Many successful sports franchises win because of their patience with the coaches, rather than ones who hire new coaches annually

By Daniyal Habib
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We all know the old adage “persistence pays,” or even “Good things come to those who wait.”

Why, then, do important sports decision makers have such short patience with their players and coaches?

Tony Dungy just completed a marvelous seven-year career as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Through all seven years, he had the same offensive and defensive coordinators. He had the same boss, general manager Bill Polian. The quarterback? Peyton Manning. Manning has had his favorite receiver, Marvin Harrison, his entire career.

See the pattern?

Examine other floundering sports franchises, and you will see that this is certainly not the case.

The San Francisco 49ers have had four head coaches in the same span since 2002. They will be on their third offensive coordinator in three years. Is it any wonder they have shown minimal improvement?

And it’s not just a trend in football. In the NBA, Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan has been there for 21 years. The result? In 12 of those seasons, he has won at least 50 games and has compiled a winning percentage of 60 percent, through 33 games this season.

Struggling franchises are not doing themselves favors by repeatedly firing coaches and cutting players season after season. How can you perform your best under the pressure of knowing when you slip up once, you’re out of town?

Seven coaches, or about one of every four and possibly more to come, have already been fired in the NBA this season. Do they really think constantly installing a new coach and team philosophy will breed success? All it breeds is frustration and confusion.

If a player or coach has consistently underperformed year after year, then sure, do what’s best for the team and find someone better.
But even fans think there is always some magic quick fix for a team’s problems: fire the coach. The problems usually lie deeper, like the team’s mental state.

Let’s appreciate that Polian had the patience to give all the Colts their due time despite a few playoff flameouts. It got us a Super Bowl title eventually. Let’s also appreciate that Larry Bird has given Pacers coach Jim O’Brien his utmost confidence, even though the Pacers are struggling and are near the bottom of the standings.

IU basketball is one of the most storied programs in America. They looked on their way to another deep NCAA tournament run last year, but in just a few weeks, former head coach Kelvin Sampson discovered the three way call feature on his phone, and now, many player dismissals and transfers later, IU sits at the bottom of the Big Ten. In such a short time, IU basketball had much of their legacy ripped down.

It’s a fact that we are a quick-fix society.

We expect miracles from President Obama, but with two wars, an economy in the garbage, and as much partisanship as ever, how much can really be expected in just four years?

Just because something can break quickly, doesn’t mean it can quickly be fixed. In fact, if it can quickly be fixed, it might be a cheap product in the first place.

Obviously, these issues are more important than sports. But the principles apply anyway. When you hurry and expect magic, you gloss over details and eventually fail.

Pacers fans are seeing the process before their own eyes. Danny Granger came into the NBA four years ago and was a minimal offensive player, averaging just seven points per game despite ample playing time in his rookie season–it is mildly disappointing for someone drafted in the first round of the draft.

Larry Bird and Donnie Walsh gave Granger his time, and what is the result? Granger is now an NBA All-Star and is averaging over 26 points per game. He’s on the verge of becoming the first player in NBA history to increase his scoring average by five points in four consecutive seasons. Their patience is paying off.

So as sports fans, and as people in general, let’s have some more patience. The facts say that there are no Billy Mays-endorsed quick fixes to everything. And remember, slow and steady wins the race.