It's sometimes a sad reality how much stock people put into kids and sports. Verbal abuse from the stands directed at officiating or the armchair quarterbacks who know when the coaches call the wrong plays only after the execution failed are just a few of the examples.
All it takes is for one team to come up on the short end of the scoreboard and we briefly lose touch with reality by offering opinions for all to hear or read. These are teenagers who will make mistakes - win or lose - and they are being guided by men and women whose careers revolve around the actions and performance of teenagers.
I tried coaching at the public school level, and I quickly got out of it for that exact reason.
Instead, I chose to take the heat as a sports editor of a county that has eight sports-hungry schools. Each school is more important that the other. If you don't believe me, ask a momma.
So as I wrap up another school year, I'm cleaning out my fan mailbox to make room for the 2008-09 season. Yes, there are just 82 days left before two-a-day practices begin for football and volleyball.
As I weeded through the e-mails this week, I took one more glance at the compliments, complaints, opinions and ideas before I hit the delete button. I took down some notes during this humorous process and thought I would share them with you along with my two cents.
So, ain't it funny how:
- Bad the officiating seems when your team is losing, but after winning a game the officials were the best you've ever seen? I never respond to someone that suggests officiating determined the outcome of a game and why it was not noted in the story.
- When we misspell a name in the newspaper we're tarred and feathered, but when we discover that's how the coach or school submitted such name it falls on the parent's deaf ears? Imagine that. We won't ever want to confront the coach and risk Johnny's playing time.
- Journalists get a negative response for not doing something good enough, but hear nothing when going beyond the call of duty. I'm not looking for any pats on the back, just wondering if our critics need a little cheese with that whine.
- There can be four pictures printed on one event, but the one photo left out results in a phone call from grandmother demanding answers?
- Coaches will call in their results during a winning season, but when the losses rise faster than the price of gas then the media doesn't exist? Chico is an exception and kudos to each and every one of those coaches for setting pride aside.
- Fan support is based on a team's success for most of our schools? OK, this did not come from a letter but it's sad to see half the crowd there used to be at some of the Decatur events. Maybe tradition doesn't graduate but fair-weather fans do.
- Some people are quick to write (not call) the sports guy at a newspaper and complain about a team's coverage, but they're too scared to approach the coach who doesn't provide results. Same song, 13th verse for some.
- A proud parent expresses concern about something we missed, but they offer no resolution? No comment.
- Members of one local sports team made comments about why they were wasting their time playing Chico because Chico never wins, but that same team not only lost to our Lady Dragons but also finished lower in the district standings? Priceless.
- A Decatur fan had the nerve to complain about the large number of pictures and ink we gave to one of its own on the girls basketball team, but refused to reveal their identity so we could run it as a letter to the editor. I might be going out on a limb here, but if you put the same amount of effort into your own kid, then maybe she will be in the limelight one of these days.
...and last but not least...
- A fat guy such as myself writes about his phenomenal success of losing 200 pounds in a year and a faithful reader from Boyd asked us to stop the series because "Mr. Morgan is just showing off. Everyone in the county is tired of hearing about it and never cared anyway.
Well, my anonymous friend, I can and have done something about my weight, but there is nothing you can do for stupidity. Even 16 months after surgery, I still receive at least one letter a week asking how the battle of obesity is going. Thanks to everyone who continues to call, write and even catch us at a game to check on me, the next installment of the series is coming soon. If you can't find the issue before the newspaper racks are empty, there will be at least one extra copy in Boyd.
