Presenting Philosophical Problems

My favorite college course was called “Philosophy of Sport in Education”. I took it my freshmen year and looked forward to the morning lectures twice a week. Most of my classmates were athletes majoring in Education who were required to take the course. I took it as an elective and sat in the front row. The professor did not assign us a textbook the entire semester. Instead, we read books written by great coaches and about athletes who scribed their own how-to paperbacks. Topics ranged from sportsmanship to steroids, and gamesmanship to good coaching techniques. One discussion we never acutely addressed was how we would react as an athlete if a coach approached us asking to help a fellow teammate. I was pondering this out of the blue today and decided today’s blog would make my audience think.
Sometimes you hear stories about veteran catchers teaching rookies certain ways to handle pitches behind the plate or influential quarterbacks giving advice to sidelined stand-ins. Jerry Manuel has to decide whether or not he will play Gary Sheffield, the veteran outfielder the Mets just signed. He could opt to replace the rookie, Daniel Murphy, or struggling right fielder, Ryan Church. Or, he could bench Sheffield and have him used as a pinch hitter in the clutch. Manuel must be torn about playing Luis Castillo at second base despite his bleak bat. The general manager re-signed Castillo and now Luis is the starting second baseman. Jerry has to pay the player his boss is paying the big bucks instead of a more talented option.
What would you do as a if you had to be a mentor and coach a younger teammate, knowing he or she could possibly take over your position on the team if they bettered themselves? What if you knew they were more talented and would make the team better, but you did not want to sacrifice your spot? If a younger player could catapult his status and scoot past an older one, how would that affect his ego? Would the player accept a lower role even if they could do more on the field? Should coaches use seniority as an underlying rule when writing out rosters?
Personally, I am not sure I would take the high road myself. I would probably be willing to at least offer my advice and work out with the other player. But I would only go so far. Meaning, I would not let on all my tacit knowledge. I consider myself a team player and fair person. I also trust my own ability, so it would be fine by me helping out another player. It is enjoyable and rewarding to offer sound advice based on personal athletic experience to inquiring teammates. But I would have a hard time really becoming involved in the progression of a colleague. It sounds selfish to snub a teammate, but as an athlete, you need to take care of playing time for yourself first. The job of coaching should be left to the head coach. Athletes should focus on managing their own strengths and weaknesses. It is not necessary to add another element to their agenda, especially at the college level. Teamwork and bonding is one thing, but asking to play second fiddle and be a supplemental coaching assistant is going too far.
Skills speak for themselves most of the time, and at higher levels of play, it does not matter how much a coach teaches. You either have the talent or you don’t. But at more amateur and high school levels, there is competition and most of the players are on an even playing field jockeying for position on teams. If the tables were turned and I was the better athlete on the team, but the newcomer, I think I would concede my position for at least a year. In fact, I’ve had to do this more than once. I knew in my mind that my time would eventually come. I had to make my bones, so to speak. It is not always the easiest decision for anybody, and I am sure coaches feel intimated benching seasoned players. The question of integrity becomes an issue in this particular case. Who is responsible for undertaking the task of creating a happy clubhouse? The manager commandeers that control. Players should and must be willing to accept the outcomes. A coach should not feel obligated to play a certain person simply because of age or loyalty. Not everyone is going to be pleased, but the role of a coach is to also teach sportsmanship. Too often team dissonance and conflict cripples production. Successful coaches find ways to work around these problem areas.

Parting points: “Sorry I’m not home right now, I’m walking into spider webs”- No Doubt. Have you heard? No Doubt is going on a reunion tour this summer. Sweet!