If I were to ask one question of every high school coach in America – just one – it would be … why bother?

Yes … why bother?

While that may sound vague to some, it will quickly make sense to coaches and to those who have been paying attention.

Put simply, a once-thankless profession has sunk even lower than that (if that’s possible) – making me wonder if it’s worth the effort.

The point I’m getting at is that the benchmarks for which we hire coaches aren’t necessarily the same when we choose to run them off. And frankly, it’s creating an ugliness in high school sports that will eventually harm those who learn from the examples we set.

Yes, we still hire coaches for all the right reasons (at least, on paper) and at that point, most of us are on the same page.

Aside from a demonstrable competence with Xs and Os, an incoming coach will be required to meet the customary list of demands we use to make ourselves feel ethical.

We don’t just seek a winning coach, we seek a life mentor.

Ever heard something like this?

“We require our coaches to set a good example for our youngsters and to instill in them qualities of discipline, work ethic and character.”

Yeah, sure we do.

But when a coach who meets all of the above criteria has back-to-back losing seasons, our “life mentor” is often shown the exit with the announcement that “we felt it was time to move in another direction.”

What exactly does that mean? “Another direction.”

In the old days, it was just a merciful way to spare outgoing coaches the embarrassment of having all the reasons for their dismissal hung out in public. And granted, in some cases it is still rightfully used in that fashion.

But these days “moving in a different direction” can often be used to mask the fact that there aren’t any legitimate reasons for the coach to be let go at all. And the only embarrassment we’re trying to spare is for the group of higher-ups whose only coaching experience is on Xbox.

I’m afraid the current trend, at least in some circles, is that vendettas rule the day for those pulling the strings. And it’s getting so bad, that even winning doesn’t seem to mean much anymore.

In a growing number of school districts, the good fortune of having the VIPs like you (or at least, not notice you) seems to be the top ingredient to coaching longevity.

Did I say good fortune?

Yes, because (and I repeat) most of the criteria we hire coaches for often have nothing to do with why we eventually give them the boot.

So why bother?

If a group of high-toned doormats can be bullied into buying someone’s vendetta against you, why bother?

Why bother doing things correctly if you’re going to be fired while doing things correctly? Why show loyalty where there is no loyalty?

Do I mean to indict one specific group or one specific school? No, but I am speaking of an overall trend that is getting worse by the year and unless we do something to reverse it, we’re going to regret it.

Most administrators are good people who love the kids and I salute those who govern their districts with compassion, honesty and who see the big picture. There’s still plenty of that sort out there and those are the people we should strive to keep.

But when isolated pockets of the wrong sort can band together with power behind them, that’s when things go haywire and the long-term results will send the wrong message for decades.

What kind of example do we set for our student athletes when we fire those who have set a good example? What’s the message we send when our egos are prioritized over the life lessons athletics can bring?

Whatever you want to call this sort of thing, it’s not education – the very thing that schools and their athletic programs are in place for.

My solution?

It’s time to move in a different direction.