2019 D3 Men's Soccer National Perspective

[jknezek]

It's a signed opinion piece. I don't mind it but I also have a degree in print journalism and was an editor of my college paper way back when. The author took responsibility, pointed out the good and the bad, and said there are things to work on. If it was anonymous or a true slam piece I'd be more skeptical, but this is simply what it represents to be. One player who decided that the program was both good and bad and wanted to make his voice heard in the hopes that change could be affected based on his experience.

He doesn't extrapolate much to the rest of the team, he doesn't say anything egregious about the coaches other than a struggle to communicate, and his bones to pick are well established issues in many competitive and collegiate programs. Over recruiting is an issue and sexual misconduct claims on campus are significant anywhere you look but hardly a month goes by without an NCAA team somewhere being implicated.

The piece would have been more impactful and credible if he wasn't on his way out the door when writing it, but he probably wouldn't have been welcome back had he not been leaving anyway. I hope he raised these concerns privately first, but if they weren't addressed after being raised privately, a public acknowledgment isn't necessarily a bad route to take.

[Gregory Sager]

It's a signed opinion piece. I don't mind it but I also have a degree in print journalism and was an editor of my college paper way back when. The author took responsibility, pointed out the good and the bad, and said there are things to work on. If it was anonymous or a true slam piece I'd be more skeptical, but this is simply what it represents to be. One player who decided that the program was both good and bad and wanted to make his voice heard in the hopes that change could be affected based on his experience.

He doesn't extrapolate much to the rest of the team, he doesn't say anything egregious about the coaches other than a struggle to communicate, and his bones to pick are well established issues in many competitive and collegiate programs. Over recruiting is an issue and sexual misconduct claims on campus are significant anywhere you look but hardly a month goes by without an NCAA team somewhere being implicated.

The piece would have been more impactful and credible if he wasn't on his way out the door when writing it, but he probably wouldn't have been welcome back had he not been leaving anyway. I hope he raised these concerns privately first, but if they weren't addressed after being raised privately, a public acknowledgment isn't necessarily a bad route to take.

I agree with all of this, and I'll add that the author of the opinion piece, Joshua Lai, was on the Academic Honor Roll for both semesters he played for Trinity (TX) and was on the Dean's List last spring. I think that this enhances his credibility; he's clearly not just a typical disgruntled jock badmouthing his program with respect to other issues in an attempt at misdirection from his true hidden complaint, a lack of consistent playing time for him. He's a serious student at a well-respected school ... or at least he was.

I'll be curious to see where he lands. As legitimate as his criticisms may be, his next coach may be wary of him in light of this.

[Ejay]

I'll add that the author of the opinion piece, Joshua Lai, was on the Academic Honor Roll for both semesters he played for Trinity (TX) and was on the Dean's List last spring. I think that this enhances his credibility; he's clearly not just a typical disgruntled jock badmouthing his program with respect to other issues in an attempt at misdirection from his true hidden complaint, a lack of consistent playing time for him.

I think that's yet to be determined. Just because he's strong in the classroom, doesn't mean he's not bitter about playing time and possessed a belief that his role would increase this year...
2017 - 14 GP, 0 starts
2018 - 18 GP, 1 start
2019 - 9 GP, 0 starts

"In my experience, expressions of favoritism are also not uncommon. These expressions are not always based on that player's performance. Players should get picked because they play well, not because they are liked by coach, and that is a principle I feel can not be disputed.

I'm never one to complain about playing time, but it certainly adds to the frustration of the experience when certain players are being afforded opportunities that other players deserve.

My own experience with the management of Trinity Soccer has been a mixed bag. I can't recall an instance where I have spoken to Coach Paul McGinlay individually about my experience with the program or role in the team. I've sat outside his office for an hour, waiting to speak to him, only to leave out of frustration. "

In any event, he sounds like an intelligent kid and I'm sure he'll find success wherever his path takes him.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I agree with many of the opinions here counter to Mr. Right. Just because a student-athlete voices his or her opinions doesn't make it a "hit piece." As said earlier, if the person decided to be anonymous and not stand behind their words, then that argument could be stronger. However, this person said this is me, here are my thoughts, here are my frustrations, and here is why I am leaving. Take it or leave it.

