“Michael Jordan played 15 years, won six championships, (so) the other nine years was a failure? That’s what you’re telling me? There’s no failure in sports. You know, there’s good days, bad days.

“Some days you are able to be successful; some days you’re not. Some days it’s your turn; some days it’s not your turn, and that’s what sports is about.” – Giannis Antetokounmpo after his team was upset in the NBA playoffs last season

There are probably felines in this world jealous of the number of lives afforded to Rush Propst’s coaching career.

Just when you think the latest episode has to be the final nail in his professional coffin, he suddenly starts pounding on the pine box before the pastor can get to the ashes-to-ashes part.

If you are unfamiliar, Propst is a high school football coach by trade and a whirlwind of controversy by practice. He won multiple state championships at the highest levels in both Alabama and Georgia but also left a wake of allegations of wrongdoing, personally and professionally, after each of his last four high-profile coaching gigs.

Some of these allegations were verified, and some were not. He resigned from his most recent coaching stop at Pell City High School earlier this month, and, once again, unflattering allegations involving his personal life followed soon after.

I am not here to rehash sordid details of Propst’s life. If you are a sports fan, you are probably aware of most of those details. If you are not a sports fan, a quick glance at Propst’s Wikipedia page can get you up to speed. He is who he has shown himself to be at this stage of his life.

At some point the blame for enabling Propst falls on the other responsible adults – whether they are principals, superintendents, school board members, athletic boosters or a combination of all the above – for wanting to win so badly they are willing, on a wing and a prayer, to believe his past mistakes are behind him.

It speaks to our culture, and not just in sports, that winning is considered the only acceptable outcome and whatever it takes to achieve winning, including bending and maybe even breaking a few rules along the way, is a better outcome than losing with honor.

A few years ago, Michael Jordan’s commitment to winning was highlighted in the documentary “The Last Dance” about Jordan’s run of six world championships with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s.

It was lauded by the win-at-all-costs crowd as it demonstrated Jordan’s almost maniacal desire to win. For example Jordan sometimes made up insults or slights out of whole cloth to motivate himself to perform at the highest level. This gave Jordan the juice to crush the player who had the gall to insult him even when that player had made no such comment in reality.

However, Jordan’s willingness to walk the razor’s edge of competitiveness may have cost fans more opportunities to see Jordan play as he twice quit basketball while at the height of his powers. Winning at all costs does require someone to pay the bill from time to time.

Also, subscribing to the “Talladega Nights” Ricky Bobby mentality of, “If you ain’t first, you’re last,” robs the joy out of every moment that did not occur in a championship season, such as Jordan leaping from the free throw line for a slam dunk in 1987 or Jordan seemingly suspending himself in midair to nail a game-winning jumper in the 1989 playoffs.

Now comparing our high school coaches to Michael Jordan may be a bit much, but it is difficult to overstate what coaches mean to our communities.

Rightly or wrongly, longtime coaches are often more well-known than elected officials, church leaders and business owners. Others will follow a coach’s lead whether the behavior is positive or negative.

When a coach dresses down a referee with some colorful language, it becomes acceptable for a parent to do the same from the stands when their kid fouls out. When a coach tells a dazed player to get back out on the field after he “gets his bell rung,” that player learns he is letting down his team if he tries to come out of the game the next time he could have a concussion.

If you really believe sports are important because they teach the participants important life lessons, get yourself a coach who will teach the right lessons and, hopefully, will also win a few games along the way.

If you want a shot at multiple state championships, Rush Propst is available.