Parents, Coaches, Athletes and Sports
High school sports are an important part of many people’s lives. Parents, coaches, and athletes invest a lot of time and resources into them. High school sports are mostly positive experiences, but sometimes there is problems. Minnesota even has passed laws protecting the rights of coaches from being fired due to parental complaints. If we remember the tips to being a good parent and athlete, we can have good relationships with our coaches.
Parents and Sports
Who are the biggest fans of high school sports? Parents invest a lot of time, energy, and money on their kids sports careers. Athletes want their parents to be proud of their accomplishments. Sometimes parents set high goals and expectations. They set those goals because either they want kids to be successful or they are trying to relive their own experiences. Sports are important, but sometimes parents need to remember not to cross the fine line between being a fan and trying to be a coach.
High school coaches face many pressures. They have pressure from their players, school, fans, and parents to help their teams to perform to the best of the team’s ability. Sometimes though, individual self-interests are put ahead of the team’s success. Coaches face pressures from parents regarding their kid’s performance and playing time. Many coaches have either resigned, not had their contracts renewed, or been fired because of pressure from parents. Coaches resigning is a sad deal, but sometimes it is just part of life.
The state of Minnesota has taken action to try to protect the rights of coaches from being fired due to parental complaints. On July 1, 2013, they added language to a law already in effect. The new law states, “The existence of parent complaints must not be the sole reason for a board to not renew a coaching contract." The new law was designed to make parent complains the reason a coach does not return the following season (Popke).
Has the new statue helped protect coaches? That answer depends on whom you ask. The issue even was an issue within political parties. The bill was led by Republican Dean Urdahl, and Democrat Paul Marquart. The law has maybe helped some coaches, but it has had side effects. The law also has helped protect athletic directors, who face fire for not firing coaches due to parental complaints. It also though has put another barrier between the relationship between coaches and parents (Popke).
Tips to Being a Good Parent
Do some coaches deserve to be fired? Are some parents bad parents, yes they are. Sometimes as a parent all you can do is, control what you can control. Jim Thompson is someone who provided great tips on how to be the best sports parent you can be. Jim is the creator of the Positive Coaching Alliance. He wrote a book called, “The High School Sports Parent.” For starters, parents should look at the life lessons kids are learning by participating in high school sports. Wins and losses are important. The life lessons like being part of a team, building work ethic, and dealing with adversity are more important though. There are many life lessons that are learned from being part of a state championship volleyball team, but there is also many lessons to be learned from being on a football team that had a 0-8 season, and from everything in-between. Parents should want to watch their children win a game. Sometimes parents need to take a step back, support their kids, and help them become the best person they can be (Lobdell).
Sports do not always divide parents and coaches; sometimes they divide parents and children. Parents should want their kids to succeed, but sometimes they cross the line of over-pushing them. A tip for being a good parent is, let your kid mess up occasionally. It is ok for kids to lose a basketball game because they missed the game winning shot. Parents should learn that it is ok that they make mistakes, but their job is to help their children to learn from them (Lobdell).
Parents sometimes have to step back and just be supportive. Sometimes though it is their job to stand up for their child. If children are bullied on a team or just in school in general, parents have a right to notify the proper school officials and/or authorities about the problem. If a child is bullied or abused by their team’s coach, you should notify the proper personnel. There is no room in society for people getting bullied and abused, especially kids. In sports, if there is a problem, always talk to the coach first. If that does not work then go talk to the athletic director, principal, etc… Always speak up when you have to for your kid. Just always remember to do it in a manner that is appropriate and professional (Lobdell).
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