Just when you thought you had heard it all, along comes Michael Kman, a 45 year old basketball “coach” (and I use the term extremely loosely here), who in mid-May was arrested by Pa. State police and charged with trying to bribe basketball officials with $2500.00 to fix games!
And lest you think this is so awful, there are “extenuating” circumstances here! These just aren’t any old basketball games we’re talking about! These games are critically important ones played in a recreational church league! That’s right, CYO games where quite often, the fate of the free world and global warming hangs in the balance!
Well, Michael, I want to congratulate you! You have just won our Distinguished Coach of the Year Award! Thank you for all you do in stewarding our young kids through the trials and tribulations of growing up. You are a wonderful role model for our children to look up to and try to emulate. As parents we can be comforted in knowing that with your exceptional moral character and stellar principles, our kids are in great hands!
They will learn from you what’s really important about the game of basketball and life. You will teach them about honesty and fair play, about dealing with hardship and adversity. No doubt you will help them understand that becoming a champion is not at all about winning, but about how you play the game. We know that you will encourage our kids to take risks and not be afraid of making mistakes that might cost the team a win, because of course, you know that getting better is all about learning from mistakes which you can’t do if there is too much pressure on the outcome.
We also want to thank you for the fairness that you demonstrate every day, giving all players on the team a chance to play regardless of their skill level. This fairness and lack of favoritism can only come from a man like yourself who has the game of basketball in perspective and who knows that the coach’s job is to do so much more than just teach x’s and o’s and try to win! The coach’s job is to help kids learn valuable life and sports skills and to feel good about themselves.
Michael, we are sincerely and genuinely indebted to you and all that you stand for. Thanks for making sports such a nuturing and positive experience for our kids. And most of all, thank you for your selflessness, for never allowing your own personal needs to get in the way of your critically important job as the teacher and coach of our children!
