What's the message?

Today on the way to work I was engaged in the sports radio discussion of the morning. Turns out a local high school senior, was recently reprimanded physically and verbally by his Coach. As the story unfolds this kid though talented, has a mouth and isn't afraid to use it and has done so with numerous tirades to his coach regarding playing time, his role etc etc. In a recent blowout by a state powerhouse as his defeated team and teammates were leaving the field, he goes off to anyone in ear shot. He was shouting his opinion on the offense being called by his coach. It wasn't mild opinion sharing mind you, it was loud, obnoxious and repeatedly drew similarities between the offense and bovine excrement. What followed was a frustrated coach advising his "no I in team" mascot, that he should think hard about closing his pie hole, only he used terminology not fit for such a blog as mine.

Fact is I don't know the kid and I don't know the coach. I can only go by what I have read. But if this kid is getting in his coaches grill over and over and then proceeds to tell the world and his team mates his oh so important and educated opinion of the play calling, his coach should have kicked more than just his butt off the team.

But hey I'm old school.

Now the coach has been disciplined and the kid and his family have lawyered up. He wants to go play somewhere else now and demands the right to do so. After all the coach did grab his shoulder pad breast plate and shove him, a move that if done as a reward for a good stick or catch would have largely gone unnoticed, and the UHSAA has determined he is right and has given him the okay to do so. What is equally disturbing is that a rival school has agreed to enroll him and give him a spot on the football team.

Clearly I am no Einstein, but am I the only one around that questions the judgment of this decision? In the world I grew up in you respected adults and coaches, at least until you were one. That didn't mean all coaches deserved respect and were beyond reproach, it just meant if you disagreed with a coach you typically tried to work harder for a position or approached him and asked him what could be done to improve your situation. Things were handled civilly or at least attempted. Sometimes it got results and sometimes it didn't. But isn't that the way life is? Things can't always go the way you think it should and when it doesn't we build character by learning how to handle it or how to improve ourselves. Now any punk high school kid with and attitude can work the system to his advantage and we all just stand around and shake our heads.

When are other coaches or school administrators going to stand up and say, sorry we don't tolerate that bovine excrement here, (his words not mine). Get over it. It's time someone with power draws a line in the sand and then have the guts to stand guard and make sure no one crosses. Don't get me wrong, I believe kids need to express themselves and their frustrations but they need to do it in a way that proves they have a brain and not just daddy's deep pockets or his myopic view. We want our kids to be able to function in society and our education system is suppose to help that right? At least to some degree. If we continue to tolerate this idiotic and self centered behavior we are going to see law suits cropping up because our 5 year olds t-ball coach believes rotating positions is a good idea at a young age, when clearly our kid is the best short stop on the team and needs special nurturing.

Man, I used to only get disgusted when professional athletes acted like this, now it's in my back yard.
Great message we're sending.