Life Lesson #18: Character Counts CHARACTER COUNTS One of the most appealing attributes of the sport of baseball is the respect for clean competition and effort. Baseball is a game rich in history, where unwritten rules guide one’s actions and behaviors. It is commonly understood that hard work, structure and discipline will lead to victory. Coaches, therefore, must lead by example showing the character traits of a leader and winner. Coaches are role models. This is an important fact, and one that needs to be taken seriously. Coaches must show a strong and upstanding character, realizing that they have accepted the responsibility of leading a group of impressionable young athletes. All coaches should be applauded for their sacrifices of time and stress, but MUST be expected to teach young athletes class and professionalism. Coaching character is leading by example:   Avoiding foul language Establishing and maintaining punctuality Monitoring appearance Encouraging good sportsmanship Respecting umpires Disciplining violation of team policies fairly and consistently Two recent experiences opened my eyes to the importance of coaching with character: I stood nearby as a coach yelled across an empty diamond for his athletes to join batting practice. While the kids sat and ignored him, I simply notified the group that their coach was calling for them and that they might want to listen. The only comments I received were sarcastic in nature, disrespectful in tone, and biting in language. Knowing my position as an outsider, I simply restated the situation and turned away. After several minutes and several calls from their coach, the team dragged their bats across the diamond to “go through the motions” of batting practice. This situation left a bitter taste in my mouth and a disappointed feeling in my soul. This particular team had no respect for their coach or a bystander looking to lend a hand. After an afternoon of instruction, I couldn’t get the experience out of my head. What would cause today’s athletes to act in such a way? Why was it so enjoyable to be rude to a bystander? Why was it cool NOT to listen to a coach? Another afternoon I witnessed a ballgame that put everything in perspective. From the first inning to the last, athletes displayed poor character stemming from an atmosphere lacking in structure and discipline. To start things off, a number of the kids walked to their positions to take pregame with their hats on backwards and their shirts neither buttoned nor tucked in. Their language was foul and their effort was poor, showing the traits of a coach lacking in character. During the game, my suspicions of coaches lacking character were confirmed. One coach was ejected from the game, only to sit in the stands and verbally criticize the opposition’s coaching strategies. While the opposition’s first coach immediately responded, shouting “shut up you &^%$…” across the field, the other coach waited until the game had completed, challenging the loudmouth coach to a fight in the parking lot (in front of parents and kids). In this particular situation, both teams’ coaches were at fault, showing disrespect for the athletes, the parents and the game itself. Neither staff exemplified the characteristics of positive role models. More importantly, lost amongst the drama of ejections and egos was reason for even being at the field: The impressionable athletes in both dugouts. These altercations led me to one tough conclusion: How can we expect our young athletes to behave like men, when the men they look up to are acting like kids? Character Counts.