There are women at Buffalo State who felt their opinions weren't being heard. They walked off the team in protest. They stood behind their thoughts and feelings as well. Let's not belittle college students, who are adults after all, for things they stand behind unless there are extreme acts on their part. What this gentleman did is a tent poll of our country. One doesn't have to agree with him, but to call this a "hit piece" is a mis-characterization in my opinion.

[Gregory Sager]

I'll add that the author of the opinion piece, Joshua Lai, was on the Academic Honor Roll for both semesters he played for Trinity (TX) and was on the Dean's List last spring. I think that this enhances his credibility; he's clearly not just a typical disgruntled jock badmouthing his program with respect to other issues in an attempt at misdirection from his true hidden complaint, a lack of consistent playing time for him.

I think that's yet to be determined. Just because he's strong in the classroom, doesn't mean he's not bitter about playing time and possessed a belief that his role would increase this year...
2017 - 14 GP, 0 starts
2018 - 18 GP, 1 start
2019 - 9 GP, 0 starts

"In my experience, expressions of favoritism are also not uncommon. These expressions are not always based on that player's performance. Players should get picked because they play well, not because they are liked by coach, and that is a principle I feel can not be disputed.

I'm never one to complain about playing time, but it certainly adds to the frustration of the experience when certain players are being afforded opportunities that other players deserve.

My own experience with the management of Trinity Soccer has been a mixed bag. I can't recall an instance where I have spoken to Coach Paul McGinlay individually about my experience with the program or role in the team. I've sat outside his office for an hour, waiting to speak to him, only to leave out of frustration. "

In any event, he sounds like an intelligent kid and I'm sure he'll find success wherever his path takes him.

I think that you missed my point. The word "hidden" in my post was there for a reason. He's not disguising his motives for writing the opinion piece. On the contrary, he's up-front about his agenda, which includes the fact that he's basically been ignored by his coach -- but which isn't confined to that.

His academic record indicates that he's not simply in school to play soccer. If he had been, then playing time would've been much more likely to be the only driving force behind this rather drastic step. As it is, his dedication to his studies thus lends credence to his insistence that a number of different things have bothered him about the program, favoritism and a lack of communication that he experienced firsthand being among them.

[PaulNewman]

I'm not sure I'm seeing the relevance of being a good student with how one judges the article and its motivations.  I don't know if I would call it a "hit piece," but on the other hand it was a pretty bold move.  I wonder how devoted fans of some other highly esteemed (legendary?) coaches and programs would feel if this was their school, and if a good student from your school posted something similar.  And since he did post this, and is an adult, then he is open to whatever responses people have.  And certainly we can question aspects of what he wrote, like "I waited an hour, got frustrated,, and left."  Over 2.5 years he couldn't get the coach to meet with him?  Did he email?  Make an appointment?  he has called out McGinley in a very public way.  It's fair to wonder about motivations.  Are we going to criticize every top D3 program or aspiring to the top program for emphasizing winning?  There is probably no complaint more common among athletes than the playing time one.  Maybe some teammates will chime in.

[Gregory Sager]

I'm not sure I'm seeing the relevance of being a good student with how one judges the article and its motivations.

Again, it's because it reduces the odds that he's simply pulling the classic rhetorical move of using specious arguments to disguise his true agenda. He's not in school simply to play soccer, so therefore it's a lot less likely that his primary motivation as a student centers around what he considers to be an appropriate amount of playing time and is thus throwing in all of the stuff about sexual misconduct, over-recruiting, and the head coach's closed door as misdirection.

I don't know if I would call it a "hit piece," but on the other hand it was a pretty bold move.  I wonder how devoted fans of some other highly esteemed (legendary?) coaches and programs would feel if this was their school, and if a good student from your school posted something similar.

I'd be pretty ticked off if this came from an NPU player. But I'd start asking a lot of questions of people in or close to the soccer program to see how much credence the complainant had, rather than defensively dismiss it out of hand.

And since he did post this, and is an adult, then he is open to whatever responses people have.  And certainly we can question aspects of what he wrote, like "I waited an hour, got frustrated,, and left."  Over 2.5 years he couldn't get the coach to meet with him?  Did he email?  Make an appointment?

Yep. These are all valid questions. Opinion pieces tend to be selective about the facts, especially when the topic personally involves the author. I certainly hope that nobody has drawn any conclusions about Coach McGinlay or the Trinity (TX) program based solely upon one disaffected former player's opinions.

he has called out McGinley in a very public way.  It's fair to wonder about motivations.  Are we going to criticize every top D3 program or aspiring to the top program for emphasizing winning?

