Fans have a basic understanding of how much pressure there is in coaching a professional sports team, but most of us have no real concept as to how stressful it can be.
If you win, you keep your job. If you lose, you will be replaced.
It’s a results-based industry – similar to commission sales, with much more scrutiny.
I started thinking about this again today when it was announced head coach Mike O’Shea had been given a three-year contract extension by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
In 2016, the Bombers wobbled out of the gate at 1 and 4. After the fifth game – the second straight home loss for the Bombers – many, including myself, expected team brass to replace O’Shea.
The heat was on.
Then came a quarterback change, and a seven-game win streak. Less than two months after a disastrous start, some wondered if O’Shea should be in the conversation for coach of the year.
A three-year extension is an eternity, when one’s fate can be determined in three games.