Poor joy, or an apology for the left-handed approach to coaching

We live in a world of data driven decision-making. Consequently, today’s coaches gather data to make statistically sound decisions. But two truths are told: numbers tell a truth, but not the entire truth. The English poet Leigh Hunt once wrote: “There are two worlds: the world we can measure with line and rule, and the world that we feel with our hearts and imagination.” I don’t deny the world of “line and rule.” It has its place. But I do intend to fight for the world of our “hearts and imagination,” that fuzzy, abstract, mysterious realm, the realm of curiosity, creativity, and faith in absolute striving, not a delusional dependence on miracles, but an openness to the possibility of the miraculous. This realm has been taking a beating. Analytics, sabermetrics, and accountability rule the results-oriented institutional world. And yet, strangely, the world of results and data, line and rule, cannot seem to fathom the human quotient behind the performance numbers. This essay meditates upon a career of guiding student-athletes towards a better end and through a better means–simply “Joy.” This essay addresses these shortfalls, and makes the case for a more plenary and poetic approach to coaching high school athletics.