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Post by coach1234567 on Dec 9, 2005 15:31:49 GMT -6
I don't really want to start a debate over religion's role in football. What I am trying to figure out is, must you go to church to be a head coach in a smaller town? Some coaches have issues with going to the "wrong" church, or a different church than the bigwigs in town and I have seen this cause problems for them. I am not much of a church goer, and I am wondering how this might affect my getting a job, and keeping a job.
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Post by tribepride on Dec 9, 2005 15:38:16 GMT -6
I would think that it depends on the community that you live in. Our head coach only goes to church for funerals-weddings-holidays and it does not cause any problems in our town (pop.1200)
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herky
Sophomore Member
Posts: 189
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Post by herky on Dec 9, 2005 16:04:45 GMT -6
Great question, coach 1-7. I am interested in hearing what you guys have to say.
I think the perception/assumption in Texas is you have to go on a regular basis, and present yourself as such when interviewing.
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Post by wildcat on Dec 10, 2005 7:51:11 GMT -6
I live and coach in a small town. Religion has never been a really big issue here. I'm not much of a churchgoer and no one has ever really said anything to me about not being in church. Although we ARE a blue state, so that may explain why.  Drinking is a little different. There is a small tavern in town and I would never go in there, largely because many of the parents of my students/players hang out there and I just don't think that looks good... |
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Post by senatorblutarsky on Dec 10, 2005 16:43:12 GMT -6
I am in a small town (950 pop.)... I have only been in the bars to give them our football poster each year (we have a lot of bars, a lot of churches). I think I would hear about it if I were in the bar, but when someone has a party for any occasion (not graduation), I think it is not only acceptable but appreciated if I am there and am "social" (as long as I was invited...).
I go to church out of town and no one seems to have a problem with that (my denomination is not here but in a neighboring town). My grandmother (in Iowa) has complained that their football coach attends church out of town... some places it is an issue (maybe it is here...I just don't know about it if it is).
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Post by coach1234567 on Dec 11, 2005 1:33:13 GMT -6
I have heard some people talk about it being ok to miss church, but don't dare miss something else. What would that something else be?
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Post by Split50 on Dec 11, 2005 20:25:37 GMT -6
I don't really understand your question. Either you go to church or you don't. What is difficult about that? If you have to ask that question, then maybe you need to examine some other things in your life. I am Catholic. I am going to church. If we don't have a church in the town that I live in, then I am going in another town. I rarely miss. I am fairly active in my church. I am going to continue to be a Catholic and active in my church regardless. End of the story.
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Post by wildcat on Dec 11, 2005 20:51:53 GMT -6
I don't really understand your question. Either you go to church or you don't. What is difficult about that? If you have to ask that question, then maybe you need to examine some other things in your life. I am Catholic. I am going to church. If we don't have a church in the town that I live in, then I am going in another town. I rarely miss. I am fairly active in my church. I am going to continue to be a Catholic and active in my church regardless. End of the story. I think his question is pretty self-explanatory. It basically has to do with the "unwritten" rules of being a coach/teacher. Basically, I feel that, as a coach/teacher, I am expected to play an active role in the community. Now, "active" means different things to different people. While I am not really active in the church, I do attend community functions and am fairly active in the American Legion. I think that it is in the best interests of a coach and a teacher, especially in a small town, to be active in the community in some way. It's a great way to get to know your players and students outside of the classroom and also to build rapport with parents and other influential adults. |
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Post by Split50 on Dec 11, 2005 21:21:47 GMT -6
I don't really want to start a debate over religion's role in football. What I am trying to figure out is, must you go to church to be a head coach in a smaller town? Some coaches have issues with going to the "wrong" church, or a different church than the bigwigs in town and I have seen this cause problems for them. I am not much of a church goer, and I am wondering how this might affect my getting a job, and keeping a job. wildcat, that is what he asked. I understand about being active in small towns. I have spent most of my 35 years in coaching in small towns. I have always taken an active role in my church and community. I still stand by my original post. If you have to ask about going to church, then something will not be right. Whether you or he goes to church or not is your business, but if the only reason you go is because it will look good, then I think you are going for the wrong reason. That is why I said I didn't understand him asking that question. |
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Post by senatorblutarsky on Dec 12, 2005 0:01:56 GMT -6
Split50, I took Coach 1,2,3...’s question differently-I know there are some in ALL professions who attend church (or are in any other groups) purely for career related reasons. I do think that it important, especially for young coaches to know what type of individual is expected (required?) to be a coach in a certain community, and whether or not that is a life you could be comfortable having. Early in my career (first 10 years probably), I took jobs simply for because I wanted the football position. I did not consider a lot of things that really impacted my life- traffic jams and a one hour commute in one area, constant blizzards and requiring a snowmobile to get in to town in another situation. I attend Church because of my faith- I attend out of town because my faith is more aligned to a denomination we do not have in town. If I did not have the beliefs and values that I have, this community may not be a good fit for me, as I am not sure an atheistic existentialist could communicate well with Lutheran farm boys.. On the other side, I’ve known of a lot of places where my position would land me in trouble with the administration and community. This is not to say that I should be dissuaded from taking a job in a more liberal area (especially if I understood it to be what I was supposed to do). It is to say that I would need to acknowledge that doing so would be difficult and some of my biggest battles would not be on the football field but in the theological or philosophical arena. Maybe there is no way to ask that question without starting some debate- but if you are currently in Brooklyn and are interviewing for a position in Ekalaka, Montana… it might be helpful to know if you would have a chance with the people there… or if you would just be wasting your time. I know this is a digression, but I am not married… that shouldn’t have anything to do with my ability as a coach… but I have been asked about my marital status in interviews. I suspect that at least once it was considered a strike against me that I was not married.
