Is he trying to lose the game?
I always chuckle to myself when I'm sitting in the bleachers or wandering past the stands during a basketball or baseball game and hear a parent say those words about the head coach. Contrary to what most people may believe, I've never been around or met a coach who ever tried to lose a game. As I've said before, coaches torture themselves enough after every loss, so the idea of a coach trying to lose is asinine. Sometimes coaches will play their lesser players to try and send a message to the top guys. If they lose a game because of it, the hope is that the top players get angered and change some practice habits or learn from their mistakes. Losing a game can bring about necessary change, but I assure you a coach is never trying to lose a game.
So what are the things that prompt parents to wonder if a coach is trying to lose a game on purpose? In baseball nothing frustrates a parent more than batting everybody in a big game. Doesn't the coach know that if he sits Player A and B that the heart of the lineup will come up 4 times instead of 3? I wonder the same thing when watching my other kids that I'm not coaching. It's easy to forget how difficult it is to look a kid in the face and tell them they are not hitting. It's also easy to forget that their parents are spending the same kind of big money you are for their kids to PLAY. So yes, as a coach I am aware that Player A hasn't gotten a hit in the past 6 games, but he's a good kid and works just as hard or harder than everyone else. The same thing goes for putting kids in the field. Coaches are very aware of who can play what positions the best, but you'll also never know that for sure if you don't give kids some chances during games. It's not easy for a young kid to sit on the bench every inning while his teammates hustle onto the field. So yes, coaches are thinking the same thing as parents when they insert a certain player who struggles to catch the ball into the field. We're not trying to lose the game, we're just trying to give everyone a chance to play and contribute. We are hoping that the ball doesn't find them, but when it does you hope for the best. Maybe they make a play that gives you and the player more confidence, or maybe they don't make a play that shows everyone why they don't play more.
In basketball it can be even more tricky because things can change so quickly. Player C has really been working their butt of in practice the last couple of days. They've been competing and pushing others to get better. They have earned the right to get some key minutes, but now as a coach you've got to find the best spot for them. A 10 point lead in the first half seems ideal. It's also the same time that another starter needs a rest. Now you've got Player C and another reserve in their at the same time. The opposing coach senses his opportunity and decides to press. Your once comfortable 10 point lead is trimmed to 2 in under 2 minutes and now people are blaming you for trying to lose the game by putting those kids in the game. All the while you're just trying to send the right message to the team that you'll reward kids who work hard in practice.
Some parents who have never coached don't care about the lesser players. They should just get better or get out of the way, but a coach shouldn't play them just because they're nice kids. Parents of the top players may view it as their kid is being punished because the coach is keeping the team from reaching it's full potential. The coach is taking at-bats away from the better kids. The coach is keeping the better kids from staying in the flow of the game. I've heard it all before, and I've questioned myself as a coach about it too. Just like my prior blog, I often ask myself when is the right time to tell kids they're just not good enough and all things are not equal.
As much as I hate losing, one of the simple things to do would be to hit and play my top 9 guys that way nobody could ever accuse me of trying to lose. It's not hard for a coach to find a spot for a kid to pinch run or enter as a defensive sub. Yet, before kids are in middle school that just has always seemed and felt like the wrong approach to me. I've lost to teams that have only hit 9 guys and I've beaten teams that have only hit 9 guys. I always wonder how those kids who didn't play felt after the game, win or lose. I wonder what the parents who drove their kids there and gave up 2-3 hours of their time feel after those games. Again, by middle school kids should know where they stand, but at 9-11 years old coaches sometimes care more about themselves than the kids.
My first coaching job of any kind was in middle school basketball. After learning that not all kids were playing in every game, the varsity coach stepped in and mandated that every kid play 3 minutes in every game. With a roster of 12 kids in a 24 minute game, it really limited the amount of time the top players were on the court together. Inevitably, over the years we lost some games that we never would have if we'd only played our top 8 players. As a young coach it was extremely frustrating, especially when you hear parents behind you complaining about the rotation of players. Initially, I never saw the value in playing all kids. I felt it was only frustrating the best players and their parents. Yet as time went on and years of experience started to pile up, I realized that playing everybody not only developed some kids into better players, but it also made it easier for parents to understand why their kid doesn't play as much as the others.
When a kid sits the bench they tend to question everything, and that can become a cancerous situation, especially if they're sitting and talking to other kids who aren't playing. Parents don't understand why their son isn't playing ahead of Players E and F. However, if all the kids get to play then it should become more apparent to the parents why their son doesn't play. Seeing their son drop a fly ball or not get to a ball should help them understand why others get more playing time. Seeing their son commit a couple turnovers in a handful of possessions should help them understand why they rarely see the floor.
Yet it doesn't for most. A lot of parents are experts at making excuses for the kids performance. Sitting in the stands you hear two different sets of parents watching the game from two completely different sets of eyes. One set of parents is on you because you're not going all out to win. You're giving too many kids an opportunity that's taking away from the best kids. The other set of parents think that you're not giving the lesser players enough of an opportunity to prove themselves. The lesser players are nervous because they know that if they make one mistake they're coming out of the game. As a coach you can't win, but one thing I assure you of is that contrary to what you might think we're not trying to lose.
Ultimately as a coach it is almost impossible to truly win. Inevitably some player or parent is going to be upset regarding something. If you win but don't play everybody then you're not about the team. If you lose but everybody has played then you're not about doing what is best for the team. The older the kids get the more complex these issues become. On the basketball court skill, size, and athleticism become more important every year. You can't "hide" a kid in junior high like you could at the younger levels. Same thing in baseball. Speed and arm strength become essential to playing the outfield. Awareness, leadership, and quick decision making become essential to playing the infield. You can no longer hide kids in the outfield or at first base. It's time for these kids to be able to contribute or see the reality of the sport. However, I've never seen a baseball team with just 9 players or a basketball team with just 5 players. Somebody will always sit and a kid or parent will always have reasons to question your decisions.
Moreover, as the kids get older coaching strategy and decisions get called into question more often. Why would a coach send a kid in that situation? Why is that kid left on the mound to take a beating, or why is the coach not pulling him? Why would a coach not throw the ball into the post more often? Why not press this team the entire game? Being a coach allows you to be publicly second guessed all the time. Rarely are we ever complimented for the decisions that worked out well. Those plays and decisions are forgotten or unrecognizable as part of the flow of the game. Yet, the one wrong decision or outcome towards the end of a game can cause some to accuse you of trying to lose the game, or even more so being accused of directly losing the game.
While parents will never fully understand how or why all decisions are made, it is important to understand that no coach is out their trying to lose a game. Believe it or not, there is a reason why Player A is at shortstop and your kid is in the outfield. There is a reason why Player B is hitting second and your kid is hitting seventh. There is a reason why we are playing a zone defense despite struggling to rebound. More importantly in youth sports, there is a reason why everybody is getting a chance to hit or play. As a coach, there is nothing more frustrating than losing, but there is nothing more worse than being accused of trying to lose by those who have no stake in all the kids and the entire team
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