Tuesday, March 31, 2009

This is absolutely horrifying

Regard:

SCITUATE, Mass. (AP) - A Massachusetts youth soccer coach told parents in an e-mail his team of 6- and 7-year-old girls would be known as "Green Death," encouraged them to feed their daughters "undercooked red meat" and said "losing is for losers."

Coach Michael Kinahan has since resigned from the Scituate (SIH'-choo-et) Youth Soccer League. He says he was joking in last week's season-opening e-mail.

League official Chris Park tells the Patriot Ledger of Quincy that Kinahan has a "wry, sarcastic" sense of humor and some parents understood the e-mail's tone. But others didn't and complained.

Kinahan also wrote he would heckle referees, expected players to "bleed a little" and wanted parents to cheer, not sit on the sidelines "sipping mocha-latte-half-caf-chinos."
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I'm horrified by this - but not in the way you may think. I'm horrified because that could very easily have been me. I laughed out loud because this is obviously meant to be sarcastic, but no one got it, and because of some chino-wearing soccer moms and dads who are too busy for their kids, but try to drop them off for an hour on Saturday mornings at the Y to assuage their pathetic consciences (alert: that was sarcasm. Don't take my blog away), this guy won't be coaching 6- and 7-year old girls soccer. I would have written that e-mail. Michael Kinahan: Want to hang out?

3 comments:

Nathan said...

It may very well have been sarcastic, but how many 6 year olds have wrapped their heads around compound sentences, let alone sarcasm. It was probably an overreaction by the parents, but still pretty stupid on the coaches part.

James said...

I'll disagree. I don't think the kids got the letter, it was only sent to the parents. Now, I have learned the lesson many times over that sarcasm does not come across easily in the printed word. So to quote Vincent Vega "he better should have known better."

But still...

Unknown said...

Definitely funny. I, too, could have written something to that affect. Tis oft I get lambasted at work for non-effectual written sarcasm. Whoops. I'd be screwed if I worked in a "corporate" environment.

Agree, also, with TC that no kids were harmed and nary a one read the letter.