I am the mother of a 14-year old son who is on the freshman basketball team. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, their team is down one jersey until January. When the season began, my son took his turn sitting out a game with the understanding, after speaking to the coach, that this would be the only time he would have to sit out a a game.
He has not been allowed to dress for a second time and I am very angry. Not only did this coach lie to my son, but he is unfairly denying him the right to play on the team.
I have spoken to the school's athletic director but am not having any luck. Should I go over the AD's head? We paid the athletic fee to the school and I feel that he should have as much right to play as anyone else. Any guidance would greatly appreciated!
Coaching Mistake but....
The situation is unfortunate; however, the school ordinarily does not view playing time (nor participation in athletics for that matter) as a "right", even if a fee is paid to participate. If an athlete is considered good enough to make the team that is great, but there is no guarantee of playing time.
In addition, your son might want to have a discussion with the coach about the original conversation. He might want to approach it from the standpoint of a misunderstanding on his part, whether there was one or not, and what he needs to do to get more playing time.
Kirk Mango
Becoming a True Champion
I guess I need some more
I guess I need some more information on the situation? What's "down a jersey"? Is there only a roster limit? Agree with Kirt, unless there is some "equal" playing time rule, most schools do not have a playing time "right".
The kid's 14, let him have the discussion with the coach and clarify the situation. Circumstances may have changed, there may be some other things going on that's not included. Intervention by the parent, especially if you start going above the ranks, usually causes problems for everyone.
I guess I need some more
I guess I need some more information on the situation? What's "down a jersey"? Is there only a roster limit? Agree with Kirt, unless there is some "equal" playing time rule, most schools do not have a playing time "right".
The kid's 14, let him have the discussion with the coach and clarify the situation. Circumstances may have changed, there may be some other things going on that's not included. Intervention by the parent, especially if you start going above the ranks, usually causes problems for everyone.
I think.....
John,
I think what she meant by "down a jersey" was that they do not have enough uniforms for every player, one short I would guess. That being the case, one player would not be able to dress and/or play so the coach was planning to run some type of rotation having one boy not dress and sit each game. Anyway, that is how I understood what she was saying.
Kirk Mango
Becoming a True Champion
I guess my next obvious
I guess my next obvious question is if they don't have enough jerseys, then just cut to what you have. I know many people like the idea of allowing the most kids possible to participate, but from the practical standpoint, too many can also lead to problems. At our jr. high, we have 13 kids on an 8th grade jr. high team, and 9 on the 7th grade. Let me tell you, the 7th grade is a much, much happier bunch because you don't have those 3-4 extra kids who hardly play and struggle keeping up in practice.
Wow that is so sad to hear
Wow that is so sad to hear your son be so isolated like that. Hope you got this issue resolved by now.
