A very good read about coaching and crossing the proverbial line

A punitive coach
Henry Abbott
TrueHoop
February 15, 2011

People don't like belittling. They don't like cursing. They don't like insults. They don't like "control-freaky" behavior -- like one person telling others they may not speak. They don't like bullying and intimidation.

They especially don't like these things around their children.

Except ...

Many people love all that stuff if it comes from sports coaches.

It's a weird deal. (I've written more than a few times about Pat Conroy, who tells the tale of excessively punitive coaches better than anybody.)

In today's New York Times, Jere Longman profiles Granbury High's Leta Andrews, the winningest high-school coach in the country. A lot of the story is what you'd expect -- the touching stories of developing young people. She sounds like a tremendous leader. Nothing in it is shocking or terrible. She's still loved and respected by the former players interviewed for the story, and many have gone on to greatness probably in no small part because of their high-school coach.

But there is this admiring talk of harsh treatment of high-schoolers. Here's Coach Andrews:

    "It was drilled into us. Daddy wanted everything done just right. If I was on the tractor, I had to plow so straight. If I varied at all, I’d have probably got a whipping. I couldn’t deal with anyone who didn’t bleed to death playing. I have a hard time dealing with it now.” 

So here we have father who whips his children for driving a tractor anything but perfectly straight. I'm very sorry for Coach Andrews that she had to grow up like that...

Go here for the remainder.