Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Riots show danger of deifying a coach
Fox Sports.com ^ | Nov. 10, 2011 | Dan Wolken

Posted on 11/10/2011 1:12:59 PM PST by Colofornian

We forget sometimes how insular the world of a college campus can be, how the social and ethical culture of the place often has little relationship to what goes on outside those gates.

...Penn State’s board of trustees should be applauded for making this move now and not at the end of the season...

...it was clear from the bizarre tone of the news conference with board of trustees vice chairman John Surma and the ensuing mayhem on campus that the provincial Penn State community doesn’t understand why Paterno had to go.

...this is what happens when football defines a place the way it defines State College, Pa. In a larger sense, this is what happens when you attach the billion-dollar enterprise of amateur athletics to institutions of higher learning. At Penn State, football overwhelmed the culture of everything it bumped up against and might have enabled the alleged abuse of children to continue for nearly a decade. Wednesday night, it led to thousands of students marching the streets in protest, going so far as to flip over a satellite television truck. These images were broadcast live and sent around the world, the portrait of a campus in chaos and disgrace.

It’s enough to spark a legitimate debate about whether Penn State should even play a football game on its campus Saturday. The atmosphere might just be too emotionally charged to guarantee that 100,000-plus fans can safely attend and the teams can play without incident. School officials need to give careful consideration to all possibilities before making that call.

...the Penn State community is too shortsighted to see it would’ve been far worse to show up for the Nebraska game with Paterno as head coach and pretend like everything was all right...

(Excerpt) Read more at msn.foxsports.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Extended News; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: deify; paterno; pennstate; riots
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-47 next last
From the article: ...this is what happens when football defines a place the way it defines State College, Pa. In a larger sense, this is what happens when you attach the billion-dollar enterprise of amateur athletics to institutions of higher learning. At Penn State, football overwhelmed the culture of everything it bumped up against and might have enabled the alleged abuse of children to continue for nearly a decade.

From the article: Wednesday night, it led to thousands of students marching the streets in protest, going so far as to flip over a satellite television truck. These images were broadcast live and sent around the world, the portrait of a campus in chaos and disgrace. It’s enough to spark a legitimate debate about whether Penn State should even play a football game on its campus Saturday. The atmosphere might just be too emotionally charged to guarantee that 100,000-plus fans can safely attend and the teams can play without incident. School officials need to give careful consideration to all possibilities before making that call.

AP reports: Neb regent fears for player, fan safety at PSU

1 posted on 11/10/2011 1:13:02 PM PST by Colofornian
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Colofornian
"The atmosphere might just be too emotionally charged to guarantee that 100,000-plus fans can safely attend and the teams can play without incident."

The game needs to be called OFF.
If it is not called there will be one hell of a riot. I hope I am wrong. The students at PS seem to be in the mood for total disruption.

2 posted on 11/10/2011 1:20:09 PM PST by DeaconRed (My Hat Don't Hang on the same Nail to Long. I am a CAT adjuster.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Colofornian

Can Penn State now properly address Michael Mann’s transgressions against Society and Science?


3 posted on 11/10/2011 1:21:25 PM PST by Paladin2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Colofornian

I can’t wait for the PSU game this week and the opposing team starts chanting...

We Are...Pedo Philes

We Are...Pedo Philes

Mocking them.


4 posted on 11/10/2011 1:22:23 PM PST by Lazlo in PA (Now living in a newly minted Red State.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Voter#537

Give them a surprise test in all of their subjects at 12 noon.


5 posted on 11/10/2011 1:23:02 PM PST by Paladin2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Lazlo in PA

6 posted on 11/10/2011 1:24:04 PM PST by TigerClaws
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Colofornian

Or a politican

Or a “civil rights leader”


7 posted on 11/10/2011 1:25:02 PM PST by A_Former_Democrat (There's nothing more hypocritical than a white liberal calling someone else a "bigot")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Colofornian
Kids love to riot, but you have to be really dopey to riot in favor of child molestation.

Riot because your team wins something or your team losses something or it snows or there's a Who concert or a soccer game or a cheating scandal or for any normal reason.

