Terms blog

I thought that the most interesting terminology was involved with the coaching titles. That is, Teddy Bear, Crossing Guard, Drill Sergeant, CEO. The teddy bear is the coach for young individuals and they are very soft and caring. This is typically attributed to the "soft" coaches who are soft spoken and easy going. They understand the game of young children. They coach young children and they hardly ever get mad or yell at the kids. This is not common for women to have these coaching jobs although it is seen as less competitive and a less powerful position. The next coaching spot up is the Crossing Guard. This coach brings coaching to the next level. They get increasingly more competitive and louder. They yell more and use their power more often. They require respect from their team. They are much more demanding then the teddy bear coach. Then is the Drill Sergeant. This type of coach is much louder and is completely a one sided method. They do not listen to anyone else, but simply give orders and rules. They are extremely competitive and not sympathetic at all. They are much more harsh then the other two levels and are by far the loudest of the coaches. Then is the CEO. The CEO is almost always male, and is naturally respected. The kids never question them, and listen to them. The CEO does not have to be loud, they are simply respected. These different levels of coaching seem completely accurate to me which is fascinating. I have played three sports my entire life and these definitions were spot on. I began with the Teddy Bear, and then moved through the stages until the CEO. I never saw this as gender stereotype until I realized the only woman coach that I had that was female was the Teddy Bear. Then each coach who yelled was a male and I had an assistant coach that was female who acted as the Teddy Bear simply listening and helping us with our problems. Now that Messner pointed out the gender divisions of labor, I have realized how apparent it truly is in our society.