A person’s life could revolve around sports; I personally have been active my entire life, pushed into sports when I was younger, and it has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Sports are very important to a lot of people and they can get passionate about how they are represented. Coaches are a big part of that. Coaches are like a role model and are almost like the heart and soul of the team. Their entire job is to make the team better to achieve their goal as athletes, but when a coach isn’t as good as a team could get, then there will be complaints. And not just by the players.

As a serious athlete, I believe that players and parents should be able to have their opinion out in the open in order to make a decision. The opinions of players are so important because they have to work with those coaches and have to make decisions that impact the team. Coaches determine who plays, who sits, their game plan, and different drills for the players to practice; the coach ultimately decides how well the team does throughout that season. Parents are also very opinionated when it comes to their child’s playing time and the team itself, putting even more pressure on the coach. If a coach has good intentions for the team and doesn’t overlook a player’s abilities, then they would obviously be best for the team.

I’ve also talked to other athletes, who will stay anonymous, who also have their own opinions on the subject. One athlete explained, “Yes, only because some coaches choose to play players because they like them while other players could be participating.” Another said that parents and players should get to share their opinions, but it shouldn’t be left up to them. A few more agreed with both of these arguments, but are mostly on the same page when it comes to this opinion.

A lot of fantastic athletes I know wasted their years because of coaches that had ill intentions and never got a chance to show their abilities. In the future, I hope this changes, but until then athletes must deal with the coaches they are dealt.