physical game that requires a very different level of intensity than some of the others. You have to be willing to hit and be hit, harder than the other team. As a lineman you want to own the guy across the line from you, and as a defensive back you want to crush that receiver coming across the middle, make him think twice next time. The coaches job is to not only out think the other team, keeping them guessing as to what's coming next, but it is to also keep the level of intensity up. Coaches yell, coaches scream, they slap helmets, and smack pads all designed to keep kids focused and intense.

What I cannot condone are coaches that push the bounds of their authority and influence over these kids beyond what I would consider acceptable behavior. Coaches are role models. Players look to these adults for instruction and guidance. When a coach tells a group of players to bite, kick, scratch, and punch the opposing players in a pileup, that's taken it too far. Unfortunately during a recent game, the coach for the visiting team did just this. What make this action worse is that the visitors were clearly being outplayed by the home team. So I guess the message is if you can't win then cheat, play dirty, and inflict as much injury as possible. I guess he felt that deliberately injuring players on the opposing team would make up for losing. As a parent, that's a coach who should be benched.

Another disturbing incident took place at an away game. A coach was warming up his team while another game was being played. As a visiting player walked by, this "coach" decided to single out this one eleven/twelve year old kid and use him to pump up the intensity of his team. After berating him for the uniform he was wearing he proceeded to tell his team that he wanted to "rip off his head and spit down his neck". He wanted to rip the head off of an eleven year old boy and spit down his neck. Disturbing. I'm sure had someone verbally attacked his son in this manner, this "coach" would not have been too happy. What kind of man derives satisfaction in verbally abusing an eleven year old kid? As far as I'm concerned he is neither a man nor a coach.

Let me say that I've never observed any of this type of behavior with my home town teams, no matter what the sport. And for that I'm proud to be associated with them and to help serve them in any way I can. Let me also add that the majority of youth sports coaches I've come across are great people. They care about the sport but more importantly, they care about the kids. They seem to want to inspire and teach those kids under their direction. Congratulations to all those who devote their time and hard work all for nothing but the satisfaction of watching their kids play their hearts out.