COACHES DESERVE MORE COLOR
Today's sports landscape reveals a culture where we spotlight players sensationally. They are the ones drafted, they are the ones who receive multi-million dollar contracts and they are the ones who get multiple sponsored appearances for consumer products.
Therefore, it's easy to understand why coaches are, for the most part, strictly defined by their record and how many championship rings they own.
The NBA's extravagent gift this Christmas included a perfect example of this when the Miami Heat hosted the Los Angeles Lakers. Until Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant wear the same uniform again, they will be the focus of ABC's Christmas Day doubleheader for years to come. Not only are they two superstar athletes who won three NBA titles together, but they also reached the endorsement pinnacle that any athlete dreams to attain. Shaq even appeared in several movies and Kobe tried his voice in rap music.
Before the main event tipped-off, ABC's pregame show debuted with a new roundtable format hosted by Mike Tirico. Guests included Chucky D (founder of the rap group Public Enemy), Josh Lucas (starring actor in the upcoming basketball movie "Glory Road") and Bob Ryan (Boston Globe columnist). The first question Tirico asked was, "Who would you rather have on your team: Shaq or Kobe?" All three guests said, "Shaq." So right off the bat, even if you knew nothing about the Heat or Lakers, you had a hunch the game featured two marquee players and the end result could be dictated by whoever was the preferred player - in this case, Shaq.
The guests went on to point out that Shaq is the most dominant player in the NBA with his colossal stature, passes well out of the post and makes his teammates better by being a vocal leader. Not once did they mention that he won three championships with Kobe; rather, they referred to how he's helped third-year sensation Dwyane Wade become "The Flash" by giving him all-world confidence and creating open shots for him. Records are a good starting point in debate, but sometimes commentators get stuck on the superficiality of sports and their gameplay analysis lacks the perspective of coaches.
Later in the show, Tirico introduced future Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen to the set. Pippen was there to give his take on the legendary coaching matchup between L.A.'s Phil Jackson, who Pippen played under with the Chicago Bulls, and Miami's Pat Riley (pictured above). ABC lucked-out because just a week before, Riley had returned to the sidelines after replacing Stan Van Gundy who resigned for "personal reasons." So the network was promoting another storyline on its national broadcast along with Shaq vs. Kobe.
When Pippen was asked to compare the two coaches, he said, "They both stress defense." He continued by emphasizing their championship resumes, but his general statements were shallow. And this is a problem that resonates throughout sports - journalists don't say enough about the coaches.
Whether journalists know enough is another issue, but the reporting is not there. Describe their coaching styles. What influenced them to coach? What makes them devise certain plays? How do they run their practices? How do they deal with off-the-court player issues?
If you're watching a game on television, you're able to watch players execute offense and defense, but once a timeout is called, a commercial break follows just as the coach huddles his team to go over strategy. TV mostly doesn't give you a chance to eavesdrop on or witness game-time coaching perhaps for fear of giving away secret plays, unless of course you're lucky enough to be a high-roller sitting directly behind the team's bench. That's why journalists need to elaborate more on the coaches by highlighting their skills and giving them more respect, since they're usually the scapegoat if the team loses.
