One of the most difficult things for an athlete to do is get cut from a team. You put in all of the time and effort into getting better, but no matter how hard you try, coaches still decide to make cuts.
While many people will claim that the athlete who got cut was not as good as the athletes who stayed, that is often not the case. Only a small number of athletes who try out will make the team and the more competitive it is, the less raw talent might matter.
But what are the determining factors? What makes the difference between those who will be successful and those who will fail?
Coaches often have to make decisions based on factors that don’t involve talent.
Here are the REAL reasons coaches cut athletes from their team:
- Athletes who are not supportive of their teammates
- Athletes who make excuses
- Athletes who are not coachable
- Athletes who blame others for their poor performance (and not taking accountability)
- Athletes who don’t practice good sportsmanship and are overly competitive, or overly jealous of other players
While some of these might seem basic, they are important qualities to have as a contributing member to a successful team.
From a coach's point of view, in order to make the team successful, you need to find players who make great teammates. Too often we see athletes who have the talent but lack other qualities that coaches look for in players. Positive attitudes build positive culture, and positive culture wins.
Athletes who have those extra qualities will be more likely to be a member of a team that is successful, and those teams will be able to stay more competitive in their league year after year. Ultimately, that's the coach's number one goal when holding a try out for their team.
Those who are willing to work hard and find ways to get better, without making excuses for what they do, and without blaming others for their own failings, will be much more likely to succeed both on the field and off of it. These traits are the difference between those who fail and those who succeed.
Those who make excuses, don’t take accountability for their actions, blame others for their own failures, don’t practice good sportsmanship, and are overly competitive or overly jealous of other players will not be the ones who make it.
These are the real reasons why coaches cut athletes from their teams.
