There’s an old saying: there are two types of coaches, those who have been fired and those who will be fired. I’ve been both. I only experienced it once, but it changed me. While it was challenging at the time, it also made me a better coach and a better person.

When it happens to you, something shifts. Your perspective matures. Your priorities clarify. If you have a family, the weight multiplies. Spouses carry uncertainty quietly. Children lose friends, schools, routines, and a sense of stability they didn’t choose to gamble on. That part rarely makes the news.

What’s changed dramatically is the pace and tolerance of the carousel itself.

There was a time when winning nine games meant stability. Today, it can mean a pink slip. Nowadays the carousel doesn’t even wait for the final whistle of the season and instead coaches are being fired midseason. It all starts spinning before the season is even over. That reality has shifted the pressure, the urgency, and the human cost of the profession.

And here’s the part that matters most.

While it may look entertaining from the outside, this is real life. These are real people. Real families. Real kids sitting at kitchen tables overhearing conversations they shouldn’t have to hear.

So if you know a coach who was fired or let go, check in. Not publicly. Personally. Especially during the holidays. Don’t let someone go through one of the hardest moments of their life in silence because you didn’t know what to say. You don’t need the perfect words. You just need to show up. Listen. Let them know they’re not alone and that they’ll get through this.

This profession is a small circle. The carousel always comes back around. Treat people with respect. We’re all going to need each other again.