Parents Love Of High School Sports

By Michael Coleman

                   Every week our RUSH program that airs on Sundays captures great moments of Long Island's high school sports scene.  With so many schools playing football,soccer, field hockey and running cross country, you can imagine how tough it is covering everyone. But we try and often fail.

              The failure isn't a result of not being aware of the talented athletes we have on the Island. Rather we fail because of manpower, and because there are too many games.  A mother emailed me and let me know how upset she was that we didn't cover her son's football team.  At the time, they were unbeaten.  She went on about how Newsday did a great article on him.  I'm sure they did.  Afterall, they too are in the business of showcasing our athletes. However, as I emailed back to her, if we didn't show your team "this week," surely we eventually will.

           And I should also note that a team's record isn't always the criteria for coverage. Often from the sometime irate parents I hear, "Those kids work really hard and deserve recognition."  As the son of a coach and a former organized team sports athlete, I do know this.  No matter the record -- 5-0, 2-3, or 0-5 -- ALL kids work hard.  Just because a team has a losing season doesn't mean the kids aren't working hard.  Sometimes they're outcoached, don't have the talent base, or just can't win games on a consistent basis.

     Just because a team is unbeaten doesn't mean they work any harder than any other team.  I feel the passion of proud parents and understand their desire to see their "superstar" included on our RUSH program. It makes me proud that our show is heavily watched and in demand. We have hard working photographers, and producers who make that show click.