between the lines

sportsmanship
August 3, 2021

Between the Lines: Makin’ It Look Easy

I used to think being an athletic director was easy. From my point of view, it looked like the sort of dream job former athletes could thrive in and still stay close to sports.  While covering high school athletics in Massachusetts, I always obse...


parents
September 16, 2018

Between the Lines: Create consequences for parents’ actions

Sports parents have demonstrated that there are few lines they won’t cross. The most aggressive of the bunch will vandalize property, physically assault coaches and petition to have team leaders fired from their jobs. What’s equally as concerning...


July 11, 2018

Support the next generation of leaders

The future of interscholastic and collegiate athletics is contingent upon those in charge — coaches, athletic directors, athletic trainers, manufacturers, strength professionals. That fact prompted Coach & Athletic Director to launch the Sports...


June 24, 2018

Dear athletic directors: Show appreciation to your coaches

For seven years, we’ve surveyed athletic directors asking about the greatest challenges in their programs. And for seven years, one of the top answers has been retaining high-quality coaches. It’s a problem with no clear answer, but the only way ...


April 27, 2018

Relationships can launch your sports career

The old saying goes, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” That goes too far in diminishing the value of our personal knowledge and experiences, but it makes a legitimate point: Relationships matter. Memphis head football coach Mike...


September 19, 2017

Between the Lines: What to do about the disappearing referees

[caption id="attachment_26932" align="alignleft" width="100"] Kevin Hoffman[/caption] It was five years ago when I first heard rumblings of referee shortages at the high school level. Pennsylvania’s longtime officials had noticed high turnover and...