But it is okay to berate young boys for losing a game? Not saying maybe the coach didn't get a bad deal but it should never be ok to verbally assault a minor because they didn't win! Step back for just a minute. It was just a game.
They did not get yelled at because they lost. They got yelled at for how they acted on the bus after losing.
So I ask you? In what other facet of these young men's lives, is it acceptable for an Adult in a position of authority to behave this way towards them? Other than a coach, who would you allow to talk this way to your son? The brothers at his school? The teachers? His boss at a part time job? A stranger? Come on man, it's a GAME... A meaningless game that many kids are trying to play for FUN. It's not D1 football or the NFL. Good lord, put it in perspective. Obviously, the Administration at the school has their collective heads on straight. Is the Coach of the Math team, Debate team, or any other team that might actually get these kids somewhere in life allowed to speak that way? No. Would you allow your wife's Boss to speak to her that way? No. Yet for some reason, you mental patients think it's "OK" for the Football Coach to speak that way to your kid. Again, about a GAME...
What world do you live in? In the business world people use expletives all the time. Is it a terminable offense? Obviously not. And if what Pomps did rose to that level, the administration "with its head on "straight"" would have had to remove his teaching responsibilities as well, which they didn't. So now, we are talking about the use of a few curse words to a group of 15 and 16 y/o kids (NOT LITTLE BOYS) whose behavior was not what you would expect after you lost a hard fought game. Maybe they don't deserve to play for Chaminade--but because poor Jimmy's feelings were hurt and Jimmy's parents complained, we're in this situation. It's a disgrace.
The real world numb skull. Maybe you can talk that way to people on the docks?? I assure you, in "my world" that type of behavior form a person in an position of authority is unacceptable. Quite frankly, in 30 years of business I've never been spoken to that way. Further, I've never had to speak that way to my employees that way either. It's called decency, something that a coach at a Catholic School should possess. Guy got caught, behaving in an unacceptable manner, let him take his medicine like a man. The very lesson you seek to teach these "NOT LITTLE KIDS". Dope.
I think many of us are getting off the track here. I do not know Pomponio personally but I know who he is and I know plenty of kids who have played for him. The vast majority are supporting him. In the grand scheme of things, I'm not sure his anger was based in the fact that they lost a game. It seems to me that it was more rooted in that the kids didn't seem to care about what just happened. A coach works hard all week to prepare kids to compete and it's not unfair to expect the players to care as much as the coach. The least they could do is show some respect for the effort the coach has put into their preparation and development. Could he have chosen his words more carefully? Sure, but sometimes harsh words are the only way to get the message across. We now live in a world where authority figures receive very little in the way of respect. Are we really helping our kids when we jump in and get every coach, teacher, etc. that we don't like removed? Many of us older people on this site played ball when we were young and I am sure we all have stories about some of the crazy coaches we played for. Yes, there were some that were over the top, but they played a huge role in the development of their players and were respected. Ultimately, we knew they cared about us as people, as well as players. This message of caring may not be delivered in every conversation, but over a season or career a player will have little doubt about his/her coach. We have taken a snapshot of a distinguished career and used it to define this man. That's unfair and anyone who has competed in sports knows that there are times when the heat of the moment gets the best of us. What have we taught this group of boys, that they don't have to be accountable for their actions or behavior? Is that really where we are going? Take a step back and give this some thought the next time a kid shows no respect to a teacher or police officer. Parents need to sit back once in a while and let kids take their lumps. It's a big part of growing up.
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