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Post by Split50 on Dec 12, 2005 7:04:00 GMT -6
Senator,
Do you plan on getting married just because it will help you get/keep a job? I bet not. Coach12-- states that he is not a church goer. To ask if he should become one just to get/keep a job, I still say is the wrong reason to go to church. You have the courage of your convictions/faith, as do I and as do many others in our profession. I would never ask if I should become a church goer to get/keep a job.
That is all I am trying to say.
This is not about religion or whether a person should or should not go to church. To me it is about living your live according to what you think is right.
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Post by ogie4 on Dec 12, 2005 7:47:08 GMT -6
I don't think what church is a big concern. Follow your beliefs, but being a church goer does go a long way in a small town.
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Post by senatorblutarsky on Dec 12, 2005 7:56:21 GMT -6
Good points Split… I agree with a lot of what you say, though I think it does help to know what is expected from a particular community. If your belief system is contradictory to what that community desires in a coach- that may not be the right job for you. RE: getting married to keep a job... no... but if anyone knows a single woman who has a lot of land and can cook..... |
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Post by ogie4 on Dec 12, 2005 8:03:11 GMT -6
Good points Split… I agree with a lot of what you say, though I think it does help to know what is expected from a particular community. If your belief system is contradictory to what that community desires in a coach- that may not be the right job for you. RE: getting married to keep a job... no... but if anyone knows a single woman who has a lot of land and can cook..... A good fishing boat and 4X4 are a plus too! |
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rugger
Freshmen Member
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Post by rugger on Dec 12, 2005 14:29:25 GMT -6
I am a single coach that lives in a small town with really influential, nosy, and opinionated people going to the church that I would normally attend. Fortunately there is a larger town very close by that has a good church. After several sundays of being grilled at the local church, I started attending the neighboring church. I bet 6 people called me that evening to see what happened to me. I used the excuse of there being more young ladies for me to date at the other church. One of the other coaches did the same thing, saying his wife wanted to go to a bigger church. It's kind of nice going to church and not having everybody know who you are, and not hosting the sunday afternoon football Q&A session. Some of those people ask questions about kids that they have no business asking.
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Post by coach1234567 on Dec 12, 2005 20:01:38 GMT -6
Split50, thanks for the responses. A little clarification here, I would not go to church just to appease the people in a town. I don't plan on going to church at all. This fact is what is making me think about my role in a smaller town, and why I asked this question.
Thanks for all the help so far on this site. I have learned so much here.
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Post by Split50 on Dec 13, 2005 7:05:44 GMT -6
Coach12--7,
I am sure you are a good coach and a good person. However, you asked so I will make one last observation. Since you don't plan on going to church at all, I would suggest that you avoid Smalltown, America. It would not be a matter of which church, or why, but I think most small town people expect their school and community leaders to attend a church.
There is so much that small towns have to offer. I have spent most of my career in small towns and will spend the last years of coaching and my life in a small town.
Hope I have hurt your feelings.
Good luck to you in the future.
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Post by coach1234567 on Dec 31, 2008 12:35:06 GMT -6
A bit of an update. I have been at a smaller town and not gone to church. Things have gone well. I work in the small town and live in the big town next door. I might have an opportunity to take another small town job at a better program. This place is out in the middle of nowhere though. Any ideas?
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Post by k on Dec 31, 2008 12:54:52 GMT -6
Wow what is this Iran? If you're not of the "right religion" you need not apply?
