I was very frustrated with the recent Sun Journal series, “Time out: The crisis in coaching.”

As the article stated, coaching is a noble profession. I know several high school coaches who are class acts and have taken the required ASEP course and coach by its motto of “athletes first, winning second.”

But, in my experience, those coaches are in the minority. Far too many coaches at the high school level, if they ever were in it for the kids, have long since forgotten what that means.

Don’t tell me it’s about the kids when games are being won by 30 points, and even then coaches don’t play everybody or embarrass some kids by only playing them the last 30 seconds. What they care about is winning.

Coaches get hit with expectations from all sides, and I know the frustrations of dealing with parents only concerned with their kid or winning.

However, the one-sided slant that parents are the enemy and that players, in general, are either lazy or uncommitted just isn’t so.

The vast majority of parents support their child’s team. And most players are willing to work hard to improve.

There was a time when coaches could not be questioned. But that has changed. Coaches, like teachers, work for the school system and must answer to parents, as long as they are respectful.

If you have good coaches, thank them for all they do. And if not, hold them accountable.

Frank E. Donald Sr., Wilton

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