Lesson from Ozzie Guillen for youth coaches

Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen made a huge mistake when he expressed "love" for Cuban dictator Fidel Castro in a Time magazine article published online last week. Oops! Guillen has a reputation for being outspoken. There's nothing wrong with being outspoken. You just better be right when you start speaking. Guillen often ends up eating his words with an appetizer of crow and a side of foot. This is not going to be another post criticizing Guillen's remarks nor will I defend his right to free speech - which isn't applicable here anyway. His comments landed him a five-game suspension from the Marlins. Remember, your employer is not bound by free speech. As long as the federal, state or local government didn't punish him - the Marlins can do with Guillen what they please.

Guillen's comments are applicable to youth sports. How? Well, in one fell swoop he showed complete disregard for his team's objectives, his players, and the team's fans. Not long ago, the Marlins made a conscious decision to change the team's image and fully embrace the Latin culture of southern Florida. The Florida Marlins became the Miami Marlins. Team officials already had a Latin star in Hanley Ramirez and went hard after free-agents Jose Reyes and Albert Pujols. Even Guillen himself is part of the plan. He is a World Series-winning manager and one of the most popular sports figures in the Latin community. The red carpet had been laid out for Guillen. All he had to do was walk and smile for the cameras.

Nope. He felt it necessary to express the four words no one should ever utter in an official capacity in Miami: "I love Fidel Castro." To a less dramatic degree, many youth coaches do the same thing. They walk right into a locker room full of fourth graders and use words like 'war', 'battle' and 'pain' to describe what they'll do to the other fourth grade team who can't find their cleats. These coaches don't read the league handbook which clearly states: "The Southside Community Baseball League provides a fun environment for kids ages 6-14. Young people will learn the fundamentals of the game and participate in an atmosphere that promotes fitness, friendship, good sportsmanship and fair play." Somebody didn't read that. Somebody won't read that. Instead, the coach storms into practices with four-letter words and put downs. He thinks that faux gold trophy actually matters.

What matters is how you treat those kids. What matters is the experience they'll remember 20 years from now. Know who you're coaching and know why you're coaching. Fun and hard work are not mutually exclusive for kids. They play very hard when they're having fun. Make sure you learn from Ozzie Guillen's mistake. Read the handbook and govern yourselves accordingly. Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol