Twitter, ESPN, local news outlets, national newspapers and blogs are abuzz with the news of coaching changes. Each trying to win the battle of who can report a confirmed hire or get the rumor of a hire out in the open first. There are probably more articles, tweets and blogs published on speculation than there are on actual hires and changes. While all of it is intriguing and entertaining for fans (who didn’t have fun at Tennessee’s expense on their search efforts?), just who do all these changes affect?
Sure, it’s obvious that a coaching move affects the immediate family: Finding schools for children, finding a new home address, coordinating movers- quite often from one coast to another, and possibly finding employment for a spouse.
Let’s delve a little deeper. What about the other staff members that a coach leaves behind or the staff that he inherits? When a new head coach comes in, everyone is susceptible to losing their current job. Strength coaches, directors of football operations, quality control supervisors, personal assistants, etc. A head coaching change can set off a whirlwind chain of events for countless people associated with the coach himself or the program he is leaving or is taking over. This gives a whole new meaning to keeping your resume updated.
I spent some time coaching in my home state’s capitol city and met a lot of people that went through situations akin to a coaching change. Many of these folks had government jobs and a lot of those were appointed by the current political regime. So, whenever there was an election these people were unsure of their futures. To stay employed meant making contacts and calling in favors. Sound familiar?
And its not just a head coaching change that can create tons of moving and shaking- a new coordinator can have a similar effect. Coordinators like to have “their” guys with them, or at least one or two when they go to a new program, thus setting off more job changes. Think about it, you hire one guy away from an intact staff and that creates a hole that has to be filled, which potentially creates another hole to be filled which just perpetuates the cycle. This also creates the need to network, create alliances, and stay tethered to social media so as to keep up with the latest shuffle.
Changes can also create opportunity. Opportunities for advancement and not just for current full-time coaches but also for graduate assistants, student assistants, up and coming high school coaches or even former players. Coaching becomes survival of the fittest. Obtaining GA jobs can be just as competitive as landing a full-time position coaching gig. Then parlaying that experience into an assistant coach job can be a long-term endeavor that may include many stops in obscure locations along the way.
Changing jobs, more specifically, changing job locations can impact who rides the carousel as well. New coaches unfamiliar with their new territory may need to hire someone more familiar with the landscape- not just geographically but also politically. Someone respected in the area that is well known and can become a liaison between the new staff and locals can make a huge difference in how smoothly the transition goes. Then there is also the aspect of the location may be familiar, a coach may have played at this school years ago, or coached here before, or just grew up in the area. Already having ties to the community can be a blessing and a curse in several ways. Being liked and popular can open many doors and make the transition easy, but can also lead to uncomfortable situations of having to turn down requests for tickets, tours, jobs, favors, etc. And not just from the everyday fan, but many times from former teammates, colleagues, friends or even extended family. It can become tiresome trying to accommodate every request. The carousel can be dizzying.
Just like at the county fair, this carousel only runs for a limited time. But don’t worry, it will be back next season!
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