And Another One Bites the Dust....

This is a quick follow up to my post from last week about High School coaches resigning in droves.  My friend sent me an article about the winningest coach in New Jersey High School softball resigning due to meddling parents and Board of Education Members adding one more to the list of resigning coaches.  Thank you, Liv, for sending me these articles.

            On Wednesday, June 12th Don Panzarella, the head coach of the South Plainfield High School girls' softball team and winner of a state record 848 games, along with NEVER having a losing season resigned as the Head Coach of the South Plainfield High School softball team due to being “done with the parents, the meetings and the meddling.”  Panzarella stated that the parents deserve multiple spots on his list for reasons for quitting because he “is really done with them and their misguided belief that — despite his 43 years in a softball dugout — they should be the ones filling out the lineup card.”  He went on to further state that “Every parent that pays all this money (for travel teams) thinks they’re entitled to tell everybody what should happen. That’s what’s really happening. Parents have too much to say. And the travel? We’re beating up the kids. They’re practicing on Sunday after they leave us on Saturday. I don’t know where we’re going.”

            Apparently, the conflict was with a Board of Education member, whose daughter was on the team and Panzarella did not believe that the administration had his back, so he quit. Basically, one parent, who was maybe unhappy with playing time, because today’s generation of athletes are all superstars who should have college scholarships waiting for them, was not happy. So now a man, who dedicated 43 of his life to coaching softball leaves the profession with a bitter taste in his mouth.

            The amazing thing was that after resigning Panzarella stated that he “also heard from rival coaches who mostly told him two things: 1. They were glad somebody finally said what they were thinking. 2. They might be following him out the door soon. “I don’t see anybody staying in the coaching field as long as I did anymore,” Panzarella said. “Young people don’t want to deal with these parents. I don’t know if (coaching) is a good field anymore. And that’s really a shame.”  It truly is a shame because, as I stated in my last post, when we start losing coaches teams will fold and the children will have nowhere to play and where does that leave the children who may not want to play “travel” ball, but still want to play?  Most likely without a team.

            One of the quotes from Mr. Panzarella that stuck out to me was the following about travel teams: “The travel teams have taken over, and nobody plays with their own town teams anymore. And since everybody pays for these travel teams, they assume their daughter is going to be a varsity starter. A lot of kids don’t even wait their turn. They just say, well, if I’m not starting, I’m quitting.”  That is so true, and I have had some discussions with friends of mine whose children are still in High School and this their attitude…”my kid plays travel and should start for the High School team.”  So, the feeling is just because their child plays travel they should automatically be penciled into the starting lineup for the varsity team regardless of how good they may be.

            In my humble opinion it is time for Hight School administrations to wake up and take control back from the parents and support the coaches who are willing to put in the long hours for little pay to give our children a place to play because as Panzarella states: “Coaches don’t want to coach anymore. Referees don’t want to referee anymore. None of this will change until parents do what their parents did a generation ago and stop meddling, arguing, plotting, and complaining.  Panzarella isn’t optimistic that this change is coming any time soon, because if anything, the trend lines are pointing in the opposite direction. Before he went back to answering attaboy texts from coaching rivals who see a similar day in their future, Panzarella was asked what he’d say to a young high school coach just starting in the business. Oh God, he said with a heavy sigh, “Good luck.”  And this is coming from a man with 43 years of coaching experience.