All-Star Coaches Who Push Around Athletes

[King]

I can't really condone violence, but....How did the players not just snap and knock him out? I can't believe that if I was having basketballs chucked at me and being swore at, I wouldn't just lose it one day.

Humans in general are built to defer to authority. One of the most powerful lessons I have ever received was from my teach my sophomore year in high school. We had been talking about WW2 and at this point in his history class the question invariably comes up how all of Germany could follow a man and such crazy plans. The teacher did this one example every year and asks that it never be shared with the younger kids so that the power of the message resonates. He asks 3 volunteers (one small geekier kid and two more muscular kids) to help him put this on. He sees the geekier kid doing homework from another class and starts yelling at him and berating him. He then tells the more muscular boys to drag him out and throw him into the hall. they do this demonstration and not a single one of us said a word. We all knew it was wrong, but he was our teacher... our one in charge. Obviously after it was over he explained what was going on. But I know personally at that moment I now understood how people can let others get away with stuff they shouldn't.

 

[12stepCheermom]

I saw a tiny 1 coach at Spirit of Hope last year act the same way. Yes, her team was a bit of a train wreck in pyramid.... But they're like 4.

She acted much the same way screaming, throwing her hands up and stomped out of the coaches area at the front of the mat before they even finished.

I was astounded. I pride myself on not being a "crazy" cheer mom (even though I'm sure such tags have been applied to me) but treat my 4 year old like that and you might just see me crack open a can of crazy.


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[ErinS]

Clearly the abuse and language was not okay. My mother pulled my sister from high school practices at an all star gym here in Columbia after the coaches working with her team used foul and demeaning language. I couldn't imagine what would have gone down if violence was involved.

You accept the behavior you think you deserve.

I've read articles that say a number of athletes did leave the Rutgers program because of the coaches behavior. As for why some did stay....I'd bet NCAA eligibility and simply being used to that type of behavior (whether it came from previous coaches or personal life) would have been contributing factors.

Either way, I'm just glad those boys had to restraint to not beat him beyond recognition during one of his abuse rants, because I'm sure it wouldn't have ended well for them either.