In the old days, coaches are authoritarian leaders that shall never be questioned!
You could say the same about teachers, but coaches have been given wider latitude to go bezerk on students whose performance hasn't been up to par.
But the times are changing! The drill sergeant routine no longer resonates with the new generation.
The new generation has more options.
The youth has gravitated towards e-sports where they're not being yelled at by an authority over the most minor mistakes.
And even among those who still gravitate towards the real sports, student-athletes have more lenient transfer rules, as well as the ability to get lucrative deals while playing for a school. Why stick with a bully coach all 4 years of college, when you can just transfer, and plus, your NIL deal can give you a little padding to fall back on.
Coaches preach "survival of the fittest". But the fittest isn't the strongest or the fastest, it's the ones who are most adaptable to change.
But as people get older, they tend to be set in their ways. They rebel against any suggestion to change.
But adapt you must.
Pete Carroll may be old, but he's been very adaptable to change. He's seen as the cool guy, the fun guy. This got him many top recruits back when he was coaching at the University of Southern California and it has worked for him as he coaches the NFL's Seattle Seahawks (though it's been a down year this year)
Meanwhile, tyrant coaches like Urban Meyer and Todd Graham are in hot water now.
Urban Meyer once could get away with his tactics as he coached at historically top destinations for talent (ie University of Florida, Ohio State University) and can take advantage of student-athletes coming straight out of the small towns and inner-cities who don't have much to fall back on.
But in the NFL, the players have something to fall back on. They have million-dollar contracts. They can demand a trade to another team. They also have more experience in standing up for themselves than a college freshman fresh out of high school.
NFL owners also have millions of more dollars at their disposals compared to college athletic departments. They can fire coaches at a whim, find a replacement, and still make money even if the replacement doesn't work out. Whereas in college, the departments don't have as much money.
Also, even though Meyer coached at big-name colleges, NFL teams have even more media scrutiny. There is about 100+ colleges in the Division 1 level. There are only 32 NFL teams. So the media spotlight is greater on the 1/32 than it would be on the 1/100+.
Urban Meyer found out the hard way that his old tactics don't work in the NFL. Even the notoriously patient owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars Shahid Khan lost patience with him before the season was over.
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Meanwhile in Hawaii, Todd Graham has alienated many of his players. It got to the point where many players expressed their grievances on social media, KNOWING that the public would take notice.
And to add insult to injury, Graham alienated top QB Chevan Cordiero, who grew up in Hawaii, dreamed of playing for UH, and signed with UH even with all the pressure among local athletes to play for a bigger name college on the continent. How the hell do you alienate someone like that? How the hell do you lose someone like that to the transfer portal, to a rival school (San Jose State) that isn't even the top school in its own metro area? It has to be a lot, lot, lot more than just someone yelling "run faster" or "what are you doing?"
It's because Todd Graham also uses vicious insults on his players.
Marc Delucchi, “University of hawaii's football team is miserable. Players say the culprit is head coach todd graham.,” SFGATE.com, December 6, 2021, https://www.sfgate.com/collegesports/article/hawaii-football-troubles-under-coach-todd-graham-16670501.php.
several Hawaii players said they believe Graham’s approach has consistently crossed the line in terms of decency and respect. One player told SFGATE, “I would go as far to say it’s verbal abuse the way he talks to guys. … It’s personal. It’s not like, ‘Oh, you need to be faster.’ He’s calling guys useless, jackass and a sack of s—t.”
Another player reiterated to SFGATE that Graham insults his players constantly, reportedly calling players “dogs—t,” among other demeaning terms. Multiple players also said Graham constantly threatens to take away playing time from anyone who questions him. One player recalled Graham telling a teammate to “stop talking back or I’m going to take away your senior year.”
Graham’s behavior has reportedly had a negative impact on the rest of his coaching staff as well. Multiple players mentioned that they believed staff promotions were given to coaches who challenged Graham the least. One player recalled an instance in practice when an assistant coach apologized to his position group for not wanting to ask Graham a clarifying question, saying something to the effect of, “Sorry, I’m just trying not to get yelled at.”
Because the University of Hawaii doesn't have the money to pay out his contract if he's fired without cause (and lord knows the legal expenses if he's fired with cause), they are giving him a second chance. The athletic department has talked to the players and coaches separately and has given both new guidelines in dealing with problems
This is from yesterday's newspaper
Stephen Tsai, “Hawaii Football Coach Todd Graham Vows to Improve Team Communication, Sets up Players’ Council,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, December 19, 2021, https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/12/19/sports/hawaii-football-coach-todd-graham-vows-to-improve-team-communication-sets-up-players-council/.
If a player has a complaint but does not feel comfortable speaking directly to Graham or the coaches, he can share the matter with his council representative, who then will relay the concerns.
Who knows, maybe Todd Graham can be flexible in learning new ways.
I mean, it reminds me of when I worked as a substitute teacher and a summer program group leader. I always wanted to be the "cool teacher" but also not a "wuss teacher". That can be a recipe for disaster as students viewed "cool teachers" as wannabes to be taken advantage of, and to over-compensate, I occasionally responded to disrespect by yelling with rage. Not a good way to start a career.
Granted, I mostly yelled if it's a safety or respect issue. I'm usually pretty chill & patient with students struggling with the lessons. But people overlook that stuff if they catch me yelling at the class for interrupting me when I'm talking.
I had some guidance from summer program coordinator Vince DeBina, who I mentioned in this blog post
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2020/08/positive-work-mentors-summer-program.html
I also remembered this one conversation at a preschool where I subbed, where the teacher noted that some students were excited to see me, but also said one student said he was afraid of me because I pointed my finger at him. The teacher mentioned how to change my approach with the students. Somewhere in the conversation I mentioned to the teacher about other authority figures who I said was "worse than me", then she stated "don't compare yourself with the worst, compare yourself with the best"
I later mentioned that in a letter to my father who once said that he wasn't as bad as Bobby Knight. Sorry but that's not good enough. He later understood that. My father had to learn to change his approach with me, and I had to learn to change my approach with the students.
And in this era, coaches have to adjust and change their approach to the players. The pressure is enhanced since the coaches are more in the public eye than your average teacher or parent.
After all, coaches set the example for the next generation!
