Question: When Coach Haskins allows players to "play their way" why is the team more effective?
Question: Did coach Haskins treat his players the way he does in the movie?
Answer: Yes. He really did integrate them to teach them to work as a team and give them guidance to help them off the field (such as with school work). His coaching method shown in the film is also accurate. Coaches screaming at the players, mocking them, and being what we would say is "harsh" with them was common coaching practice in the 70s that no-one would have batted an eye to. Especially in the south. Coach Boone would have especially been under pressure to show his players he meant business due to the concern that some of them might not take him seriously as a new black coach. If he had been seen as "easy", the team may not have been motivated to do as well as they did.
Answer: Because it's a bi-racial team. While he worked to build a unified team, he recognizes that there are many differences between the members. He realises he needs to also allow them to play to their natural abilities and individual strengths, making them more effective players.
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