By Dr. David Hoch

David Hoch, EdD, CMAA, is the Athletic Director at Loch Raven High School in Baltimore County, Md. He is a past President of the Maryland State Athletic Directors' Association and a frequent contributor to Athletic Management. He can be reached at: dhoch@bcps.org.

Like most high school athletic directors, I spend my time during home contests making sure everything goes smoothly away from the action. Is help needed at the ticket booth? Are spectators behaving appropriately? Have any problems arisen for the scoreboard operators? Do any parents want to chat with me? Knowing whether we are winning or losing isn't at the top of my priority list.

Such was the case at a girls' lacrosse game this past spring. It was a first round playoff game and we were heavily favored to win, but when I finally got a chance to glance at the scoreboard, I was shocked. Loch Raven was trouncing our guests by a huge margin and there were still 10 minutes to play.

I stopped attending to details and looked out on the field. Our players were controlling the ball with ease, practically scoring at will. Our opponents were working hard, but continually a step behind.

Lopsided victories are embarrassing for all involved--even the victors. It quickly becomes a no-win situation for both teams, and avoiding them can be difficult, if not impossible, when the teams are as unevenly matched as they were that day. But that doesn't mean we should just ignore these situations and hope there are no negative ramifications.

Especially in this age of heightened media attention on high school sports, it is important that we develop department guidelines and talk to our coaches about lopsided games. How should a coach respond when a game gets out of hand? And how can we make it a teachable moment for our athletes?

KEEP SHOOTING?
Back at the lacrosse game, I kept my attention on the action and the score. Upon reaching the press box, I was a little relieved to discover from the scorekeeper that we were in running time mode (dictated by the scoring margin). But we still scored again, and again.

It is a strong philosophy of mine to never talk to a coach during a game--I don't want to intrude on the coach-athlete relationship or undermine the coach's authority--so I remained a bystander. By going onto the sidelines, it might also have appeared that I was criticizing the coach's handling of the game, which would have just made matters worse. I try to follow the maxim, "Praise in public and criticize in private," so judgmental eyes aren't second-guessing the coach's actions. I also didn't know all the pertinent facts leading up to the now mounting score.

After the game, I watched both teams, coaches, and officials shake hands and there weren't any discernable problems or ill feelings. Even though the scoreboard read 28-0, the situation was not a disaster, and that was a relief. But that didn't mean the ordeal was over.

As with much of what we do in athletic administration, I wanted to be proactive and prepared. There was a very good chance that someone--an opposing parent, a reader of the regional newspaper, another coach--would call, complaining about the wide margin of victory. Obviously, I wanted to have the best answers and see if there was anything else that we could have done to avoid the situation.

Later that evening, I e-mailed our coach, asking her to stop by my office the next day. I started my note with, "I'm not questioning or challenging your coaching," and then explained that I wanted to know if she had done anything to minimize our scoring barrage.

The next morning, our coach patiently explained what happened and what steps she had taken. I was happy to find out all she had done:

• As the score quickly escalated in the first half, our coach started substituting for her starters around the 10-minute mark and they never returned to the contest.

• Even by playing our second-string team, we continued to score and our coach told her players they had to make eight passes before attempting a shot.

• Finally, our coach asked her players to stop shooting. But it seems that although well-intentioned, this really didn't help our opponent.

At halftime, the opposing coach came up to our coach and requested that we continue to shoot. She even yelled to our players in the second half, "You're wide open, you have to shoot!"

If our players missed a shot, there was at least a possibility that the other team could get a loose ball and gain possession. Even if we scored, there would be a center draw and another opportunity for our opponent to get the ball. However, if we continued to pass the ball around without shooting, the other team might not touch the ball for the remainder of the game. Their players couldn't stay with us defensively and all they were doing was becoming exhausted. It really was a no-win situation.

The other difficulty our coach had to deal with was asking her players to not give it their all. Along with putting her substitutes on the field, she started sending in j.v. players brought up to varsity for the playoffs. She wondered:

• Is it right to ask substitute players to take it easy? And, in this particular game, we're not talking about reserves, but j.v. players who are playing in their first varsity game.

• Is it fair to ask players who normally don't play not to score, particularly after passing and executing the offense?

Those are legitimate questions, for sure. But the coach and I agreed that she did the right thing by asking players to hold back. Ultimately, you don't want to embarrass your opponent, and that's an important lesson to teach students.

In spite of the final score, our coach felt she had done everything possible to prevent an embarrassing scene. Most importantly, the opposing coach related after the game that our team reacted well to the disparity in talent and said, "You were the nicest team we played all season."

STRATEGIES FOR COACHES
I felt relieved and fortunate that my coach did a stellar job in a difficult situation. The incident also reminded me of the importance of preparing all coaches for dealing with lopsided wins. There are many ways to ensure our coaches know how to handle this.

One thing I do is make the matter an agenda item at our preseason coaches' meetings. The purpose of these meetings is to proactively cover every imaginable situation so our coaches can meet their responsibilities more effectively and without problems. This topic fits in perfectly.

In the meeting, I ask coaches to develop a game plan for dealing with lopsided victories. We typically know which teams are going to dominate and might have a few out-of-control games. Our coaches are required to think about how to handle this in their particular sport long before the scoreboard posts embarrassing numbers.

It can help to offer coaches some suggestions on how to deal with the situation. Here are a few obvious ones you can throw out to get their wheels turning:

• Play your substitutes as early and liberally as possible. While a safe margin may be difficult to define, your experience and style of play can provide you with a relative guide. As a basketball coach, I felt comfortable with a 20-point lead entering the fourth quarter. Even with the three-point shot now in place, it should be safe to start playing some reserves at this point.

