The role of the parent is a natural phenomenon and as essential to the human experience as it is in nature. The cub, the calf and the fawn have little chance of physical survival without their respective guardian, as does the mental, emotional capabilities of a person. The things that live and die specifically with the “father” is abundant. With the quantity and quality of presence so many things become corrupted. Self-actualization, emotional intelligence and communication often become compromised under the missing role. Anecdotally its proved true but statistically as well, children without a father in their life are more likely to not to finish school, go to prison, and don’t live as long. So the next question to a concerned country on the welfare of fatherless children must be how do we access and replace this extremely sensitive relationship? One of the most frequently established replacement “Fathers” has been the coach. The culture of sports has included
the reoccurring sentiments of finding fatherhood
on the court, on the field, and in the rink. In newspaper
articles, interviews, and other media outlets you can very often witness coaches being described as “The father I never had”, or coaches referencing players being “Like a son to me.” With so much time being spent over the course of the school season and summer AAU circuit coaches and players find themselves spending countless hours
on the road, in hotels, and practicing all year no wonder such a bond forms. The role forces a person to get invested in the personal lives of the players for the success of the team. The physical health, as well as the mental health, of a team and its individual players become essential to athletic performance and off the court character. How are my kids getting home? How are their grades? Are they getting into trouble? These are all questions a coach has to ask himself over the course of taking on a team. Sounds a lot like a father to me. Having had a good father of my own it’s easy to understand that the roles are more the same than they are different.
