My Sports Loss of Innocence
When I was little, I believed in Santa Claus. I know, I'm Jewish. But I just figured Santa went to some of my friends' houses. I even called one of those phone numbers to talk to Santa. My Mom didn't like the 10 minute call at 75 cents per minute. However, sometime in my childhood I figured out that there wasn't a jolly fat man climbing down the chimneys of houses and leaving presents for children and occasionally eating cookies and milk. It was around the same time that I figured out my parents were leaving money under my pillow when I would lose my teeth.
What does this have to do with sports? Well, until a few days ago when "Penn State" and "Sandusky" became the hottest Google searches, I believed in the goodness embodied by a few college coaches. I know what you're thinking, two things probably:
1) Hey wait, aren't you the guy who kills the NCAA all the time for its hypocrisy and kills guys like Pitino and Calipari?
2) Are you a complete moron?
Well, apparently both 1 and 2 are correct. Yes, I have lambasted the NCAA and will continue to do so for the hypocrisy of its culture surrounding "amateur athleticism." But apparently, yes, I'm a moron. While I couldn't stand guys like Coach Cal and Pitino, I loved guys like Coach K and yes, Joe Paterno. I loved Joe Paterno. I believed this was a guy doing things the right way for years and succeeding in the right way, a la John Wooden. And while the slight chink in Wooden's armor was a friend of the program helping out his players, Paterno's armor is now missing a chest plate and a helmet, maybe more.
Now, I am not going to say that the allegations that have arisen and the facts Joe Pa has admitted to necessarily mean that Joe Pa has been doing things the wrong way all of his career, but a saint he is no more. Unfortunately, the mention of the word "saint" in the previous sentence almost drove me to write a joke comparing Penn State to the Catholic Church, but I digress.
Joe Paterno said, "this is a tragedy." He couldn't be more right. What he's missing is the tremendous role he played in this tragedy. Joe was in Acts II through V. He of course did not actively molest a child but he more than harbored and protected someone who did. Here's what I understand to have happened: Sandusky serially molested children under the guise of running a charity. He was caught by someone who reported the matter to Joe Pa. The person reporting it did so at Joe Pa's house on a Saturday morning. Joe Pa went to his superior (yeah, cause he has those and in no way is more powerful than anyone else at Penn State), and told his "superior" of what was reported. Story ends. Or so Coach had wished.
I have heard the same argument quite a few times over the past few days and while the talking heads are annoying with the moral high ground they all occupy, they actually have this one right. Where was the follow up? If someone told you that there was child molestation going on, and you reported it, wouldn't you follow up? "Hey, remember that thing I reported, what happened?" That's all. He could have just said that and then maybe this whole thing could have been averted. Future victims would have been saved. But no. I just don't understand how you could do so little to prevent child molestation. These are the criminals that have to be segregated in jails because even the cold blooded murderers think they're the lowest of the low. And they're right on this one.
Joe Paterno let a child molestor continue to terrorize children. His loyalty was to Penn State. At a certain point, there are things more important than your university and winning. That's what coaches should be teaching, right?
I stopped believing in Santa Claus, and now I've lost Joe Pa. What's next? Is Coach K going to pull a drive by?
WEEK 10 PICKS
Oakland +7 at San Diego
Pittsburgh -3 at Cincinnati
Denver +3 at Kansas City
Jacksonville -3 at Indianapolis
Buffalo +5.5 at Dallas
Tampa Bay +3 vs. Houston
Tennessee +3 at Carolina
Washington +4 at Miami
New Orleans even at Atlanta
St. Louis +2.5 at Cleveland
Seattle +7 vs. Baltimore
Arizona +14 vs. Philadelphia
Chicago -3 vs. Detroit
New York Giants +3.5 at San Francisco
New England +1 at New York Jets
Minnesota +13.5 at Green Bay
Last Week: 8-6
Season: 59-64-7
What does this have to do with sports? Well, until a few days ago when "Penn State" and "Sandusky" became the hottest Google searches, I believed in the goodness embodied by a few college coaches. I know what you're thinking, two things probably:
1) Hey wait, aren't you the guy who kills the NCAA all the time for its hypocrisy and kills guys like Pitino and Calipari?
2) Are you a complete moron?
Well, apparently both 1 and 2 are correct. Yes, I have lambasted the NCAA and will continue to do so for the hypocrisy of its culture surrounding "amateur athleticism." But apparently, yes, I'm a moron. While I couldn't stand guys like Coach Cal and Pitino, I loved guys like Coach K and yes, Joe Paterno. I loved Joe Paterno. I believed this was a guy doing things the right way for years and succeeding in the right way, a la John Wooden. And while the slight chink in Wooden's armor was a friend of the program helping out his players, Paterno's armor is now missing a chest plate and a helmet, maybe more.
Now, I am not going to say that the allegations that have arisen and the facts Joe Pa has admitted to necessarily mean that Joe Pa has been doing things the wrong way all of his career, but a saint he is no more. Unfortunately, the mention of the word "saint" in the previous sentence almost drove me to write a joke comparing Penn State to the Catholic Church, but I digress.
Joe Paterno said, "this is a tragedy." He couldn't be more right. What he's missing is the tremendous role he played in this tragedy. Joe was in Acts II through V. He of course did not actively molest a child but he more than harbored and protected someone who did. Here's what I understand to have happened: Sandusky serially molested children under the guise of running a charity. He was caught by someone who reported the matter to Joe Pa. The person reporting it did so at Joe Pa's house on a Saturday morning. Joe Pa went to his superior (yeah, cause he has those and in no way is more powerful than anyone else at Penn State), and told his "superior" of what was reported. Story ends. Or so Coach had wished.
I have heard the same argument quite a few times over the past few days and while the talking heads are annoying with the moral high ground they all occupy, they actually have this one right. Where was the follow up? If someone told you that there was child molestation going on, and you reported it, wouldn't you follow up? "Hey, remember that thing I reported, what happened?" That's all. He could have just said that and then maybe this whole thing could have been averted. Future victims would have been saved. But no. I just don't understand how you could do so little to prevent child molestation. These are the criminals that have to be segregated in jails because even the cold blooded murderers think they're the lowest of the low. And they're right on this one.
Joe Paterno let a child molestor continue to terrorize children. His loyalty was to Penn State. At a certain point, there are things more important than your university and winning. That's what coaches should be teaching, right?
I stopped believing in Santa Claus, and now I've lost Joe Pa. What's next? Is Coach K going to pull a drive by?
WEEK 10 PICKS
Oakland +7 at San Diego
Pittsburgh -3 at Cincinnati
Denver +3 at Kansas City
Jacksonville -3 at Indianapolis
Buffalo +5.5 at Dallas
Tampa Bay +3 vs. Houston
Tennessee +3 at Carolina
Washington +4 at Miami
New Orleans even at Atlanta
St. Louis +2.5 at Cleveland
Seattle +7 vs. Baltimore
Arizona +14 vs. Philadelphia
Chicago -3 vs. Detroit
New York Giants +3.5 at San Francisco
New England +1 at New York Jets
Minnesota +13.5 at Green Bay
Last Week: 8-6
Season: 59-64-7
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