Just How Well Can A Collegiate Tennis Coach Actually See?

"Eagle Eye" is what everyone strives to be in tennis.

Here is what a coach would look like if he actually had eagle eyes.

As officials, its always exciting when a collegiate coach informs us that we are "blind as a bat" and have missed the call because he/she has seen it clearly (on the far sideline) and we should take their word for it--the ball was good!

All that sounds well and good, but it just ain't true.  It is physically impossible for a person standing on a sideline to see the far sideline as well as someone sitting 9 feet up in a chair...

Here are some things I've learned over the years about coaches and their eyesight opinions:

*  The beauty is in the eye of the beholder and they all think they have perfect eyesight.
*  Officials are blind and can see nothing.
*  Officials are biased against them and are biased in their calls.
*  They can stand at the net post and clearly see the far sideline and far corner of the baseline without error or question.
*  Officials are making the call because they are afraid of the opposing coach.
*  The officials were paid to make bad calls.
*  The official is dating one of the players and are making calls to benefit them.
*  Lots of coaches have friends and relatives in the stands who are always truthful in how they see the ball and are more than willing to help the official officiate.
*  According to one coach, the official was making bad calls on his player because he didn't like Russians.
*  The coach is arguing the call simply to motivate his own player.  He knew the ball was out all the time but didn't want to admit it.
*  As one coach said, "I can see all 6 courts at one time and I never miss a call."

Here are some things that are TRUE about making line calls:

*  Noone is 100% right all the time.
*  Some officials are not very good at making line calls and that will never change.
*  Just like some coaches suck at their jobs, some officials do too.
*  The person in the chair can see the court better than a person standing or sitting on the sideline.
*  Officials are to overrule only when there is a "clear and obvious" error.
*  Officials are human and can make mistakes.  Coaches and players are the same by the way...
*  Any official who changes their call because the coach rants and raves won't be an official for long.
*  Officials should treat all coaches with the respect and honor they are due.
*  A coach has no right to verbally abuse an official over a line call.
*  A coach should always treat an official with respect as another human being.
*  A coach should never call into question an official's race, intellect, abilities, biases, sexual orientation, or anything that demeans them as a human being.

Overall, I would say that 99.9% of all coaches are fine, upstanding people doing a great job in a very difficult position.  As one coach said, "Can you imagine having your future being held in the hands of a 19 year old?"

Its the .1% that make our life difficult from time to time...