An expat coach鈥檚 Olympic game plan
Conjure up an image of a typical softball coach and it likely resembles Michael Bastian: a bear of a man at 6-foot-2, with Popeye forearms, a respectable paunch, and the earnest manner of a red-blooded Midwesterner.
The Midwestern part might be a stretch, as the former Ohio State coach actually hails from Sacramento. But it鈥檚 all the same to the Chinese women in his dugout 鈥� as long as he brings along that coveted American expertise, and leaves his allegiance to his home country at the border.
In 2005, his first year on the coaching staff of the Chinese National Softball Team, 鈥淚鈥檇 be asked questions all the time about my loyalty to USA Softball and who I was working for,鈥� says Mr. Bastian. 鈥� 鈥楧on鈥檛 think of me as a foreign coach,鈥� I鈥檇 tell them. 鈥業鈥檓 a Chinese coach.鈥� I even learned how to whistle and sing the Chinese national anthem to gain their trust.鈥�
It鈥檚 a funny image, the 250-pound Caucasian belting out 鈥淢arch of the Volunteers鈥� with a team of diminutive Chinese nationals. But Bastian鈥檚 attempts to 鈥渁ct Chinese鈥� ended right there.
For the most part, he played the brash American to the hilt 鈥� fighting with umpires and staring down opposing teams in decidedly un-Chinese behavior. Bastian recalls one of the first times he faced the Japanese team as a member of China鈥檚 coaching staff. Before the game, the Japanese players lined up on the foul line right in front of the Chinese dugout and started taunting his team.
鈥淭hey had these chants that were meant to intimidate,鈥� says Bastian, 鈥渢hat roughly translated to, 鈥榃e鈥檙e aggressive, we鈥檙e in control, we are the leader.鈥� I walked out onto the field and laughed, and looked at one of the Japanese girls, like, 鈥榃hat does that mean? That doesn鈥檛 scare me.鈥� The Chinese leaders were embarrassed because I wasn鈥檛 鈥榓cting Chinese鈥� ... but in reality, they all loved it, because I was fighting for them.鈥�
And that, Bastian continues, became just another part of his job: 鈥淎s time went on, whenever there was a disagreement with an umpire, or an opponent was being too aggressive, it was always, 鈥楳ichael, go fight!鈥� I became kind of the warrior for the team.鈥�
鈥⑩赌⑩赌�
Bastian is part of a major push by the Chinese to win as many gold medals as they can as this year鈥檚 Olympic host. In hopes of coming out on top, the isolated country has swallowed its nationalist pride and brought in outside talent wherever needed. Aside from Bastian, a Lithuanian coaches men鈥檚 basketball; a Serbian oversees men鈥檚 soccer; and synchronized swimming is being headed by a woman from Japan, historically China鈥檚 greatest enemy.
For the most part, the reception has been warm; like a spurned lover, it鈥檚 the country left behind that feels hurt. Synchronized-swimming coach Masayo Imura (often referred to as the 鈥済odmother鈥� of the sport) was labeled a traitor by many Japanese colleagues and fans when she took the China job.
Bastian has a similar story.
鈥淲hen I joined up with China,鈥� he says, 鈥渁 USA Softball leader told me, 鈥楳ichael, you will never be allowed to coach a USA national team in the future.鈥� I was blackballed. People called me a traitor.鈥�
What hurt most for Bastian was the wedge it put between him and the American women he had coached for so many years. Bastian recalls of one player, 鈥淚鈥檇 trained her for eight, 10 years. I鈥檓 a part of her family, and she was
like, 鈥榊ou gotta understand that you鈥檙e the enemy now, and the way I play the game is that I hate my enemy, so when we walk on the field and you鈥檙e representing China, it can鈥檛 be the same.鈥� 鈥�
Bastian claims that away from the field, he and this player are on good terms, but with other American players, the enmity goes further. 鈥淎t the hotels or running into each other at airports,鈥� says Bastian, 鈥渢hey treated me like they didn鈥檛 know me. It really hurt, because some of these people I鈥檝e had relationships with for 10, 15, 20 years, and all of a sudden, now, because I鈥檓 helping softball grow and develop in China, they treated me like they didn鈥檛 even know who I was.鈥�
Ronnie Isham, Director of National Teams for USA Softball, doesn鈥檛 deny that his organization takes a dim view of American coaches working with foreign countries, and even admits that such an act could be considered treasonous.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot lower-level than going to war,鈥� Mr. Isham says in an east-Texas drawl. 鈥淏ut when you鈥檙e trying to develop a program and a team and an individual to be an elite athlete and contend for a gold medal, and you have somebody who鈥檚 your neighbor working with a foreign country to do the same thing, then yes, it is somewhat of a betrayal.鈥�
When asked specifically about whether Bastian鈥檚 China experience will help him or hurt him in getting a position with a USA national team in the future, Isham professes an open mind. 鈥淚 won鈥檛 say that it hurts him,鈥� he says, but then, more emphatically, 鈥淚 won鈥檛 say it helps him, either.鈥�
鈥⑩赌⑩赌�
With China ranked 4th in the world, there鈥檚 a decent chance the Olympics will pit Bastian directly against the US. 鈥淢y dream is to have China play the US in the gold-medal game,鈥� Bastian admits. And as to where his loyalties would lie? The best word he can use to describe his feelings is 鈥渃onflicted鈥�: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very interesting feeling, because I鈥檓 a proud American, I love America, I love USA Softball, but 鈥撯��
That 鈥渂ut鈥� is the fact that the group that suffers most from America鈥檚 hoarding of coaching talent could be the sport itself: The International Olympic Committee has voted softball and baseball out of future Olympics, finding them too exclusively American for the world stage.
鈥淭his is the reason I鈥檓 doing what I鈥檓 doing,鈥� claims Bastian, who believes softball and baseball would remain Olympic sports if American coaches were more willing to act as ambassadors for the game. Elsewhere, he says, in other major sports, national-team coaches don鈥檛 hesitate to move among various countries鈥� teams.
鈥淵our number one job, if you鈥檙e a USA Softball coach, is to win a gold medal,鈥� Bastian adds. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 have anyone to play against, there鈥檚 no honor, there鈥檚 no glory, and ... no gold medal to win in 2012. The bottom line is: We need to go out and teach the rest of the world how to play the game, or, internationally, we鈥檙e not gonna have a game to play at all.鈥�
