It’s a different world for coaches.  The game rules are the same but there’s a new generation of players.  The old school – my way or the highway approach – is failing.  No longer can you grab a player by the throat and smack him until his attitude improves.

This generation is wired.  They are plugged in and they want to know why along with how.  They demand to be involved in  the process and not just fed the answer (or the play).  They have a million messages a day screamed at them from a thousand different mediums and devices and they’ve learned how to tune out.  They’re a frustrating nut to crack and an enigma to veteran coaches.  Heck, they won’t even stand quietly in the woodshed until their concussions clear up.

They are not like us but I like them.  I have two boys, nine and fifteen, and they live in a world I could only have dreamed  of as a kid.  I believe that if I would have had PlayStation3 in 60 inch HD, I would never have played (real) sports at all.  Most of us coaches are too old to really understand them but we need to make some adjustments.

The plummeting attention span that results from new media creates a void.  High tech creates the need for high touch.  These kids need the crack of a bat and not the vibration of a controller to know real success.  They need to be part of  a team that starts bad but gets better.   They need to manage their own gear and to rake the field after practice.  They need the rhythm of baseball.

I think more than anything they need our attention.