As the holiday season is upon us, it is also the season when job security in sports can be at a crossroads. For football coaches, the death watch has been on for a while. The college season is over for many, and those who are not bowl-eligible have started to keep their personal belongings nearby, especially if they have been at old “state U” for more than three years without winning, since winning is everything.
Alumni are restless. The talk radio hosts need a hot topic, so they start to mention names of people who would be good for the job you currently have, and the athletic director is listening to the show. Nice, we are letting callers voice their views, and media guys who have never made a tackle in any sort of competition now feel like they can pass judgment on your fate.
The NFL is also setting up its necktie party for at least four or five coaches, and the names for their replacements have already been bandied about. In most cases, it’s the new guy who will have been fired at least twice by other teams.
If you are a coach of color, you can forget about hearing your name on talk radio or in a column when it comes to being a replacement. We have seen what the Rooney Rule has come to these days, as GMs and owners now work to circumvent it.
The NBA coach is about to enter hunting season from the wrong end of the rifle because of big payrolls that do not match up to win totals (see New York Knick coach Mike Woodson). It does not help when you have a collection of players who were reputed to be good, only to learn they should be at the local kennel as they have turned out to be just plain dogs.
Then you have the coach in the National Hockey League. This year a guy got fired less than two weeks into the season. Go figure.
So why do these people put themselves through such a torturous routine that can destroy careers, as well as families and a normal way of life? This is an industry where you are hired to be fired. If you accept that going in, then the fall has a softer landing.
As for the money, it falls in line behind the owner, a high-priced player or two, and maybe the general manager. In the college game, few on campus make more than the head coach. There are no professors on the yard who have TV shows or athletic shoe deals, and they certainly have no bearing on what bowl game you are playing in.
Yes, the money is good, but there is nothing like the smell of success – the aroma of winning the big game, only to relish it for maybe 12 hours before the next opponent pops up on the schedule. Enjoy the victories in the off-season, provided you have enough wins to have an off-season, as opposed to a job search.
Every good coach likes to teach, sure. The problem is, you have to have enough players with talent who want to learn. If not, please allow me to introduce you to the term “short-timer.”
So as we enter into that season of instability, understand that the financial reward for coaching still makes it worth it, provided you have a good agent. Coaches are not paid the big bucks only to have fun and win games. They are really paid to deal with what we all know is inevitable: being fired.
Texas coach Mack Brown is being lauded for how he handled his dismissal as their coach. He took the high ground in the eyes of some. He did not go out kicking and screaming. He was even offered a position within the athletic department.
Did I mention that Brown was the second highest-paid coach in college football? Why should he go kicking and screaming? It was going to be all good for him, no matter what.