Guess protestants and especially evangelicals need not apply here... Oh wait I live in a civilized area and said people wouldn't be held to a religious standard for a public job.
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Post by stud17 on Dec 31, 2008 14:19:12 GMT -6
Say you were a football coach back in 35 AD at the time of Jesus. If you went up to Jesus while he was preaching and asked him if you should go to church and worship just to make parents/community happy and accept you as a coach, what would he say? He would probably say that's the wrong reason to go to church and he would encourage you to go to church for the right reasons.
Now I'm not a big church-goer myself and I don't plan on going to church just to please parents/community. For one thing, I won't do something just to please someone else, and I definitely will not go to church unless it's for the right reasons. Why do you have to go to church to be deemed as a "good person"? I'm pretty sure Jesus said himself its better to worship on your own as an individual, which is basically what he did. You shouldn't have to sellout to please someone else. I know its something real simple as church but like the old saying goes: "If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything." First it's going to church to please people, next it'll be playing certain players because the parents will think of you differently if you don't. Last in this big rant, remember separation of church and state? They don't let kids pray in school and can't make kids say God in the Pledge, so how can parents than get mad at a coach if he doesn't go to church? Who are the parents to control what and how much a certain coach worships and goes to church?
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Post by coachpoe on Dec 31, 2008 17:58:40 GMT -6
I don't think coach1234567 is saying he will go to a particular church because of the pressure put on him. While I agree "selling out" and going to a church because it might help your career or job status is a terrible idea, that is not the question that is being posed. He is asking whether or not the fact that he is not much of a church goer will effect his status in a small town. Does it matter to the people in the town that he is not active in a church? That is the question he is trying to answer. Having never worked or lived in a small town I cannot possible answer the question, but I will say as the HC, or any coach affilated with the football program in a small town, you are often a very visible person in the community, and some may question why you are not religiously active (in terms of going to church). This all depends on the culture/expectations in the town or area you are working in.
Let's all try to stick to the topic here instead of saying why you should/shouldn't be involved in a church or religious activity. It's a question of perception in the community, that could make a difference when trying to get a coaching job, or being a coach, in a small town. Posts that senator blutarsky's give great insight based on experience working in a small town, and that is the information the poster is looking for.
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Post by fbdoc on Jan 1, 2009 17:29:31 GMT -6
The good senator points out that there are MANY factors to consider when looking at a potential job and in some small/rural schools, the COMMUNITY can often be mostly church going. If you want to be a part of that COMMUNITY then you need to consider that aspect. Is it "right" or "fair"? Maybe not, but the same can be said of the Communities that make up inner city schools, affluent suburban schools, and Independent Christian schools. You are going to be a part of their community - Football should not be the only reason you are looking at the school.
Having taught and coached in just about every kind of community, including the college level, I would offer that attending church is certainly not the most important factor to consider when deciding to take a job, but you still need to consider it IF you feel it will be a part of your job/living satisfaction.
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Post by k on Jan 1, 2009 18:35:13 GMT -6
The good senator points out that there are MANY factors to consider when looking at a potential job and in some small/rural schools, the COMMUNITY can often be mostly church going. If you want to be a part of that COMMUNITY then you need to consider that aspect. Is it "right" or "fair"? Maybe not, but the same can be said of the Communities that make up inner city schools, affluent suburban schools, and Independent Christian schools. You are going to be a part of their community - Football should not be the only reason you are looking at the school. Having taught and coached in just about every kind of community, including the college level, I would offer that attending church is certainly not the most important factor to consider when deciding to take a job, but you still need to consider it IF you feel it will be a part of your job/living satisfaction. You know you do make an interesting point. It very much should be a consideration that you will be attacked for being "different" than the community you live in. Not so much that people should avoid working or living in a community in which they are a minority (religiously or otherwise) but that if a community is willing to be as vile as to treat you negatively because you are of a different faith or race you might not want to live or work there. I am glad I don't live or work in a community that so narrowly defines who should be accepted as a member of the community. |
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Post by stud17 on Jan 2, 2009 13:52:53 GMT -6
Well to the answer the question posed: it depends on which town your in. I grew up in a small town and I attended the same church as the head football coach. The head football coach did not attend church every single Sunday, but he was there quite a bit. When he wasn't there, nobody said anything. In fact, nobody really noticed because we're just a down-to-earth church and what happens happens; we don't get worked up about much. So I think it all depends on what town you live in and what church you go to. In my own experience, it wasn't an issue with the head football coach. However in other instances, it will certainly be an issue. I guess just hope you find a situation where it isn't an issue (if you don't want it to be an issue of course).
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