As one who has been a member of various coaching staffs for lacrosse and hockey over the past few seasons, I have had to sit through several rounds of player cuts. These are never easy for the coaches or the players involved, but what I have found is that parents often have more difficulty accepting the bad news than the players do. Yes, younger players often shed a tear or two in the room when being told, but ten minutes later they have often forgotten all about it and are either whining for a slushie, hot dog or some candy from their parents in the arena lobby, or are off in a corner playing mini-sticks with their friends. Older players put on a braver face, either because this isn’t the first time they’ve been in this situation, or because they don’t want to seem soft in front of their peers. Parents, on the other hand, can sometimes respond quite negatively, verbally abusing the coaching staff, by firing off mass e-mails to fellow parents trying to justify their child’s place on the team, or by getting into physical confrontations with the coaches themselves or making harrassing phone calls after the fact. This week, a new tactic has emerged within the Greater Toronto Hockey League, where parents are suing the league itself after their children have been cut.
http://www.thestar.com/sports/gthl/article/829749–parents-sue-gthl-after-sons-cut-by-team
http://www.680news.com/news/local/article/71922–parents-sue-the-gthl-after-their-sons-were-cut-at-hockey-tryouts
Let me be clear that I do not know all the details of this particular case. We will let the court decide with this case has any merit, but I would like to point out some initial concerns that I have with this whole scenario.
The parents are alleging that their children have suffered “psychological damages” and “poor self esteem” as a result of being cut from their Midget-aged team (15-17 year-old players, for those unfamiliar). I just find it odd that they do not seem equally concerned about the possible embarrassment their children might suffer as a result of them bringing this case forward publicly. They are the first parents to ever bring a lawsuit against the league, so there was no chance that this lawsuit would be handled quietly out of the public eye and without much scrutiny. Further, many will immediately suspect these parents of only being interested in monetary gain, with the $25,000 lawsuit, whether that is actually the case or not.
Let’s say that the parents are right and their children are good enough to make this team. Coaches are given the right by their Associations to make teams as they see fit. Whether the coach believes that there are players of equal ability that he has signed instead, that he can achieve better chemistry with a different mix of players, or in the worst-case scenario that he has even signed players for purely political reasons who do not otherwise deserve a spot, it doesn’t change the fact that these parents always had the option of taking their children to another centre to try out for another club at the same level and avoid this situation entirely, as most in this situation would do. Better yet, if they are so concerned with their child’s self-esteem, why not let them play at the next level below this where the children would likely excel that much more and have the chance of making a new whole new set of friends in the process?
As not all the facts are yet known, I do not want to comment much further at this time, but feel free to check back as things develop further in this case for my thoughts.
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June 30, 2010 These Parents Not Making The Cut
As one who has been a member of various coaching staffs for lacrosse and hockey over the past few seasons, I have had to sit through several rounds of player cuts. These are never easy for the coaches or the players involved, but what I have found is that parents often have more difficulty accepting the bad news than the players do. Yes, younger players often shed a tear or two in the room when being told, but ten minutes later they have often forgotten all about it and are either whining for a slushie, hot dog or some candy from their parents in the arena lobby, or are off in a corner playing mini-sticks with their friends. Older players put on a braver face, either because this isn’t the first time they’ve been in this situation, or because they don’t want to seem soft in front of their peers. Parents, on the other hand, can sometimes respond quite negatively, verbally abusing the coaching staff, by firing off mass e-mails to fellow parents trying to justify their child’s place on the team, or by getting into physical confrontations with the coaches themselves or making harrassing phone calls after the fact. This week, a new tactic has emerged within the Greater Toronto Hockey League, where parents are suing the league itself after their children have been cut.
http://www.thestar.com/sports/gthl/article/829749–parents-sue-gthl-after-sons-cut-by-team
http://www.680news.com/news/local/article/71922–parents-sue-the-gthl-after-their-sons-were-cut-at-hockey-tryouts
Let me be clear that I do not know all the details of this particular case. We will let the court decide with this case has any merit, but I would like to point out some initial concerns that I have with this whole scenario.
The parents are alleging that their children have suffered “psychological damages” and “poor self esteem” as a result of being cut from their Midget-aged team (15-17 year-old players, for those unfamiliar). I just find it odd that they do not seem equally concerned about the possible embarrassment their children might suffer as a result of them bringing this case forward publicly. They are the first parents to ever bring a lawsuit against the league, so there was no chance that this lawsuit would be handled quietly out of the public eye and without much scrutiny. Further, many will immediately suspect these parents of only being interested in monetary gain, with the $25,000 lawsuit, whether that is actually the case or not.
Let’s say that the parents are right and their children are good enough to make this team. Coaches are given the right by their Associations to make teams as they see fit. Whether the coach believes that there are players of equal ability that he has signed instead, that he can achieve better chemistry with a different mix of players, or in the worst-case scenario that he has even signed players for purely political reasons who do not otherwise deserve a spot, it doesn’t change the fact that these parents always had the option of taking their children to another centre to try out for another club at the same level and avoid this situation entirely, as most in this situation would do. Better yet, if they are so concerned with their child’s self-esteem, why not let them play at the next level below this where the children would likely excel that much more and have the chance of making a new whole new set of friends in the process?
As not all the facts are yet known, I do not want to comment much further at this time, but feel free to check back as things develop further in this case for my thoughts.
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