For 42 years, Stan Luketich has been a coach and for 21 of those years, he has coached baseball at Desert Vista High School in Phoenix, Arizona, taking the team to two state championships. In fact, he is credited for starting the baseball program at the school. Now, he has been fired and for a ridiculous reason.

"The principal said to me, ‘You do not effectively communicate with millennials," Luketich recalled. "I think, from what she said, she believes that I'm too tough on kids; that I have rules that she feels are outdated."

Luketich said he was called into the athletic director’s office on April 3rd and urged to “strongly consider resigning at the end of the year.” That was not a part of his plans as he wanted to carry on coaching for at least a few more seasons. But the principal had a different idea.

"Within the conversation, they asked me again to resign," Luketich added. "I said I would not resign, but I did ask, ‘If you coached 42 years, you should at least know why.'" 

That’s when he was told he was out of touch with millennials and told that his students “don’t play with passion and energy.” Principal Dr. Christine Barela released a statement countering Luketich’s recollection of the details:

Mr. Luketich was not fired. He completed the entire season and, after several conversations over the course of two years, a decision was made not to rehire him for the next year. I appreciate Mr. Luketich's service and wish him well.

Luketich says he’s still unsure as to what the principal and athletic director meant with their criticisms but imagines it might have to do with some of his rules for players, like a “reasonable haircut” and “no facial hair."

“I thought those might be appropriate someday in their life,” Luketich said. “They’re awesome kids, but they need to have boundaries.”

Apparently Coach Luketich hasn't heard that rules are triggering and the only boundaries millennials will accept are those surrounding their safe spaces.

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