| All of the kids were pumped up because it was the first game, and no one wanted to sit first.
So then- and I’ll always remember this moment- the coach told his own son to sit out first.
I honestly didn’t expect this, because the coaches son was really good.
But to the coach, it didn’t matter about how good or bad the players were. Rather, the game was about building character.
In having his son take the bench first, the coach was teaching his son to have the strongest character on the team.
Said another way: Leaders Eat Last.
This expression implies that leaders will sacrifice for the team.
Great coaches will be more interested in teaching character than winning a game or developing their own kids abilities.
And yet in today’s society we see a lot of “Daddy Ball.” Coaches who favor their sons or daughters development at the expense of other players getting a fair chance.
This is the exact opposite of building character. This in fact is what drives so many out of sports because of the politics of it.
As coaches, caretakers, parents and fans, especially in the pre-teenage years, we need to be sure that all kids are getting a fair chance to play the game. |
