Liam Day understands the feel good nature of the story of Union High School’s coach Matt Labrum suspending his students, but is it just a quick fix with no real impact?
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It seems the football coach at Union High School in Utah, suspended his entire team for off-field issues, including academic and attitude problems and instances of cyber-bullying. Now this is one of those feel-good stories that’s calculated to feed our nostalgia, to recall times when athletes had honor and people stood up for what is right. It echoes movies like Hoosiers and Coach Carter and brings to mind Coach Taylor in the television version of Friday Night Lights.
That’s great and all, but I’m not about to hand Matt Labrum Coach of the Year just yet. First of all, the suspensions for the great majority of the players were lifted after less than a week and those players will not have missed a single game. In fact, Coach Labrum waited until after Friday night’s game to announce the suspensions. If you’ve already made the decision to suspend the team, why wait until after the game? If you want to send a message, you do it before the game, which you then forfeit. Make the pain real.
In accepting the players back onto the team this week, Labrum announced they had met his conditions, which included participating in community service and character education classes. Again, all well and good, but character and discipline have never been built in a class. They are the accumulation of a series of decisions we make every day; it is the cognition that, when confronted with a choice whether to watch TV or do homework, we know what is in our best long-term interest and are able to sacrifice what we want now for what we want most.
This type of discipline cannot be acquired in a matter of days. It takes constant feedback and reinforcement on the part of the adults in a child’s life—parents and teachers. I fear that all Coach Labrum will have achieved by this is to reinforce in his players’ minds that character and discipline require only checking off the right boxes so that you can get back to doing what you want.
I also wonder what Coach Labrum had been doing up until this point. In his book on teaching, Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College, Doug Lemov writes that, by the time a teacher is yelling at a student in class, it’s too late. The teacher has probably missed anywhere up to 10 opportunities to address the issue about which he or she is now yelling. A teacher’s job—in this case a coach’s—is to address behavioral issues as early as possible. If you let them fester to the point at which you’re screaming or suspending your entire team, than part of the blame is yours.
Well as a parent of two adult children and a grandmother, this coach did right if the grades are a c or better no they are off the team. As for the other problems that on school property or involving other students why didn’t the parents do something so this coach did what he thought was best. Kudos to him for making a stand against treating people wrong they will remember this and hopefully they will learn from their mistakes.
Sorry but i think the writer went to the waterboy and snatched that job on this one. Please people dont drink the hateraide from this backup waterboy!
Has any any other adult stepped up to even attempt to acknowledge these players’ behaviors? The Coach’s actions may seem insufficient and untimely but sometimes a nudge can draw attention to problems that are not deemed troublesome to players and /or even parents, teachers & other adults. I don’t think the Coach wanted an award. Maybe he just wanted a change to begin to happen for his players without the boom of a grand piano.
There’s always going to be somebody that disagrees or agrees with a person. I once one hand think it’s great what he done. If he done what he felt in his heart was right, then how is there a wrong? Some people would disagree or agree. We all think different and take different actions. He chose suspension, community service, and a character class. I understand the character class. Way to go coach.
It’s still a good move. Maybe a wakeup call is needed. You don’t have to hurt kids to get their attention. But you do have to let them know you can and who’s in charge.
Sounds like you’re assuming he wouldn’t do it again.
The proof is in the end results. I will be waiting to hear if once was enough.
I think he is on the right path. But you have to continue to stay on top of these young men. If not they began to believe that they can do whatever they want. Everyone has to be on the same page. Teach them now before it is to late. But you can’t do one thing and then in the same breathe say ok we will try it this way and see how it goes. You either do it all the way or they learn nothing.
I agree forfeiting a game either before or after would have been appropriate, and completing the coach”s list of requirements as well, now it”s time to monitor their actions closely and follow thru with the education that will help them reach long term attitude adjustments. May be the follow up for the rest of the year would then make the “Coach of the Year” award mean something. That first step to adjustment is the hardest for anyone. Thanks coach for stepping up. Now keep it up.
Wow there is always someone who has to find something wrong in everything. Are you doing anything to have any impact on children or do you just find the bad in everything?
I support this coach’s endeavors but if this is true then he is doing what the pros are doing. A token effort to look good but certainly nothing that will make a real impact on the season’s stats. I’m very disappointed. No wonder athletes think the have it all their way. No real consequences and the game goes on. Sad. Very sad.
The coach may never change the attitude of the bullies, but stopping the behavior keeps them from making others miserable. And, by punishing the whole team, the coach creates peer pressure to end the negative behaviors.
80 players… Did we ever get a full count of how many were actually 100% guilty? If only 10-15 kids were actually the ones causing the problems, what you had was immediate action from kids that were applauded by the behavior (and or their parents) and stepped up right away while the true trouble makers weeded themselves out with inaction. Sad? Yes. Surprising? No. But to lesson his actions… What he showed was you can’t continue to look the other way… And for that he’s a great man!
I don’t know about coach of the year, as this is how all coach’s show be reacting. Bring our societies back to honour, goodwill, and respecting your community, elders, and other people. If you’re an athlete, you should be made to do this from the start. If you’re not an athlete, your parents should be even more on top of this. At least an athlete will have a coach and sometimes teammates to help keep them in check. The players that came back quickly may have been the ones that didn’t participate in the wrong doings. The 25% that are… Read more »
There’s a balance between punishment and reward. Obviously, letting the players that immediately comply back on the team keeps them in the season play. If they did not keep up their compliance, they could be cut again.
Not only does time matter in a situation like this, but it is also educational to those slow to comply. And if the discipline is consistent as the season continues, it’s an excellent reinforcement. This commentary is too quick to judgement. You’re dealing with boys that have very short attention spans.
9 out of 41 players remaining without their Jerseys is still approaching 25 % who had to sit out their home coming game (some seniors?). And their lack of practice, because they were weeding, attending character classes, etc likely cost them their win in their home coming game. To be honest I have not read exactly what the bullying entailed, but as you of all people know, it is not always necessary to make someone feel pain for them to get your message. These boys are now under the glare of the national spotlight; I suspect most of them will… Read more »
Yes get ahold of Brett Waxer in Syosset or Greg Erardi in Greenwich who spiked their seasons’ success with suspensions just as the play off portion of the season was starting. My son was on Brett’s team that lost to the lowest seed without 6 or 7 starters, the next year it won he county.. I was ecstatic when my 2nd son was coached by him too.