• With a sufficient lead in football, stop passing. And don't use the excuse that the squad has to work on this aspect of their offense. A second- or third-string quarterback would probably get more beneficial work in practice versus his teammates than an overmatched opponent.

• In baseball, stop stealing bases with a large lead. There will probably still be more hits and walks in the game which will naturally increase the score.

• Don't continue to press in basketball after you have a large advantage, even if this is the standard team defense. Another strategy is to play kids out of position and tell them to make eight to 10 passes before anyone is allowed to shoot.

I also ask coaches to talk to players about the above decisions. In postgame talks, coaches should relay why they chose the particular strategy and why. They should discuss the importance of treating the opponent with respect in this difficult situation.

While this agenda item at a preseason meeting sets the right tone for dealing with lopsided games, it can work well to send coaches some reminders on the subject throughout the year. If you hold workshops for your coaches, this can be a good topic. All coaches can be asked to bring their experiences and ideas on how to handle these games.

I also clip any articles I see about lopsided victories and give them to coaches. I'll add a very brief, simple statement: "It can happen anywhere..." or "Take a look at this ..." I'll use anything that will serve as a gentle reminder, a resource, or food for thought to create discussion with their athletes.

FANS ON BOARD
In addition to mentoring your coaches on this topic, spectators may need some guidance in how to react to an unbalanced game. They need to understand their role in not making the opponent feel even worse--and that scoring a 100th point in a basketball game is not a worthy goal when it's at the expense of a struggling team.

This can be tough, for sure. One of the basketball teams I coached (many years ago) was slated to be a dominant force before the season even started. The entire squad returned after posting 22 victories the previous year and every night they were expected to win big. We did end up having a great year, going 26-2, but we constantly struggled with figuring out a decent margin of victory. If we won by 25 to 30 points, we were running up the score, and if we only won by 15 we were accused of taking the opponent too lightly.

Often, the best way to educate fans is through the student body. Here at Loch Raven, we have made announcements during homeroom preceding certain basketball games to explain that singing "Nah, Nah, Hey, Hey, Goodbye..." is not acceptable. We also tell our students that chanting, "It's all over," will not be permitted.

When we explain that these chants, made in fun, are humiliating to the other team and their fans, most of our students understand and follow our request. But they do need a little education and frequent reminders.

TEACHABLE MOMENT
Of course, every lopsided game situation is a little different from another and needs to be handled individually. The best coaches and administrators, I've found, will get creative and turn the entire situation into a wonderful teaching moment.

A fellow athletic director shared with me this great example from his coaching days: His soccer team was easily defeating an opponent even after substituting, placing players in new positions, and restricting his players to a predetermined number of passes before shooting. The final result was an alarming 15-0 score.

After shaking hands with the other team, the coach gathered his players for his typical postgame talk. He told them that he would be reporting a final score of 6-0 to the media and would only list the first six goal scorers.

As a master motivator, the coach convinced the scorers of the other goals that counting them would humiliate the other team--and that wouldn't be good for either squad. By explaining his decision with compassion and conviction, the kids bought into this approach, even though it must have been difficult for that reserve player who scored his only goal of the season.

This example has stuck with me throughout the years. There is more to competition than winning and this coach and his athletes understood that. It's a great story that I'm hoping many others will learn from.

An athletic director should always be looking to advise, counsel, guide, and educate coaches, with the ultimate goal of creating a better situation for all student-athletes. Teaching our coaches how to handle lopsided victories presents a great example of how we fill this role.

Sidebar: THE OTHER SIDE
In talking about lopsided victories, we can't forget the other side of the equation. With every big win, there is a team taking a beating. Athletic directors should prep these losing coaches as well, so they can guide their team through the situation. This is especially important when the winning team is doing nothing to curtail the score.

The first thing I tell our coaches is to never lose their cool. While the natural impulse would be for the coach to confront the offender immediately after the game, this isn't wise or acceptable. The common refrain from a losing coach would most likely be, "I'm protecting my team." However, an angry confrontation on the field, in front of the team and possibly fans, would not serve as the proper model for all involved. And it probably also won't make much of an impact upon the coach of the other team, either.

It's much better to simply shake hands with the opposing coach and have your athletes do the same. Set a good example for your athletes and don't create a scene.

I advise our coaches to then immediately tell me when this happens to them. I will call the opposing athletic administrator and explain the situation in a matter of fact way. With this approach, there is hope that the offending coach might learn something and become a more compassionate victor.

However, it is also important for coaches to meet with players after the game and discuss what happened. They should put the game in perspective and explain that the opponent was superior. They also need to encourage their players to return to practice, work hard, and prepare for their next opponent. In a lopsided loss, it is especially important to be supportive and encouraging.

What if a team is constantly getting trounced? During my first year coaching basketball at the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford, I inherited a squad that finished 3-23 the previous year and graduated its three best players. With this group, we did not talk about winning. Instead, we set two to three goals per game. For example, one goal was to get within 10 rebounds of our opponent. Another, which we worked very hard on, was to stay within 10 points as long as possible--from game to game we tried to go further into the contest maintaining this margin.

I also used strategies that gave players confidence to keep trying hard and not get discouraged. We used as much of the shot clock as we could for each possession, had all five players box out on the defensive end, and ran a basic 2-3 zone, which avoided players having to match up one-on-one. Focusing more on teamwork helped them keep their heads up.

Knowing that we were extremely out-manned every game, our challenge as coaches was to come back to practice the following day with enthusiasm, a positive attitude, and a desire to work hard. A lopsided loss was possible every time we set foot on the court, so we took pride in continuing to persevere.