Minimum Play Players, Favoritism, & Parents
I planned to write about defense today, but I received an email last night which begs me to address minimum play players, favoritism and parents in today’s blog post. My coaches and I rank our players each week and use these rankings to determine who will start and what positions they will play. I develop a depth chart each week from these rankings. I do not believe in favoritism. Our players win a starting position based on intelligence, physical abilities, football skill and football knowledge. Just because a player is a top starting player and plays a majority of downs, does not equate to favoritism, it equates to smart coaching. Coaches should field their best talent.
In today’s youth sports, many coaches must weigh fielding the best talent and playing the minimum play players. How do you weigh the needs of the team above the needs of one to three minimum play players (MPP) and their vocal parents? This question frustrates me each week. I want all my players playing every play of the game. I want all players getting a good rest on the sidelines. I want everyone to score a touch down. But the reality is, this is not Drake and Josh afternoon TV. Some players are not ready to play more than the mandatory minimum plays. I want to win American Idol but I can’t hold a note. Should the network force American Idol to allow me to sing at least once in front of National TV audience? I doubt it.
But many MPP parent’s feel the coaches are playing favorites by not playing thier children more. I am sure there maybe a minority of coaches playing favorites, but if your child can contribute to the team then your child will play more. I’ll guarantee it.
One last point that I find surprising. Why doesn’t anyone talk about the starter who must sit out while someone takes his place? How do they feel? Are they upset that we substituted a player in the game that does not do the work required to play the position? Who is speaking up for the starting player and their feelings?
If I had one wish as a coach, I would wish that all the players on my team were starters. Now that would solve my problem. Although, I have 24 players on my team. Hmmm, I needed to be more specific. It’s always something!
Wow, sounds like a lot parents are facing the same issues that I am! My grandaughter is on the JV girls basketball team, she has attended EVERY practice even in the first 2 weeks when they had practice 2 times a day every day, she would go in at 5:30am and again right after school. Last year she unable to play because during a practice she rolled her ankle and caused so much damage, surgery was required to repair it. She paid dearly for that injury, now she only gets time on the floor during practice, she does not get any time in the games, well a couple of games the caoch actually put her in for 54 seconds, Really? I have told her that she needs to talk to the coach to find out what she can do to get in the game, all he has told her is to look up more, It hasnt helped…….now he doesnt even work with her in practice, he pairs her off with a couple of other girls who not atletic at all, but are on there to be on the “team” and they don’t care if they play or not. My daughter says she can not get in a good practice because she isnt allowed to play and learn with the other girls. HOW AM I SUPPOSE TO DEAL WITH THIS AS A PARENT????? All she has ever talked about was playing basketball…..she is at the point of quitting, I keep telling her to stick it out, but she is getting so depressed over this. This is really a time when we just be worried about self esteem and other issues that teens face. She doesnt want me to talk to the coach because she says that is the worst thing I could do, that coahces do not want to be approached by a players parents, But I am at a loss here.
It is hard for parents to realize their child might not be as talented as other kids. This becomes evident in JR High and High School more because the funnel becomes narrower. We’ve trained ourselves in youth sports that everyone gets a trophy and gets play time. But at higher levels this is not the case. Only the best players play.
My oldest son is not playing on the Jr High A team. He plays B team. This upsets him and is frustrated. I told him to continue to work hard and he must become better than the starters on the A team. Otherwise he must quit complaining about not playing on A team.
I know its tough, but motivate her to continue to play, practice and train to get better so the coaches cannot ignore her. She must be great when she gets into the games or in scrimmages in the front of the coaches. If she is only average then the coaches will continue to play their favorite and trusted starters.
I do not believe that what so ever that their child might not be talented as other kids the ones that are not very talented is the coach who has his favorites… at our high school they put kids in only by there last names or who there parents are done deal and there kids lose the game every time for instance at one football game parents got tired of it and was hollering about it the whole time to put other players in, they put different players in and guess what we won imagine that we won with no name players CASD fails for that big time and now I’m dealing with the same thing for baseball, plays everyone but 3 very good ball players they just do not have a certain last name or was on there “travel team” with the coach or shelling out big bucks to the booster club its unfair its bullying and it needs to stop!!
