Coaches have it tough. Let’s be honest. There’s a stigma that we are all ex-jocks and not very good classroom teachers. There are many stereotypes about coaches: “They are teachers who get all the breaks without really working hard in the classroom…They get to miss faculty meetings…They eat meals with their teams that are paid for by the school…They sit down all day and hand out worksheets to their students…They think winning ballgames is the most important thing in the world.” For some coaches, these stereotypes may be true, but I know many where that is not the case.

In sports, every time we compete there’s the possibility of defeat as well as the opportunity for victory. So much would be lost in this world if throughout history, people had succumbed to their fear of defeat and not fought for what they believed. Yet the possibility of defeat often keeps us from  fighting, from moving toward what we desire and believe.

Hockey Chat:  Many penalties in a hockey game aren’t just blatant attacks from the opponent for no reason. Often there was a little something more to the story. There was some bad blood built up along the way. That’s why most fights happen later in the game. The emotions are boiling over and they give in. In many penalties, the one who loses control is the one who makes is anger apparent and gets called for it.

In our culture, sports figures are elevated to star status and placed on lofty pedestals. Coaches feel great pressure to compile winning records. Yet, in spite of this trend, I believe God calls us as Christian coaches to focus on matters of the heart such as the spiritual lives of our players and fellow staff members. With every interaction, we have the opportunity to be a witness for Christ.

Who’s the best? Who’s number one? Who is the greatest? These are all questions we ask in our culture—all very important questions. As a coach, I’ve spent much time and energy trying to persuade young people to work in order to win a game, to determine who is best on a playing field.

Ask almost anyone in America who is great, and they will answer with names of those who score touchdowns, hit balls a long distance, and slam dunk basketballs; people who sing great songs or are great actors; strong people; powerful people who tell others what to do; people who can have anything they want, go anywhere they want and do anything they want to do. Such is greatness as we define it in our time. And then along comes Jesus, who changes everything.

Most know the story of Job and how he lost all of his children, property, and possessions. What was he like
before he lost it all? He was blameless, had complete integrity, feared God, and stayed away from evil. I believe that athletes and coaches often live dual lives—one way on the field and another off the field. We justify it saying they are two different areas of our lives that shouldn’t cross over. Job wasn’t like that. Job was blameless. No one could accuse him of wrongdoing. If he did wrong someone, he kept a short account and asked forgiveness.

God doesn’t always work the way we think He should. Sometimes the things that we think are tragedies turn out to be blessings. In the Bible, Joseph serves as the perfect example of tragedy-turned-blessing. When Joseph received a dream foreshadowing his role to reign over his brothers, his brothers grew angry and sold him into slavery. When Joseph was later falsely accused of a crime and thrown into prison, it seemed that his dream would never come true.

Hockey Chat:  There is a technique play in hockey know as “cycling”.  It’s a matter of one guy skating with the puck then passing it off to another player, moving the puck in the same way while the first guy takes the second guy’s position.  Sounds confusing?  It’s much harder to defend than to understand.  The premise is to skate until you get in trouble and then pass the puck back.  When that guy skates and gets in trouble, you’ll have skated back to be open so he can pass it to you.  The constant helping out the guy in trouble becomes a “cycle” that draws the defense and helps keep control of the puck.