Help! They are saying bad things about me!” Or “Coach W, do you know what they are saying about you?”
People who used to be your friends may not be if you become a threat! When you are a threat, people will say bad things about you. I am shocked sometimes at things that come back to me.
Tennis great John McEnroe stated “Everyone loves success but not successful people!”
Your arch-enemies on the court will spread rumors, engage in gossip, and do other disparaging things to besmirch your reputation.
Why? Fear mostly. I also know the only thing you can do about any of this is to play as well as you can and let the performance do the talking. Here is the lesson in all of this. Athletes (and coaches) , you cannot control what others say or do. Often comments made by others say more about them, not the person they intend to injure. Fighting back against unjust criticism can be almost impossible and very counter-productive.
So I like to think of it in a different way. If you wrestle with a pig, you both get dirty, and the pig likes it!