Mike Messere | Syracusefan.com

Mike Messere

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I know this is a board of SU lacrosse but Mike Messere has been a big part of SU lacrosse with all the players he sent here over the years. I remember when we won our first national title in 1983, West Genny recruits were said to have been a big part of building that team. I wondered what SU lacrosse fans think about the rift that developed between Coach Messere and his players this year, resulting in an embarrassingly one-sided loss in the state title game:

West Genesee lacrosse legend Mike Messere bids salty farewell to players: 'They quit a long time ago'

West Genesee superintendent defends lacrosse players against charge that they quit

'Next guy up': Ex-West Genesee lacrosse players offer advice for Mike Messere's replacement

It's a sad thing that such an iconic coach ends his career on a note like this but his comments about his players also seem very harsh. I remember when Casey Stengel was fired as the Yankees manager, not all the players were shocked or upset by the change as Stengel became more and more intolerant of mistakes, especially by young players. is the game really any different than it was in past decades? Are young people any different?
 
It has probably been building up inside him for a while.

He really stated that the kids didn't buy in and I bet if you asked the kids, they would say he is outdated or something like that... i.e. they didn't buy into his system.
 
Mike had to put up with a lot this year that he's never had happen before to this extent. If I had to guess, I'd bet that he tried to kick a few individuals off the team but was told that he couldn't. What a sad ending for a great pair of coaches ( with Bob Deegan ) and role models. A lot of successful lacrosse coaches played their high school ball at West Genesee. I'd be willing to bet there are no future coaches on this team.
 
The only shocking part is that he said it out loud. The rumblings have been there of the disconnect between the players and the coach for several years. Same thing happened with Kenneally out at FM last year (only he was able to bite his tongue). Guessing there's probably enough blame to go around...but for me personally, I place a fair share of it on the parents who enable the discord. Agree or disagree with Coach Messere's style, if you chose to be a part of that program then you knew what you were signing up for...and that applies to mom and dad as well. Really bad optics all around.
 
Yeah, very weird end.

I'm impressed that the players had the sense to not engage anymore with the media. At that age, coming off a beatdown, it's impressive they realized and supported each other in not saying anything regrettable.
 
A microcosm of the end of America's cultural of being able to demand committment to excellence, and expect to receive it. There is a group of snowflake athletes and parents trying to run out Bville girls' VB coach because she is to mean and hard on the girls who don't meet her standards. Don't F-N play, then.

I dread interviewing 20 something's.

Parents of my generation have screwed things up
 
A microcosm of the end of America's cultural of being able to demand committment to excellence, and expect to receive it. There is a group of snowflake athletes and parents trying to run out Bville girls' VB coach because she is to mean and hard on the girls who don't meet her standards. Don't -N play, then.

I dread interviewing 20 something's.

Parents of my generation have screwed things up

I'm a millennial and I say the same thing about the Baby Boomers. They ruined everything.
 
I'm a millennial and I say the same thing about the Baby Boomers. They ruined everything.

Boomers are obviously worse as they've actually been in postion to effect change for a generation and have only f#$@ed everything up.
 
Great coach, have a few friends and a couple cousins that played for him. All love the guy, unfortunately, his style doesn't really work with many parents or kids today. Just the way it is. Parents use to be less involved with varsity sports 25-30 years ago as well. Now many want to coach and consult.

Shame really but he probably hung on a bit look long as well, probably 4-5 years too long.
 
People take youth sports way too seriously today. The baby boomers ratcheted up the madness with millennials and it has bled over to scholastic athletics.

It’ll be difficult to break the cycle of ridiculous sports driven trends (travel clubs, redshirting Kindergarteners, etc) that Gen Xers are now facing with their kids.

I have young children (all under 5) and my wife and I are already turned off by the stuff our older nieces and nephews have experienced through youth sports.

I would love for my kids to have the same experience I had playjng high school sports but the sacrifices our family will have to make for that opportunity make me question the value of it.

Sorry for the off topic rant - I believe the toxic youth sports culture is a big component to why Messere couldn’t get this generation to buy in. His proven ability to get 30 plus years of other kids to listen and accept his coaching is proof to me he knew how to communicate effectively.
 
A microcosm of the end of America's cultural of being able to demand committment to excellence, and expect to receive it. There is a group of snowflake athletes and parents trying to run out Bville girls' VB coach because she is to mean and hard on the girls who don't meet her standards. Don't -N play, then.

I dread interviewing 20 something's.