I'm not sure where we're being led to do that by this opinion piece.

There is probably no complaint more common among athletes than the playing time one.  Maybe some teammates will chime in.

That would be very helpful ... but it doesn't appear to me that the Trinity (TX) program has a following on these soccer boards. Perhaps a lurker or two with ties to the Tigers program will surprise us.

[PaulNewman]

Sorry, but his primary motivation isn't disguised at all and has nothing to do with his GPA.  He's very clearly disgruntled about playing time.  He couches things and flip-flops a bit so as not to come across as too aggressive, but then he goes on to throw more gasoline on the fire with the side complaints.  Again, many athletic teams have poor reputations on campus, but imho he is obviously taking his parting shot and the talk about the team's reputation is part of bolstering his case.  And then he shares that when he does talk to the coach about leaving the coach was very helpful and apparently accessible.  And I'm not sure why this rubs me the wrong way, as I am far, far from a nationalist, but the guy is from New Zealand and was getting a great education at a great school. 

[Mr.Right]

IMO it is a hit piece before walking out the door. He basically threw a molotov cocktail into the Trinity Men's Soccer lockeroom. Why not write this during the season? Or better yet the day after McGinlay recovered from open heart surgery? Try being man enough to write the piece and walk around campus for a couple months afterwards. Then he would of grabbed my attention and maybe a little respect..The whole thing is just classless.

[Gregory Sager]

Sorry, but his primary motivation isn't disguised at all and has nothing to do with his GPA.  He's very clearly disgruntled about playing time.  He couches things and flip-flops a bit so as not to come across as too aggressive, but then he goes on to throw more gasoline on the fire with the side complaints.  Again, many athletic teams have poor reputations on campus, but imho he is obviously taking his parting shot and the talk about the team's reputation is part of bolstering his case.  And then he shares that when he does talk to the coach about leaving the coach was very helpful and apparently accessible.  And I'm not sure why this rubs me the wrong way, as I am far, far from a nationalist, but the guy is from New Zealand and was getting a great education at a great school.

I disagree that it is his primary motivation. He was clearly at Trinity (TX) to get an education. And, for the third time, I didn't say that the lack of playing time was not a motivation for him. I said that he didn't disguise it -- using other excuses for bailing when you're really just ticked off about not getting on the field/floor is typical disgruntled-jock behavior -- which adds to his credibility. And even with that, as I said, it's an opinion piece by a college kid; it needs to be taken with a grain of salt just for that.

And I fail to see how his nationality is relevant to anything at all.

[PaulNewman]

Sorry, but his primary motivation isn't disguised at all and has nothing to do with his GPA.  He's very clearly disgruntled about playing time.  He couches things and flip-flops a bit so as not to come across as too aggressive, but then he goes on to throw more gasoline on the fire with the side complaints.  Again, many athletic teams have poor reputations on campus, but imho he is obviously taking his parting shot and the talk about the team's reputation is part of bolstering his case.  And then he shares that when he does talk to the coach about leaving the coach was very helpful and apparently accessible.  And I'm not sure why this rubs me the wrong way, as I am far, far from a nationalist, but the guy is from New Zealand and was getting a great education at a great school.

I disagree that it is his primary motivation. He was clearly at Trinity (TX) to get an education. And, for the third time, I didn't say that the lack of playing time was not a motivation for him. I said that he didn't disguise it -- using other excuses for bailing when you're really just ticked off about not getting on the field/floor is typical disgruntled-jock behavior -- which adds to his credibility. And even with that, as I said, it's an opinion piece by a college kid; it needs to be taken with a grain of salt just for that.

And I fail to see how his nationality is relevant to anything at all.

I meant his primary motivation FOR WRITING THE PIECE.  He trashed the coach and the program, even with his waffling.  He said the coach was very helpful in the transfer process, and then after the coach was so helpful he STILL proceeded to do what he did.  He has every right to do it, but that doesn't make it smart or something to endorse.  At Trinity to get an education?  Sure, but the primary reason he was there?  Do you know that?  I would guess he considered at least a handful of schools and picked Trinity specifically because of the soccer team.  And I'm guessing he knew Trinity had a long history of being very competitive and not subverting program success for the personal development of every player.  And btw, if primary reason was the education at Trinity, why did he leave?  The idea that he had some credibility or integrity for owning (sort of) that he was disgruntled about playing time and playing time others got strikes me as pretty ludicrous, and then of course he goes on to lob even more serious charges against the program.  I would have been more impressed by a piece that investigated and exposed sexual misconduct without complaints about playing time.

As for the last thing, maybe it's not relevant.  But a thank you instead of a trash job would have been appreciated, I'm sure.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Maybe those of you assuming his motivations (Mr. Right and PaulNewman) should contact the student and ask him his motivations ... instead of just assuming he was being a jerk on his way out the door. I find that most students are far more nuanced than you seem to give them credit for ... ever.

[Hopkins92]

Yeah, going to side with Paul on this one. Some points:

1) Did he bring any of these concerns to the AD? If he feels so strongly that he is going to transfer (no small amount of work goes into that effort), and he felt compelled to publicly go after the coach and the program, surely he felt obligated to talk to school officials about the issues with the program, no? 

2) He states that he waited for quite a spell and wasn't seen, on one occasion. That's his example of negligence? Like many here, I played 4 years at a D3 school, serving as captain for 2 of those years. Not once did I request a one on one meeting, and neither of the coaches I played for did 1 on1 pre or post season briefings. It did not strike me as odd or insulting or negligent in any way. (Now, I did use this as a learning experience and when I began coaching many years later, I held these meetings with the club players I coached, but that's a different story.)

Now, if he'd emailed and received no response; or if he'd tried to set up multiple meetings to no avail... I'm listening. But he either did a poor job of fleshing this out, or he's being extremely sensitive on this point. Especially with a coach with such a long tenure, who is fairly set in his ways (assumption on my part), it's really not a red flag that he's not having 1 on 1

3) The most glaring thing to me is a complete lack of FACTS in this opinion piece. And before anyone starts, I have a background in communications and journalism. Opeds that lack anything other than opinions are pretty useless, quite frankly. The most obvious area he could've honed in on was the issue of over-recruitment. That's EASY to present... In fact, I'm sure any number of you all could go out and look at the size of the freshman class over the last 3-4 years to check on this. But as a casual reader, I'm looking at that accusation and saying "put that in context, give me some numbers, what are you SAYING?"

Lastly, throwing out the sexual misconduct issue is like rolling a grenade into the room and strolling away. I sure hope he didn't have any good friends on that team, because that insinuation and accusation is enough to ruin the reputation of a couple dozen people, not to mention the coaching staff. And, again, we are left with nothing more than innuendo on that front, as opposed to examples of the culture that he hints around.

That's irresponsible, plain and simple. 

[Hopkins92]

And let me add this, as folks are seemingly hung up on his motivations... whether this was a "hit piece" or not.

I'll take a different angle: What was his point? Was he trying to affect change? So that no other player has to experience what he experienced. If that was his goal, the lack of tangible facts and a coherent through-line make it extremely difficult for the AD or the school administration to actually do anything. And if that wasn't his motivation... Bringing issues outside of the locker room goes against the unwritten code of every sport, regardless of the level. You may disagree with that code, but what this kid did was off the charts in terms of the norms of athletics.

So, again, you guys look at it rather benignly. I'm not going to characterize it as a hit piece, but I sure do question his motivation. The coach helped you transfer. On your way out the door you talk about over recruitment and favoritism, which are EXTREMELY strong accusations against ANY coach or program. Throw in a nice sprinkling of sexual misconduct by the players and I really wonder what some of you think this guy was up to.

[Gregory Sager]

Sorry, but his primary motivation isn't disguised at all and has nothing to do with his GPA.  He's very clearly disgruntled about playing time.  He couches things and flip-flops a bit so as not to come across as too aggressive, but then he goes on to throw more gasoline on the fire with the side complaints.  Again, many athletic teams have poor reputations on campus, but imho he is obviously taking his parting shot and the talk about the team's reputation is part of bolstering his case.  And then he shares that when he does talk to the coach about leaving the coach was very helpful and apparently accessible.  And I'm not sure why this rubs me the wrong way, as I am far, far from a nationalist, but the guy is from New Zealand and was getting a great education at a great school.

I disagree that it is his primary motivation. He was clearly at Trinity (TX) to get an education. And, for the third time, I didn't say that the lack of playing time was not a motivation for him. I said that he didn't disguise it -- using other excuses for bailing when you're really just ticked off about not getting on the field/floor is typical disgruntled-jock behavior -- which adds to his credibility. And even with that, as I said, it's an opinion piece by a college kid; it needs to be taken with a grain of salt just for that.