This is a great topic that I wish I had found years ago. I am a youth football coach and have been coaching almost 15 years. Over the years I’ve experienced alot dealing with parents who feel their kids aren’t playing enough and with kids who have dads on the coaching staff. Most of the time I have been coaching with the same group of guys. For years one of the other coach’s son had been our starting qb. One year we had a new kid come to our team who I felt was a better qb so I gave him the starting job. The new kid’s parents were pleasantly surprised that their kid was given the position over a coach’s son. None of the other coaches had an issue with my pick for the qb spot even though the old qb had served us well over the years. All parents, even those who are coaches, need to believe what their eyes tell them about their kid’s ability. We always had teams that did well and most years we only lost one game. Win or lose there will always be a parent who has a complaint. You can’t coach in response to the parent. We coached what was best for the kids, which in some cases meant giving some kids the minimum number of plays required by league rules. That was normally only in the really close games or if there were discipline problems at practice, home or school with the kid. If we were up a couple touchdowns we made sure we rewarded the bench players who put in the extra effort at practice during the week and gave them more than the minimum amount of plays. We expected our starters who came out of the game to show support for the bench players. It is a team sport after all. If they want their teammates support they have to show support in return. We want all of the kids to have fun and winning is only part of the equation. At the younger levels we don’t want to discourage kids from coming back the next year because they are ignored at practice and don’t play on Saturday. I was on a staff last year with guys I had never coached with before. These coaches were so concerned with winning(5,6 and 7 year olds) that they didn’t even give some players the minimum number of plays required by league rules. I did what I could to play some of the “MPP” players on offense just so they could get on the field. These coaches were good guys who I think just got a little caught up in winning even if it meant ignoring the rules. As a coach I love winning, but I get a greater joy out of developing players and seeing them improve. There’s not alot better in coaching than seeing the light finally come on for the kid who was just not getting it. Teach the kids every life skill you can, not just that life is not always fair. What about hard work paying off. It’s hard to get the pay off if they get ignored in practice and never play in the games. You can always express to them that once they get to high school playing time won’t be guaranteed. Just my opinion.
Thanks
how about this one, my son is on a HS soccer team, he was the second leading scorer on the team and the leading scorer graduated. along with that the coach left the team to move on. got a new coach, the new coach has placed two other players at forward and has stated to my son and other players that he can’t play forward because he lacks the ability to do so. Oh by the way we have played three games and scored two goals, one of which was a penalty kick due to a hand ball. now i don’t care if my son plays forward and truth be told i think he is more of a help to the team as a midfielder, i just have objections to a coach telling my son and other kids that my son can’t play the position because he lacks the ability. can someone tell me what type of coaching this is.
Paul, I agree with you in many respects. I also appreciate your willingness to state your mind, since I have a hard time dealing with clueless parents who have no knowledge of what goes into the football process, yet are forthright with their complaining. However, not everyone has the knowledge or time to spend with their child to coach them on the side. I’m a football head coach and it certyainly shows in my son’s ability on the field. We invest a lot of time and passion in learning the game – both me as a coach and him as a player. However, I suck at baseball and no matter how much time we invest there, I don’t have the skills to pass along to him. I rely on coaches to “teach” him baseball and have been disappointed in the lack of individual attention that’s permissible. Have you seen how much these clinics and private lessons cost? I’m a cheap bastard and won’t pay it, so I learn what I can from books, videos and YouTube.
Coach Steve, all due respect…you’re dead wrong here: “Losing = Everyone unhappy, Winning = everyone happy”. Really? Sorry to inform you, but my team of 28 kids went 1-8-1 last year and had the time of their lives. 26 have returned. Many of the lower rung players have shown maturity and are already building on the skills they learned last year. So, if they’re so miserable with only one “W” from last year, why did they come back? Gluttons for punishment? I think not Coach. It’s because they had 2 “W’s”, the one game we one….and the entire season.
I love your knowledge of football and what you share on this site, but I don;t like “winning” philosophy.
Coach,
Thanks for your comment and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but after almost 20 years of coaching if a coach does not win consistently then many parents become “boo birds” Many do not like playing on a losing team. You’re are probably a great coach and the team is giving you another year.
As a player, I always played for fun and winning was always much funner. I did not mind losing as a player as much as my coaches hated losing, but I did love to win as a player. The dairy queen and locker room was a lot louder when we won.
Winning is a habit and so is losing. I would much rather win than lose. We can have fun in practice but games are made to win that’s why we keep score.
Good luck this season. I am glad you enjoy the site. Everyone is different and that’s what is great about this world.
Cheers,
Coach P
Indeed, winning is always more fun. Perhaps I should have noted we were coaching first-year-contact 8 year olds. I do agree winning is the main objective beyond the instructional level…and I have not coached at that level yet. Currently, I measure success in the development of the players, and I say that genuinely without adhering to a cliche’. With that said, I hope we will develop players this year that can win more games, since it is truelu more fun. If not, I will still be looking for that real “W” at the end of the year, which is the entire season as a whole and the growth of our players. I just “liked” your Facebook page and shall remain a fan. Thanks Coach.
Learn to spell,genius! “The one game we “W”on! Not One! One would indicate a numerical value, not a victory status! More reasons I don’t want my kids playing this sport.
What about the money? I have two kids playing little league football and I pay just as much as those coaches kids and put in an exhorbitant amount of time working with them outside of practice. They’re just as fast strong and intelligent as the coaches kids, but game after game, they’re on the sidelines. This is b.s. and I’m not putting any more money into this league, or time at car washes and other fundraisers so the coaches sons can have a great season even at the expense of having one losing season after another.