A week ago our nation remembered and celebrated the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. on his national holiday. That night, our family began what we plan to make an annual tradition as we watched the film Selma. Watching that movie with our children provided a poignant reminder for us all of what life in America looked like just a few decades ago, how far we have come, and how much work there is yet to do before we can honestly say that we have equality for all in the U.S.
As important as those ideas are to understand and work through, my thinking began to go in a slightly different direction.
Watching Selma, I began thinking about how little of this story I had heard about in school. There might have been a sentence in an American History text. Maybe a 10 second mention on the one or two days we spent talking about the Civil Rights movement. Maybe I’m just in the in-between place of being too young to have experienced these events firsthand, and too old to have learned them in school, as my formal schooling took place in the 80’s and 90’s. I certainly had a number of outstanding teachers and Coaches along the way, and yet, there are significant gaps in my knowledge of culturally relevant events. I knew almost nothing about the Selma march or the brutality that took place on that bridge. I didn’t know who John Lewis is, despite his being in the news recently. I had no idea he had a connection to Dr. King. (Maybe you don’t know these things either. In that case, I strongly encourage you to do some reading or watch the movie).
Taking this idea into the realm of sports and coaching, I am thoroughly convinced the best Coaches view themselves first as teachers. That being the case, we teachers have an opportunity and responsibility to teach the culturally relevant information that young people need to know. Whether you teach in a school, club, college or youth league setting, you have something to teach — both sports-related and otherwise.
I’m not saying every practice for your team needs to include a Civil Rights lesson. The point is that every Coach has the chance to decide before every season what the players should know at the end of that season. What are your non-negotiables? Maybe it’s teaching kids to look someone in the eye when shaking hands. Maybe it’s important historical facts about the sport they play. Maybe it’s how to avoid texting while driving. And maybe it’s a basic knowledge of the events depicted in the movie Selma. I don’t know what it is for you, but if you’re not sure either, perhaps this is the time to give all this a little thought. Have a plan. Coach With Purpose.