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Mr. McNamar, at The Daily Grind, may be a high school coach, but he no longer has much faith in the long-term value of high school sports. After writing as much recently, he was challenged by a reader who listed the many skills sports instill in athletes. In his response, McNamar claims that the athlete-as-superstar model of pro sports, the demands of helicopter parents, and kids’ not-so-exemplary work ethic render such skills no longer applicable. He finishes by stating:

Coaching ... has become a win or be gone world where parents and politics have more influence than the coach with the knowledge. When school districts begin to demonstrate that they will support their coaches, even while parents bitch and moan, I will be willing to keep high school athletics. When the power is returned to those who deserve it, I will be willing to keep high school athletics. Until then, I'd rather see them go away.