It’s been a week for coaches, hasn’t it?

Penn State’s Coach Franklin, finally terminated after weeks of every armchair quarterback in the country calling for his head.

Locally, a winning football coach stepped down from a successful program and the drama surrounding it quickly became a national headline. (I wrote a comment on poor parent behavior after we wrestled a team from that district a few years ago and based on the age of my kids and the kids in question, odds are good it’s the same bunch. I was not surprised to read about this.)

There have been several other instances over the last year or so where longtime and/or winning coaches have run afoul of something … and have been terminated or dropped from programs, and most surprisingly, from winning programs.

From here on, I’m not speaking with any specific knowledge of any of these incidents, only from my own experiences as a coach, and conversations that I’ve had with other coaches and PIAA officials regarding similar situations.

I am not surprised about any of this. I have coached for over 3o years.

Most of the time, I can say that I’ve seen it all, but I am willing to admit, things still happen that surprise me. This trend, however, does not.

I have seen it coming, and in any program, it is only a matter of time before a situation like this will come to a head.

Frequently, the same things emerge …. coaches are too hard on the kids, coaches are yelling at the kids, coaches are cursing at the kids or otherwise behaving inappropriately.

A funny thing about coaching swimming, you have to yell, because having 50 swimmers in an echo chamber where their heads are under water most of the time, well, no one is going to hear you if you speak softly. I have been told by many a young swimmer’s parents that I yell too much, or that I’ve scared their child with my loud voice.

Luckily, they’ve usually brought this to my attention in the pool area, so responding to them in a soft, conversational tone has the desired effect, and they quickly understand my point. But I’ve also taken theirs and try to keep my exceptionally loud tone happy and friendly.

Another thing I frequently hear is that coaches have favorites. It’s true. A lot of us do. My favorite kid is the kid who shows up every day and puts in 110%, the kid who always comes in with a good attitude and a willingness to work.

Someone who frequently pushes themselves beyond their comfort zone, and above all, someone who puts the team’s needs over their own. I mean, how could that kid not be my favorite?

That kid doesn’t necessarily have to be the best athlete on the team or have the most wins. In fact, frequently they don’t. A lot of times, they’re the kid who reliably places second or third, without any drama or fanfare.

When I’m doing my job well, I may have an entire team of favorites. Eventually, though, these kids, if they stick around long enough, will see success as the rest of the world measures it.

I don’t usually watch a TV show more than once, but recently E and I started watching Ted Lasso together. It’s the third time that I’ve watched this show.

In my book, Ted is the coach we wish we could all be. It is a little bit of a story book ending, but at the same time, Ted never loses sight of his mission to help the young men on the team become the best versions of themselves. There are a lot of contrivances that make his road to success (on many levels) wrap up neatly in three short seasons, but there are also a lot of kernels of truth to be found along the way.

Above all, Ted leads by example. He shows up every day, unfailingly cheerful, sometimes packing away his personal life and emotions to the point that they manifest as anxiety attacks, but nonetheless, ready to do the work, ready to be supportive, and unfailingly encouraging.

Sure, he loses his temper once in a while, but when he does, it usually seems justified, and he almost always follows it up with an apology, when the temperature has returned to normal. It’s a fictional TV series, but it’s also a powerful message.

I don’t have the answers. I know things have changed.

Is it for the better or for the worse? I can’t say, but I do know that any coach in any sport has an obligation to leave an athlete in a better position than they found them, whether it be mentally, physically or morally.

If you can’t do that, then it’s time to move on.

Parents, you have an obligation to your kids to teach them to advocate for themselves, but also how to accept constructive criticism, and be held accountable for their actions.

Above all, athletes, the ball is in your court. Hold yourself to a higher standard in every aspect of your life, so your coach doesn’t have to do it for you.

Not everyone is going to like you, but you can earn everyone’s respect. If we don’t find a better way to work together, coaches will disappear, athletes will quit, programs will shut down, and no one will win.

Liz Pinkey’s column appears on Saturdays in the Times News