Wednesday, July 06, 2005

No more White Shadows

In the SJ-R's sports section today, an article quotes a local high school coach who is quite candid in his comments concerning his reason for resigning. A frenzied band of overinvolved parents had zapped the joy out of his job to the point that he no longer desired to lead their young charges. The public airing of his grievances, along with making the job of finding his replacement more difficult, gives one to wonder if the proliferation of resignations in the high school coaching ranks isn't also tied, at least in part, to the behavior of parents.

It was always my understanding that those who pursued coaching careers did so because they possessed a passion for their particular sport and wanted to stay involved after their own playing days had ended. That's why it is curious that in another article in the sports page today, it mentions that two other local basketball coaches have left to pursue careers as pharmeuctical reps. Granted, pharmaceutical rep is probably a better paying gig, but I doubt that they were driven into that career by the same type of passion that found them pacing courtside in a high school gym. People who are passionate about pharmaceuticals don't become sales reps, they become junkies.

It's common for coaches, when stepping down from their position, to cite the desire to spend more time with their family as the reason. But if the real desire is to spend less time with the families of their players, it would serve their former profession much better if they would admit as much.

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