Don't riot in favor of child molestation. It reflects poorly on you and your parents.

8 posted on 11/10/2011 1:25:05 PM PST by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Colofornian

I’ve been thinking for a while that sports have eclipsed the intent of higher education in many of our colleges and universities. My family would disown me for that sentiment, but that’s how I feel.

These kids are rioting because they have been raised to trust certain authority figures, and unquestioningly follow the lead of these authorities. They are now, totally disillusioned. I hope that a lot of these kids go home a begin questioning a lot of things that they have trusted to be true and start thinking for themselves.


9 posted on 11/10/2011 1:25:56 PM PST by Eva
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lazlo in PA

Homo Pervs. Not pedophiles. That is an insult to peophiles to call the Homo Pervs by the same name.


10 posted on 11/10/2011 1:27:07 PM PST by campaignPete R-CT (I will go back to New Hampshire to campaign.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Colofornian

I lived in a college town with a winning team for a few years. I think half of the parents there would have given their children personally to the coach for whatever he wanted to do with them.

The fanatical devotion was just something I never managed to understand.


11 posted on 11/10/2011 1:27:28 PM PST by livius
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Colofornian

I wouldn’t necessarily blame the football culture. What if it was at Harvard and the one committing the acts was a nobel prize researcher that brings in $Millions per year in grants?


12 posted on 11/10/2011 1:28:39 PM PST by wolfman23601
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: A_Former_Democrat

...or ANY form of ‘hero worship’...


13 posted on 11/10/2011 1:29:37 PM PST by WayneS (Comments now include 25 percent more sarcasm for no additional charge...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: TigerClaws

Ouch!

But appropriate.


14 posted on 11/10/2011 1:32:45 PM PST by VanDeKoik (1 million in stimulus dollars paid for this tagline!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Colofornian

“E.J. remembers the kickball games his father organized in the backyard. “Dad would get every single kid involved,” says E.J. “We had the largest kickball games in the United States, kickball games with 40 kids.”

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1017979/2/index.htm


15 posted on 11/10/2011 1:34:42 PM PST by bushpilot1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Colofornian; dead
I just looked up the Pennsylvania requirements for mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse. Reporting to child welfare authorities is mandatory for school teachers and administrators. JoePa broke the law, contrary to all those reports about how he supposedly followed the “letter” of the law. It's a misdemeanor, but he still broke the law.
16 posted on 11/10/2011 1:34:42 PM PST by colorado tanker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Colofornian
Has your new hobby gone from vilifying Mormons to vilifying Joe Paterno? For the record, I believe that Joe Paterno is a Roman Catholic.

Joe Pa was turned into a fall guy because Graham Spanier needed company to take the heat off his politically correct effeminate ass. That's all.

If interested, you can read my supporting evidence for this opinion here.

17 posted on 11/10/2011 1:36:02 PM PST by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Colofornian
Has your new hobby gone from vilifying Mormons to vilifying Joe Paterno? For the record, I believe that Joe Paterno is a Roman Catholic.

Joe Pa was turned into a fall guy because Graham Spanier needed company to take the heat off his politically correct effeminate ass. That's all.

If interested, you can read my supporting evidence for this opinion here.

18 posted on 11/10/2011 1:36:02 PM PST by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: campaignPete R-CT

Pedo Philes is closer to the “We Are...Penn State” chant sound wise. That is why I went with that.


19 posted on 11/10/2011 1:38:35 PM PST by Lazlo in PA (Now living in a newly minted Red State.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: dead

I really doubt that the students were protesting in favor of homosexual (the word the media refuses to use) child abuse. From what I’ve gathered today (whether right or wrong), the students feel like the Coach was unjustly blamed for some terrible alleged actions.

I still don’t know all the facts and suspect there is more to come in the weeks ahead. But, the very reaction of the students is reflecting the extremely poor manner in which the Board of Trustees handled the matter.

The game on Saturday? This Board is continuing to set a bad example on priorities, aside from asking for trouble.


20 posted on 11/10/2011 1:40:09 PM PST by Rational Thought
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-47 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson