Minding my business as I was casually exiting the Crowne Plaza, the hotel I was staying at while attending a recent tournament, another coach said something that caught my attention. Here I was preparing myself to eat dinner, and most likely, a not so healthy selection at Fridays restaurant when an "old friend" of mine (let’s call him coach Steve or just Steve going forward), who coaches a small college program in upstate New York, took it upon himself to take what I consider to be a cheap shot at my program.As our team was passing by the front desk, we encountered coach Steve as he was arranging checkout. You see, his team did not fare so well in the tournament, a regional event, so, whereas we were staying, he and his squad were headed home. Now that sounds a tad bitter but let me explain...
As our paths crossed, coach Neil mentioned to Steve that he had met some of his players and that they seemed like nice guys. A nice thing to say in a world where compliments are somewhat hard to come by these days, especially in the world of sports competition. At this point, Steve had several options. He could have simply said "thanks" and continued his checkout. He could have offered a similar compliment back, even if he was just trying to be polite and did not really know if our players were pleasant or not. Perhaps he could have simply smiled and nodded. Well, sadly, he selected an option that came as quite a surprise. He said quite authoritatively, "Yes they are, they are American."
Now I have no doubt that Steve’s players are indeed nice young men, and I even bet that he thinks they are. However, I wonder if he really feels that they are amicable simply because they are American. More likely, coach is just a little frustrated that he is looking up quite substantially in the rankings at Concordia and notes that six of our nine players are from beyond our borders. Otherwise he is suggesting that our, and any other, international players are not nice guys based on the notion that they are from countries other than the United States of America, a country that I love incidentally, and a country that I believe is among the best in the world for a variety of reasons. However, that being said, my players are nice guys and they deserve Steve’s respect, or at the very least, the opportunity to be properly judged based on a little interaction.
Now I should mention that I allowed the team to head over to Fridays without me while I went back to the lobby to discuss this in more detail with coach Steve. You see, I felt that there were just so many horrible things that took place here. Firstly, he choose an inappropriate forum to announce his comments. I expect more from a coach or leader. Secondly, what he said and further implied goes against so many things that I will detail below:
Coach Steve represents a college that in its own description indicates "is a diverse learning community that strives for academic excellence in the Catholic and Jesuit tradition." Now I am a practicing Lutheran and certainly not an authority on the matter but I doubt that anything in the Catholic and Jesuit doctrine deplores or condemns international tennis players seeking an education in the United States. In addition, coach Steve’s employer goes on to report that it "is proud to draw students from all over the world, including Ethiopia, Sri Lanka and Scotland. It is the diversity of thoughts, ideals and experiences our students bring to campus that makes (our college) such a wonderful place to grow and learn." OUCH! Steve must not have read these statements displayed clearly on the college’s web page before accepting his position.
Well now, I know what you are thinking. You could argue that it is one thing to enroll international students and another to fund their education through scholarship. Ah, but as Lee Corso says on ESPN’s College Gameday, "Not so fast my friend!" The college we are discussing indicates international students on campus received college administered financial aid ($22,216 average). Not too shabby indeed.
Just to add to the discussion, the NCAA chimes in with the assertion that "diversity and inclusion are directly tied to the association's core values and is linked with the NCAA Strategic Plan" and "urges member institutions, athletics conferences and governance groups to be committed to creating and supporting an inclusive culture that fosters equitable participation for student-athletes and career opportunities for coaches and administrators from diverse backgrounds." Oops, I guess Steve in not aware of that clause in the NCAA manual.
Not that I have to defend myself, but what Steve also does not realize is that I have a goal to win the National Championship. In addition, I have an obligation to Concordia, in exchange for my enormous coaching salary, to assemble the best team of student athletes possible regardless of faith, color, or race. I can only speak for myself here but I actually enjoy meeting people who hail from unfamiliar places in the world. I have the opportunity to learn about them and their specific culture. In addition, I have the ability to help them experience things here in this country.
Ok,ok, one last statement from Steve’s college’s mission statement. They "seek to prepare its members for leadership and service in their personal and professional lives to promote a more just society." It appears as though Steve will need to change his approach in order to better qualify as the type of leader his superiors are looking for.
That’s it...nuff said.
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