Parents of my generation have screwed things up
Yes, and Coach Rowe hung it up a couple years ago for similar reasons.
 
Mike should have kept his feelings to himself and the team. I hate that he called the kids out in public. That said, it must’ve been pretty bad for him to do that. Kids in my day, late 80s, didn’t love the guy but they knew to listen to him to have success. Still, this team HAD success. Maybe not to WG standards (state champs or bust) but it was a successful season. To finish as the #2 team in large schools is not a bad thing, especially when the #1 team was the #1 team in the country. Props to WM. Sad to see a little luster taken off of one of the greatest coach in any sport at any level. In the end his legacy speaks for itself.
 
People take youth sports way too seriously today. The baby boomers ratcheted up the madness with millennials and it has bled over to scholastic athletics.

It’ll be difficult to break the cycle of ridiculous sports driven trends (travel clubs, redshirting Kindergarteners, etc) that Gen Xers are now facing with their kids.

I have young children (all under 5) and my wife and I are already turned off by the stuff our older nieces and nephews have experienced through youth sports.

I would love for my kids to have the same experience I had playjng high school sports but the sacrifices our family will have to make for that opportunity make me question the value of it.

Sorry for the off topic rant - I believe the toxic youth sports culture is a big component to why Messere couldn’t get this generation to buy in. His proven ability to get 30 plus years of other kids to listen and accept his coaching is proof to me he knew how to communicate effectively.


Good Post, agree 100%. Kids sports are getting ridiculous
 
Good Post, agree 100%. Kids sports are getting ridiculous

Yup. I have to fight the urge to reply “who cares?” everytime a parent posts their little kids amazing sports exploits all over Facebook.

Like “little Johnny’s Elite club under 8 year old basketball team took second place in the tournament! They lost in the finals, 8-6.”

My God, who cares? Learn the basics, have fun, and get some friggin ice cream after.
 
Yup. I have to fight the urge to reply “who cares?” everytime a parent posts their little kids amazing sports exploits all over Facebook.

Like “little Johnny’s Elite club under 8 year old basketball team took second place in the tournament! They lost in the finals, 8-6.”

My God, who cares? Learn the basics, have fun, and get some friggin ice cream after.


Yep. AAU tournaments for kids that are in 4th grade. Parents bitching about refs etc, coaches getting tossed out of games. It's really disgraceful
 
Coaches who pressure players to play year round only for their sport even before high school, need to get some perspective. Kids and their parents get big heads because their kids are on ‘elite’ travel teams while late bloomers are discouraged to even compete, considered not having paid their ‘dues’. Kids are being forced to chose their ‘favorite’ sport way too young and with parents paying so much money to fund these teams including travel, they expect payoff for the big bucks they are paying.
 
I know this is a board of SU lacrosse but Mike Messere has been a big part of SU lacrosse with all the players he sent here over the years. I remember when we won our first national title in 1983, West Genny recruits were said to have been a big part of building that team. I wondered what SU lacrosse fans think about the rift that developed between Coach Messere and his players this year, resulting in an embarrassingly one-sided loss in the state title game:

West Genesee lacrosse legend Mike Messere bids salty farewell to players: 'They quit a long time ago'

West Genesee superintendent defends lacrosse players against charge that they quit

'Next guy up': Ex-West Genesee lacrosse players offer advice for Mike Messere's replacement

It's a sad thing that such an iconic coach ends his career on a note like this but his comments about his players also seem very harsh. I remember when Casey Stengel was fired as the Yankees manager, not all the players were shocked or upset by the change as Stengel became more and more intolerant of mistakes, especially by young players. is the game really any different than it was in past decades? Are young people any different?
When I was a kid my father was the best coach you could ever ask for. He was a gifted athlete, loved playing ball, taught you well, and right. My brother and I turned out to be pretty darn good athletes. When my kids were growing up I grew to not want him around them too much, as he became much more impatient, critical, and demanding. I'm not really too surprised by all of this. I wish he hadn't said what he did but it's not going to define him for me.
 
To step outside the Messere discussion but remain indirectly pertinent, I offer the movie, "American Animals" as one view of the future of upper middle class American kids raised in apparently healthy homes. It is a semi documentary/dramatization morality tale involving 4 very bright college students who decide to commit a crime together. To me it is a reminder of the dangers of protecting one's children from real life only to realize that at some point real life cannot be avoided. Mike Messere was real life for his kids, a blessing to even the ones who detested him.
 

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