All parents want their kids to play on sports teams where the coach takes advantage of opportunities to make the players better.
Does the coach teach kids proper techniques, tactics, and mental toughness and then catch them doing things right. Or does the coach focus only on the things the players do wrong?
When the team loses, does the coach find ways to use the loss to make the team better? Or does the coach become frustrated and take it out on the kids?
When the best player on the team is injured, does the coach view it as a chance to allow other players to step up and contribute to the team? Or does the coach act as though the team doesn’t have a chance because their best player has been sidelined?
When the referee makes a bad call (referees are human), does the coach accept the call and challenge the players to find a way to offset the error? Or does the coach holler at the officials and accuse them of trying to make the team lose?
When the team’s best player has a chance to win the game with two seconds on the clock and misses an open shot, does the coach celebrate the fact that the player accepted a leadership role and had the courage to take the last shot? Or does the coach become angry and bench the player in the next game?
Does the coach read the letters “opportunityisnowhere” and say “opportunity is now here”? Or does the coach read them and say, “opportunity is nowhere” (this is how the Microsoft spellchecker reads the letters).
Perception is everything. Good coaches find ways to create opportunities in every situation!