by Zach Bigalke

Created on: March 11, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

Major spectator sports in the United States and, indeed, around the globe are centered around teams of athletes competing with some variant of a ball and trying to score into a goal or over a goal line. Whether in lacrosse or basketball, hockey or soccer, football or baseball or water polo, success is contingent on all the members of the team being adequately prepared in all facets of the game and knowing their duties... and all of that hinges on the coach doing effective work in his or her position.

There are many factors that go into a team losing a contest. The other team may simply have had the superior talent. The other coach might have better prepared for his opponent. There might be critical injuries to key players. Bad tactical decisions may have been employed...

Should a coach ALWAYS face criticism when his or her team loses? Certainly not - there are too many other factors that contribute to success or failure in any given competition. But to say that coaches should NOT face criticism, under any circumstance, for a loss is to marginalize the impact a coach can have in whether a team wins or loses.

The best coaches can account for wins, can get athletes to play above their potential. They are tactical savants, able to outwit the opposing coaching staff with innovative play calling. They scout and evaluate talent extremely well, determining who will and will not fit into a given system of play and utilizing the athletes' talents to the utmost. Good coaching will take a team to championships...

Conversely, poor coaching will lead to losses. A coach who cannot get through to his players is failing at his post. If a locker room has soured on a coach, all the tactical skill of the coach and all the talent on the court or rink or field will not solve the losing riddle. A coach can make poor decisions - leaving this player in too long while he is fatigued... calling a running play instead of a pass... pulling a goalie at the wrong time of the game...

So a coach, for all the millions of dollars he makes to direct young men to victory, should certainly receive criticism when that team is underachieving. If the players can be attacked for their performance on the field, the coach certainly deserves some ridicule for the preparedness and tactical direction of the squad...

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