A common issue many parents complain about is the “politics” of sports. In cases where a child loses a starting position, or doesn’t receive any playing time at all, parents will sometimes pass judgment on the coach’s decision as “political.” Could all these coaching decisions really be based on factors outside of athletic talent and ability? Is it possible that coaches are just really bad people, and that they place “deals” before fairness – and winning? Or is it really that coaches, for the most part, do the best that they can, and that some parents are the ones who really have the problem of accepting that what they see in their child may be different than the coach sees?
For a small number of sports, coaching decisions are relatively easy to make as the athletes are faced against one another and a true winner emerges. Some examples include wrestling, track, and golf. Most of the time coaches simply play the kids who win in head-to-head competition, making their decisions relatively easy to accept (and not controversial). But what about all of the other sports that require subjective evaluations? Sports like basketball, football, soccer, and baseball? In these cases, it may not be politics at play, but instead the coach’s honest assessment based on what he or she sees. Unfortunately, some parents call this "politics," rather than what it really is - a coach's best attempt at evaluating talent.
When parents become emotionally charged about a decision they weren’t ready to hear, it is quite common to think about what other factors went into the coach’s decision. Fortunately, most parents understand the difficulty in making coaching decisions, and trust that unfair factors didn’t come into play. Parents who immediately jump to the excuse of politics, however, should consider the following facts before getting worked up and possibly making a problem out of nothing.
Adults go into coaching for a number of reasons, and most would agree that it usually feels a lot better winning than it does losing. Many coaches are also former athletes themselves, and likely to have a winning spirit about competitive sports. It is for these reasons that I believe the majority of coaches make the best decisions they possibly can when it comes to putting the best kids out on the field, and are not trying to intentionally hurt anyone. In other words, it doesn't serve a coach well to make "political" decisions if it's going to hurt the teams chances of winning.
Coaches are people, and as people they will make human errors. In rare cases, there may in fact be political motives behind their decisions, but this is the exception, not the norm. Therefore, it is important to think about the next time the word “politics” enters a conversation involving coaching decisions, and refrain from immediately assuming the coach had ulterior motives in his decision. A few key questions are provided below to help better understand how to more effectively deal with coaching decisions that may appear political in nature:
- Consider the league. Is your child’s league a competitive league, or more of a recreational organization? If you are involved in a competitive league, you should expect coaching decisions to be based on winning and competitiveness. In these leagues, coaches want to win, and usually do their best to base talent decisions accordingly. In recreational leagues, however, fairness is usually weighted more heavily over sheer athleticism. Obviously, it is important to thoroughly process what is best for your child.
- Ask questions. Try to understand the policies and procedures of the league, as well as any protocols to follow if you do feel it is important to learn more about your child’s playing time. If you think it is appropriate to ask the coach about playing time, be considerate and ask for a short meeting at a time convenient to the coach. Assuming you get a meeting, go in with a good attitude and try not to point criticism toward the coach or any child on the team. Instead, try to learn as much as you can about where your child’s shortcomings are, and thank the coach for the feedback.
- Set future goals. Once you have the coach’s feedback, sit down with your child and develop goals for improvement. When setting goals, make sure they are specific, measurable, realistic, and controllable. Remind your child that you while you can never control the coach’s decision; you can always improve, providing for improved chances of future playing time.
For more sport education information please visit Advanced Human Performance Systems, and catch me on Twitter!
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