Today's Blog comes to us from Social Foundations of Coaching student, Caroline Corbett.
“Hey, moron! Hey! Moron! Duh! L-L-Look at me.
I'm th-th-the waterboy.” This is one of the first few lines in Adam Sandler’s The Waterboy from one of the college
football players taunting the waterboy, Bobby Boucher. While this may be an
extreme representation of the lack of respect us waterboys and watergirls (more
formally known as student athletic trainers) get on a daily basis, it certainly
is how we can feel sometimes. And many times, this feeling can result from the
actions of coaches.
This blog is not to whine and complain about how we are underappreciated
and do not get enough respect. On the contrary, I often feel very well treated
in my position and that many players treat me as their good friend. Instead, it
is to reflect on how the behavior of coaches can be inconsistent with the
message they project to their athletes.
I recently attended a lecture on business ethics by a CEO of a health
care company. He described that whenever he is considering a person for a
position he takes them out to dinner. Not to make them feel more at ease or
schmooze them, but to see how they treat the wait staff. If they treat with the
wait staff with kindness and graciousness, it is an indication of how they will
behave with clients and colleagues.
I believe the same should be true for coaching. Coaches often advocate
respect for others and being gracious to all, but often do not practice what
they preach. Players see the disrespect the coaches have for support staff and
feel they can behave the same way. This disrespect can then be translated off
the field. This type of behavior is not helpful for the development of a
champion.
It seems like a simple concept, treat people with kindness. But it can
be lost on some of the “rougher” coaches in the country. As Cardinal Roger Mahony once stated, "any society, any nation, is judged on the basis of how it
treats its weakest members; the last, the least, the littlest." This quote
can also be applied to any team. I am suggesting that coaches keep this principle
in mind because it can have an affect on players as well as the representation
of the team.