And I fail to see how his nationality is relevant to anything at all.

I meant his primary motivation FOR WRITING THE PIECE.  He trashed the coach and the program, even with his waffling.  He said the coach was very helpful in the transfer process, and then after the coach was so helpful he STILL proceeded to do what he did.  He has every right to do it, but that doesn't make it smart or something to endorse.

I never said that his opinion piece was smart, nor did I endorse it. I simply agreed with jknezek's comments:

It's a signed opinion piece. I don't mind it but I also have a degree in print journalism and was an editor of my college paper way back when. The author took responsibility, pointed out the good and the bad, and said there are things to work on. If it was anonymous or a true slam piece I'd be more skeptical, but this is simply what it represents to be. One player who decided that the program was both good and bad and wanted to make his voice heard in the hopes that change could be affected based on his experience.

He doesn't extrapolate much to the rest of the team, he doesn't say anything egregious about the coaches other than a struggle to communicate, and his bones to pick are well established issues in many competitive and collegiate programs. Over recruiting is an issue and sexual misconduct claims on campus are significant anywhere you look but hardly a month goes by without an NCAA team somewhere being implicated.

The piece would have been more impactful and credible if he wasn't on his way out the door when writing it, but he probably wouldn't have been welcome back had he not been leaving anyway. I hope he raised these concerns privately first, but if they weren't addressed after being raised privately, a public acknowledgment isn't necessarily a bad route to take.

In other words, I applauded Lai for at least having the guts to put his name underneath his opinion in the school paper, and I agreed that his complaints are commonplace within collegiate programs (including, sadly, the matter of sexual misconduct), and I agreed as well with jknezek's sentiment that he hoped Lai raised his concerns privately with the coaching staff before going public with them. That is not me saying that it was a smart thing to do -- in fact, I even raised the point in my first post that Lai's public criticism of Coach McGinlay and his program could have repercussions for the kid if he is trying to transfer to another school with the intention of playing soccer there -- nor is it an endorsement of his opinion piece.

At Trinity to get an education?  Sure, but the primary reason he was there?  Do you know that?

Not with 100% certitude, but, given the fact that he has repeatedly been honored for his outstanding classroom work at a school with a very good academic reputation, the evidence is pretty solid that his education is his priority. It seems pretty clear to me that he didn't come halfway around the world just to play soccer.

I would guess he considered at least a handful of schools and picked Trinity specifically because of the soccer team.  And I'm guessing he knew Trinity had a long history of being very competitive and not subverting program success for the personal development of every player.

I agree that it's likely that he knew that Trinity (TX) has a long history of being very competitive, if for no other reason than it would've been a primary part of the sales pitch of whoever recruited him, whether it was Coach McGinlay or an assistant. As to whether or not he was aware of the Tigers' "not subverting program success for the personal development of every player," that's pretty amorphous and somewhat subjective. He seems to indicate that the Tigers program was a lot more hardcore about putting winning above everything else than he had initially thought:

Trinity Men's Soccer is based on the foundational belief to win at all costs. While this is reasonable for a professional team, full of hardened individuals who are paid to compete, the effects are different for a college soccer team. In pursuit of this ultimate goal, the management of the program has proven themselves willing to disregard its players.

And btw, if primary reason was the education at Trinity, why did he leave?

Who knows? He never states why. Any response that I -- or you -- make in that regard would be sheer speculation.

The idea that he had some credibility or integrity for owning (sort of) that he was disgruntled about playing time and playing time others got strikes me as pretty ludicrous, and then of course he goes on to lob even more serious charges against the program.  I would have been more impressed by a piece that investigated and exposed sexual misconduct without complaints about playing time.

Well, then, we will simply disagree about this. By no means do I endorse the piece, for a number of reasons (not the least of which is the fact that it is just one person's side of the story), but I will at least give him credit for being up-front about his reasons rather than trying to hide them, as so many student-athletes do in his situation.

As for the last thing, maybe it's not relevant.  But a thank you instead of a trash job would have been appreciated, I'm sure.

I still don't get where you're coming from with regard to the fact that he's a Kiwi. Are you implying that an international player owes a thank-you on his way out the door that an American player doesn't?