Quote:
Originally Posted by Mango
This has left me in tears. I just don't understand how you can be so cruel to another human being. Times really have changed.
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But don't dare say that, anytime you bring that up, you get the 'get off my lawn' heckling. I am not that old either. Mid-thirties. I remember the type of coaching we got in top tier sports back then. Those guys taught me the best lessons, because there was an emotional disconnect from them, and it was simply, Bad behaviour = punishment. No parental prejudices or emotions to get in the way.
I once told an umpire to f-off when I struck out on a called strike. I was immediately pulled from the game, and sent home, even though I was the best player on the team. The next practice, our coach, who played College ball, made me practice blocking short pitches in the dirt with him for an hour after practice, as I was a back catcher. He could still clock high 80's on the gun, and wasn't holding back. I was 12, and I never mouthed off an umpire ever again, and learned a lesson. I appreciate that lesson today. Now, the coach goes to jail for child abuse.
My Bantam AA coach, overheard me talking about a girl I was dating in grade 10 with my teamates, and I had said some VERY private, inappropriate things about her in the dressing room. He called me out in the hallway, grabbed me by the collar jersey, and pinned me up against the wall and got two inches from my face and said "If I ever hear you talk about a girl like that in my dressing room, I will kick you off this team, and you will never play in this association again. Got it?" I got one shift that entire game, the last 8 seconds of the game. Try explaining that to your old man who lived and breathed your minor hockey almost more than you.
I know TL;DR, but you never hear about discipline like that anymore. And it is not even physical abuse. It is real, substantive punishment, which I believe lacks now. We are so worried telling Dakotah and Keegyn how special they are, and how they can do know wrong, punishments are now, "Let's sit down and talk about your feelings." Back in my day it was "I am going to tell you what a piece of crap you are, and hurt your feelings so you smarten the F up." And it worked.