"Entitled Coaches." What Do You Do With Them?

Now that we have discussed entitled officials and parents, its time to turn our attention to entitled coaches.  Thankfully, they are very few and far between but the ones that exist deal much misery and scorn.  The great and vast majority of coaches are fine, upstanding folks that love the game and love their players (most of the time.)  But then, there are a few...

Attributes of an entitled coach:
*  Has a vastly inflated opinion of himself/herself.
*  Usually condescending to most people in their lives.
*  Probably graduated from college with a grade point around 2.7
*  If a male, given to frequent outbursts and profanity.
*  If a female, communicates their air of superiority with smugness and contempt toward others.
*  If they happen to be a winner with their team, they don't hesitate to share it with anyone who will listen.
*  Tends to think themselves an authority on every subject known to modern man.
*  Masters of manipulating players, parents, and officials.
*  Tend to think that they deserve "home cooking" whenever they play at home.
*  Can be manipulative of officials to get what they want.
*  Usually quite skilled in manipulative techniques.  As an official, learn them and beware.
*  If a male, very seldom eats salads but if they do, they have to have chicken or fish in them.
*  If a female, tends to overdo the makeup if they are feminine, and goes full out masculine if they lean that way.
*  Usually overextended in their financial obligations unless they make a ridiculously high salary but then, they tend to spend a lot.
*  Usually makes sure their outerwear is color coordinator.  Not sure about their underwear, but don't want to go there.
*  Treat officials "nicely" but with undergirdings of contempt.
*  Think they know all of the rules.
*  Cannot stand to be questioned or coded.
*  Has no intrinsic respect for their players but think of them merely as pawns in a game.
*  Knows full well that a team takes on the personality of their coach and tend to exploit it.
*  Usually doesn't stay long at one school.

How to deal with an entitled coach:
*  Be sure you know your rules because they will question you on every hand.
*  Be firm in your rulings and interpretations.  They can't stand an official that can't make up their mind.
*  Be sensitive to their moods--it will help as you strive to work with them.
*  Be loving--because they know that noone else really loves or cares about them.
*  If you want some fun, continually compliment them on everything from their team to their clothing and watch how they eat it up.  Remember their lives are based on the praise of others.
*  Watch out for sneaky tricks.  They have a bag full of them.
*  Remember that their players will usually emulate the attitudes and conduct of the coach.
*  Praise Jesus daily that there aren't many of them.

Working with coaches is one of the most rewarding but also the most taxing part of being an official.  The good ones are a joy and the "difficult" ones are a test.  Thank the Lord that the vast, vast majority of coaches are the good ones...