MS/HS coaches and parents - handling bullies

[Anonymous]

Coaches — When do you know to intervene? How do you handle non-physical bullying / aggressive behaviors within the team? Are you ever made aware of players accused of / caught bullying at school or elsewhere? How do you handle it if it is your top players? Have you ever investigated why a current or potential recruit has suddenly dropped the sport?

Parents — how aware do you think coaches are aware of bullying or aggressive behavior on their team? That is, do they know when there’s a problem? Do they tend to nip it in the bud with player(s) regardless of whether it’s a star or not?

[Anonymous]

The way the coaches handled it on DC's teams is to ignore it. They know it's happening. They know which kids are terrible kids but they just let it go.

I think that's a wimpy cop out on their part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The way the coaches handled it on DC's teams is to ignore it. They know it's happening. They know which kids are terrible kids but they just let it go.

I think that's a wimpy cop out on their part.

I think that’s part of the story. It’s a dirty open secret. I think of the extreme cases like the brooms at the school up in maryland(?) and the incidents in minor league hockey. It’s not just hazing. I do think some of it, particularly the psychological / verbal aggression is harder for coaches to notice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The way the coaches handled it on DC's teams is to ignore it. They know it's happening. They know which kids are terrible kids but they just let it go.

I think that's a wimpy cop out on their part.

+1

This is what I see as well. Coaches and parents are well aware, and ignore it.

[Anonymous]

In the past couple years I’ve seen good athletes drop out at various HS around here for reasons other than loss of passion for their sport. It’s pernicious.

[Anonymous]

Have your own kids been affected? If so, what did they do?