Stop the Hypocrisy

By
Eric Vaughn
One of my mothers sayings was Enough is Enough and too much stinks
That is how I feel right now concerning the latest out burst from a college
coach toward a student athlete. As a former coach who has coached at every
level from pro to middle school. I am appalled at the language that
Vanderbilt Head Basketball Coach Kevin Stallings used toward one of his
players Wade Baldwin after a recent game against the University of
Tennensee. When you tell a person Im going to F******* kill you, I think that
has crossed the line. Then Stallings had the audacity to tell the world how
they wont tolerate this type of lack of sportsmanship from one of their
student athletes. Kevin, you got to be kidding right? You are joking? You just
told a student athlete that you wanted to KILL HIM! Now if a normal person
says this to another person in everyday life they can go to jail or at the very
least be charged with communicating a threat to harm someone. What if
Wade Baldwin had retaliated and defended himself right then? Why would
society look at Baldwin as undisciplined and uncoachable if he would have
cursed right back at Stallings? Now before I go any further I dont think that
Kevin Stallings should be fired. As a matter of fact I could care less if he is
reprimanded. I just want us as a society to STOP THE HYPOCRISY! What do
you mean EV? Well thanks for asking I will gladly tell you. There are at least 2
things that I want us to do as a society in regards to coaches and sports in
general.
The first thing I want us to do is to stop calling coaches role models! In this society that we live
in where almost anything goes, can we please stop the Hypocrisy? Lets let a coach be who he or
she is and that is just a COACH! Lets define what a coach is: a person who teaches and trains
an athlete or performer; a person who teaches and trains the members of a sports team and
makes decisions about how the team plays during games; a private teacher who gives
someone lessons in a particular subject. Now I think these are solid definitions of what a coach
is. Lets keep it very simple teach the kid the game the way you want to teach them and how you
want your team to play but dont you dare call yourself a role model. Lets define what a role
model is. The definition of a role model is someone who another person admires and tries to
be like; a person whose behavior in a particular role is imitated by others. Now can we be
real with some of the behavior that most of these coaches display, do we really want our children
imitating that type of behavior? Do we want our children cursing people out when they get mad?

Do we want our children berating others? Do we want our kids to develop a win at all cost
attitude no matter whom it hurts? Do we want to teach our kids not to keep our word? These are
just a few of the negative traits of most coaches. Now of course Im not stupid all coaches are not
like this and all coaches have positive traits as well. Im not advocating to get rid of coaches Im
advocating that we dont put them on this pedestal like they can do no wrong. The only one we
should be putting on a pedestal is the ultimate role model himself Jesus Christ. He is the only one
where there is unconditional love.
The next role models in our childrens lives should be us the parents not the coach. Let me say
this clear I understand a young man who may not have a Father who may see their coach as a
father figure. Let me ask this question how many times have we heard horror stories about
children who grew up with parents who berated them or talked downed to them. I guess we dont
think negative words from the coaches have any effect on our kids. Things like You suck You
are playing like a f****** b*****, I wish I had never recruited you, You need go back home
to your mother, You will never make it. Now I know what you are saying, use these things to
motivate you. EV you are being soft. Am I? Look at our society its a shame. We live a world of
whatever you want to do is okay with the next guy?
The second thing I would like us to eliminate from our vocabulary when it comes to coaching
and sports are the phrases sportsmanship, integrity and character. I heard one of the ESPN guys
say after the game what a high Character guy Kevin Stallings is. I know you think Im being
hard on Coach Stallings but really Im not he didnt just start saying inappropriate things and
berating players the other night. He has probably been doing this his whole career, and you call
that a high character guy. As a matter of fact word on the street is that Stallings who played at
Purdue probably would have done the same thing that Baldwin did if the roles were reversed. He
had a reputation of being a fiery and competitive player himself when he played in college. My
question is what is a high character guy? So you can curse young men and women out and berate
them all in the name of coaching and be considered having a High Character? Because you can
go around and bend rules you are considered to run a program of integrity. That is a bunch of
DUNG! Real quick lets define Integrity: the quality of being honest and having strong moral
principles; moral uprightness. Now if we use this definition we would probably eliminate most
coaches that I know. Most coaches if we are honest with ourselves says and does whatever it
takes to win and make themselves look good. I know what I wont have a lot of people agree
especially coaches but its okay that we dont agree. Im not one who is speaking from the
outside Im speaking as one who coached over 400 games over the last 20 years and Ive been
apart of this sometimes hypocritical profession. For the record I have not always been perfect
either as a coach. I have not always displayed great integrity I have not always shown great
character, but I am man enough to admit it.

Finally concerning Wade Baldwin the Vanderbilt player who is being accused of poor
sportsmanship. I personally dont think he did anything wrong. He only did what most of us are
taught as athletes and that is to win. Before we go on lets define Sportsmanship- fair play,
respect for opponents, and polite behavior by someone who is competing in a sport or other
competition. Now if go back and look at the videotape what was so unsportsmanlike. Baldwin
started clapping when he knew his team was going to win the game. He was walking toward his
own bench when a player from the opposing team walked by him and all he did was continue to
clap while he looked at the guy as he walked by. I really dont have the time in this article to
really break down this definition. We are fooling ourselves if shaking hands with someone you
just lost to in an emotional game is really good sportsmanship. No it is something we have been
told is good sportsmanship. If you are really honest about it when you play competitive sports
its hard to have what society calls good sportsmanship.
Well I encourage us all to take a hard look in the mirror and identify who we really are. Are we
really a people of high character? Do we really display good sportsmanship? or is it really
possible in the evil world that we live in? I say that it is, but first we must stop the Hyprocisy!