The chatter is too loud to ignore. All around town, people are asking: What is happening with Staples High School sports?
Rumors abound: of parents demanding more playing time — and captaincies — for their kids. Of highly respected coaches being suspended, or not having their contracts renewed.
Of an opaque environment in which coaches have few rights and little guidance, athletes see so much yet have such little say, and rules — for players and parents — are not always followed.
[Full disclosure: I served as the Staples varsity soccer coach from 2003 to 2021. I was an assistant coach for over 20 years before that.]
High school coaches are not in the job for the income. They’re in it for the outcome.
They love their sport. They love their athletes. They love the chance to give back to both.
Several of the coaches affected by parental pressure are Staples graduates. Giving back to their alma mater is a gift they cherish.
No coach is loved by 100% of their athletes. That’s life.
No teacher is loved by 100% of their students, either. And no boss by 100% of their employees. That’s life too.
Here’s what else is life: Getting cut. Getting benched. Getting put in a new position. Not getting named captain. Not getting recruited.
Sports teaches many lessons, including how to deal with setbacks like those. Who hasn’t heard the story of Michael Jordan being cut from his high school basketball team as a sophomore?
As a sophomore, Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. The rest is history.
There are no Michael Jordans at Staples right now. There are just a few hundred boys and girls playing sports they enjoy, for competition and camaraderie and (in a few cases) college, with friends they like and coaches they (most of the time) admire and look up to.
But those coaches now operate in an atmosphere of uncertainty, even fear. They feel they can be targeted easily, by one or a few parents.
Coaching is stressful enough, without worrying about parental interference (or just the threat of it), compounded by educators unwilling to back their coaches, and give them the tools to succeed.
The troubling environment can continue after the season ends. Even after years of coaching, coaches may be held to inconsistent or unwritten expectations.
All they have is the good will of the athletes they’ve coached, and those athletes’ parents — along with their records, both those that can be quantified (wins and losses), and those that can’t (life lessons taught, impacts on players’ lives).
That means something. But, it seems, that does not mean enough when a parent complains.
The rumblings around town about Staples sports are real, and rising.
And the rumblings won’t go away. As in any sport, this won’t be over until the final whistle blows.
Sports are filled with intense highs — and disappointments too. All are part of the high school experience. (Photo/Brian Watkins)