An Open Letter to Coaches

AN OPEN LETTER TO SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACHES AND THOSE WHO TRAIN THEM

Dear Coach,

As a long time football fan and a volunteer chaplain to an outstanding high school team for many years, I understand the sweat, blood and tears associated with winning football teams – please put the emphasis on sweat.

Weight training, aerobics training and establishing the teamwork associated with learning plays and how to execute those plays against the other team is critical to success. Good coaching requires long hours, getting to know players, and building team spirit. Football requires much of young players. Playing without proper conditioning opens the doors to serious injuries once the season begins. Learning how to hit and take a hit are serious matters. Achieving success also requires brain work. Adrenaline driven by fear or anger can certainly enable a person to run faster, hit harder, and perhaps stop a speeding train (or not)—but only for a while. To do it again and again and again requires determination, purpose, conditioning and will.

One of the tragedies of football participation in some places is the sacrifice of spiritual growth and development that is sometimes the outcome of demands placed upon highly impressionable and vulnerable young players. Let me be specific…almost every year some coach insists that unless a player drops out of their planned church involvement in an often long-planned mission trip, Christian retreat, or ministry project, they will not be allowed to participate on the team.

I realize, coach, that my feelings are wound up partially in the fact that I know most, if not almost all of the members of your team will NOT become NFL players, though I personally have known a few who did. Despite the dreams of all the couch potato quarterbacking parents on your case to make such things happen -- I simply encourage you not to give football the place of God in your life. If I sound like I am coming down on you hard coach, maybe its because I remember just how often coaches have come down hard on players for all kinds of things that were not nearly as important as their relationship with God. Jesus even made a somewhat bold suggestion that it was better to tie a millstone around your neck and drown yourself in the sea than it was to get in the way of the spiritual development of one of those who were not yet fully mature in their faith.

What I am so concerned about is the fact that preseason training demands on players before the school year begins, while a coaching concern before each season, pale in comparison to the impact that might be in play should a player discover a relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives in another setting. Heaven forbid the coach should tell them they were not supposed to attend their church camp or mission trip because football was more important. It isn’t now, nor will it ever be. Equally sad is when a young Christian is asked to choose between a sport he loves to share in and a mission or ministry opportunity that would both enrich his life and challenge him to grow in expotentially more important ways than a week of summer football practices. I know, I’ve been to both many times. Now coach, you need to hear this. You have the power to do something about this. You may say,”I make the rules, and parents decide”-- but parents are fearful that if you are in any way slighted, you will come down on their youngsters in painfully hurtful ways. So they sacrifice their children to the god of your aims for football success and feel blackmailed into doing it.

The irony is, if parents had paid for some big trip to Europe or a family cruise, or had a death in the family, most parents would press you to make an exception and you would.

What is important is the nature of authority being established. Not your authority coach, but God’s. That’s important for your life and the lives of every player you will ever have responsibility to coach. Putting God first is something that good coaches remember and exercise. Getting team members to do what you say, just because you say it, is a long way from getting team members to share and give and act sacrificially when necessary to do their best in honoring God and in learning how to help the others around them every day. That can help them to become the kind of champions that truly matter.

Coach, I want your coaching year to be a great one. I will pray for your team’s success. I hope you enjoy winning; but in the big picture, every week one team wins, one team loses and all go home afterward to deal with their lives, their homes, their parents, their classmates, their homework, their dreams, their futures. I hope football helps -- without getting in the way of their learning about God’s help and gifts for their lives. I hope, coach, you know about those things too. I hope to see you in church Sunday. The game films really can wait; and if you don’t believe me, I’ll introduce you to some of my friends who can explain.


Thanks for listening.

Pastor Ron

P.S. The general point of this letter is also directed to baseball coaches, basketball coaches, volleyball coaches, lacrosse coaches, track coaches, wrestling coaches, tennis coaches, soccer coaches, softball coaches and others who hold a great trust in guiding youth. Blessings in Christ to all.