Coaches, why do you coach?

Slappers · Aug 1, 2014

I know I should leave well enough alone and everything I post will be put under a microscope because of a thread here on this subforum. I don't care, I owned and stood by what I said. After reading a facebook post about the thread and how I suck as a coach, need a forum to hold my hand and make decisions for me, I'm not a man, look what he did with the 9 year old slow pitch team after I quit coaching it and how they are going to slander my team to everyone that will listen etc, it made me wonder why I coach and have to deal with stuff like that.

The answer is simple. It is because I love doing it. Being able to take part in shaping a group of young people trying to achieve a common goal is amazing. I'm not happy for myself when they win but I am disappointed in myself when they lose. I question what could I have done differently or what did we not work on that we should have. I find it hard to believe that ANY coach is in this for themselves. I believe we all have the best interests of the girls at heart. I don't gain anything personally or financially out of doing what I do outside of the satisfaction of watching my players grow as players and young adults and the friendships that have been forged. That to me is what coaching is about.

So why do you all do it?

klamath632 · Aug 1, 2014

In the two years since we left rec ball for the world of travel ball (at 9U and 10U), coaches seem to be there so that they can make sure their daughters never leave the field.

Doug Romrell · Aug 1, 2014

klamath632 said:
In the two years since we left rec ball for the world of travel ball (at 9U and 10U), coaches seem to be there so that they can make sure their daughters never leave the field.

Yet some daughters leave the field....literally. I'm still there.....I'm still there helping those who really want to be there.... I'm still there for those who have heart.... I'm still there volunteering my time to those who what to play and who really want to get better.

I love coaching, but there's plenty a coach has to deal with that isn't at all enjoyable.

Slappers · Aug 1, 2014

I'm sure that is true in a high percentage of cases. I am a "daddy ball" coach too. I don't wear the rose colored glasses though and will coach once they are done playing.

And what Doug said.

And I also think you would be hard pressed to find a player or parent on my team that believes I am only in it for my girls. Hell, one doesn't want to be there but I need her there. Plus I think she enjoys it but she has the same personality I had as a kid and never wanted to do anything either..

GunnerShotgun · Aug 1, 2014

I do it for the money.
I do it for the challenge of having 3 coaches at practice and having 24 coaches (parents) at the tournaments questioning everything from lineups to the uniform choice of the day.
I do it for the opportunity to pay for team fees that didn't get factored in the budget.
I do it because I like to be challenged in finding a sub for half a tournament because your daughter is at camp, but really wants to play in bracket play when she returns on Sunday.
I do it because your paid hitting coach knows so much more about hitting than I do however if she is in a slump it's my fault.
I do it because I like spending all of my free time either reviewing practice plans or going to watch other teams practice and play.
I do it because we hand out stickers for concrete defined goals but it's my fault when your daughter isn't getting enough stickers.
I do it because I personally enjoy calling all the parents of the kids who didn't make tryouts

Who wouldn't want to be a coach?

klamath632 · Aug 1, 2014

Maybe if you didn't bat the right-handed slapper (seriously, she's a righty slapper!) who is hitting .100 in the four-spot all season, who coincidentally happens to be the AC's daughter, the parents wouldn't question your lineups?

Maybe if you didn't start-- every single game-- the girl who boots half the balls hit in her direction and can't hit the ball farther than the pitcher, the parents wouldn't question your choices?

Maybe if you had actually played my daughter, who (with half the PAs of your chosen nine) has the highest SLG, OPS, and 4th highest AVG on the team, we'd be trying out for your team again this fall? Maybe if my daughter had actually started a game at pitcher, instead of coming in the fourth inning every time and cleaning up the mess your daughter made by walking four girls, I wouldn't hate DaddyBall so much?

All we want from you daddy coaches is some accountability and fair play. Maybe stick your head in one of those scorebooks that you insist your wife is in charge of. Of course, she probably just cooks the books for you so you can continue being as delusional as you currently are.

(Obviously, this post is directed not at any of you who are replying so far. You might be great coaches and if so, I applaud you. Obviously I'm really bitter at being shown, two years in a row now, just how bad DaddyBall gets.)

Slappers · Aug 1, 2014

I agree with you completely. But what you stated is not strictly related to daddy ball outside of your situation obviously. Politics, who's friends with who all come into play. I don't play favorites. You do what I ask and work hard, you'll get just as much opportunity as everyone else.

Hopefully you all can find a better situation.

CoogansBluff · Aug 1, 2014

I feel fortunate that my daughter has not experienced any significant daddy-ball teams (unless it was those teams that I coached and didn't realize it). She's been on three straight TB teams where I believed the coaches were fair and objective.

That said, one of the biggest reasons that people coach is to provide an experience for their daughters that might not exist if they didn't coach. That's why I did it. If not for that motivation, we'd not have enough coaches for the girls who want to play. The result of this incentive is some really good coaches, and some really frustrating ones. Most do a good job w/ the daddy-ball challenge, IMO. But inevitably some don't. And some who do a good job are falsely accused. And some are just guilty.

Slappers · Aug 1, 2014

This is another reason I coach...moments like this.

Thanks to daddiox2 for showing me the umpire site on the thread I started about scrimmage etiquette. Perusing through that site I found this amazing video.

GunnerShotgun · Aug 1, 2014

klamath632 said:
Maybe if you didn't bat the right-handed slapper (seriously, she's a righty slapper!) who is hitting .100 in the four-spot all season, who coincidentally happens to be the AC's daughter, the parents wouldn't question your lineups?

Maybe if you didn't start-- every single game-- the girl who boots half the balls hit in her direction and can't hit the ball farther than the pitcher, the parents wouldn't question your choices?

Maybe if you had actually played my daughter, who (with half the PAs of your chosen nine) has the highest SLG, OPS, and 4th highest AVG on the team, we'd be trying out for your team again this fall? Maybe if my daughter had actually started a game at pitcher, instead of coming in the fourth inning every time and cleaning up the mess your daughter made by walking four girls, I wouldn't hate DaddyBall so much?

All we want from you daddy coaches is some accountability and fair play. Maybe stick your head in one of those scorebooks that you insist your wife is in charge of. Of course, she probably just cooks the books for you so you can continue being as delusional as you currently are.

(Obviously, this post is directed not at any of you who are replying so far. You might be great coaches and if so, I applaud you. Obviously I'm really bitter at being shown, two years in a row now, just how bad DaddyBall gets.)

My question to parents that go through this. Did you talk to parents that played for this coach previously? It would seem to me that as a parent if you did your homework that "daddy ball" to this extreme would not exist.

Not picking on you per say, just parents in general.

Coaches, why do you coach?

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