Posted on 04/04/2013 8:39:34 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Rutgers University basketball coach Mike Rice was fired today for hitting, kicking and verbally abusing his players during practices — a decision that has met with widespread praise from many commentators in the news media, who found his actions abhorrent.
Not so Fox News co-host Eric Bolling, who said the decision to fire Rice was evidence that American culture was in decline because of the "wussification of American men."
“We’re in the midst of political correctness crushing our ability to teach kinds, to discipline kids, to disagree with people or one another or kids,” Bolling said on today's edition of "The Five." “Our culture is in decline, and this is an example of our culture in free fall — and I’m saying this because he got fired, not because of what he did.”
Elsewhere in the world of sport, and not totally unrelated, the English soccer club Sunderland is defending its decision to hire Paolo Di Canio, an Italian coach who repeatedly made fascist salutes throughout his playing career — the sort of thing that got a Greek player suspended just two weeks ago.
There's also a fine line between losing control and being a strong disciplinarian. Rice lost it.
Eric Bolling was a professional baseball player. Would he think differently if his coach chucked a few high, hard ones at his head during batting practice?
Motivate, fine. Be passionate, fine. Even get in someone’s grill if you need to and the age of your players is appropriate.
Physical abuse? Never. I’ve been a coach and if you ever get to the point where you feel the need to assault a player to get your point across, it’s time to take up gardening.
Now post his teams graduation rates and grade point averages compared to other coaches of the era. Yes he was emotional and stepped over the line at least twice that I can think of with his charges, but he also held them to a standard of excellence on and off the court.
His dismissal was all about power at IU nothing else.
As to the chair picture - I have had to explain for many years that there was an elderly lady at the end of the floor who did not have a seat but refused to leave without watching the team play - he was merely assisting her in finding a place to sit.
RE: t there was an elderly lady at the end of the floor who did not have a seat but refused to leave without watching the team play - he was merely assisting her in finding a place to sit.
I find this very strange. If he wanted to assist the lady, why did the throw the chair to the court? Why not bring the chair to her at the end of the floor or ask someone to do it?
I disagree. A real man can control himself and encourage, not berate players. What kind of example is he setting?
You are on to something. If he said MFer he would be OK.
When I was the same age as these kids I was going through Basic Training back in the 60’s. Looks pretty tame to what the D.I.s did to us both verbally and physically. I realize this is only a game, but they will not be scarred for life and may even profit in the long run.
It was a joke...
I went to IU during the early part of the 90s. I knew a few of the players (one of them was a history major like myself). The media did a great job demonizing Knight, because the players thought the world of him. The graduation rates for IU players under Knight was through the roof.
“I’ve been a coach and if you ever get to the point where you feel the need to assault a player...”
I agree. Being a tough, verbal coach is one thing. I don’t even mind some cuss words. However, hitting a player is just plain wrong. That isn’t coaching... it’s assault. If that is all you have in your coaching arsenal... you are a failure from the get go. Coaches motivate, teach and instruct their players to stay focused... they don’t leave bruises.
It'd be a shame to fire 'em and/or shut down the military.
Drill sergeants are drill sergeants. We're talking about a basketball coach here. Not exactly the same comparison.
We had two of the winningest coaches in men’s bb, Roy Williams and Bill Self. Both gentlemen. Danny Manning who recently left to be head coach at Tulsa. Everyone said he was as good a man as he had been a B player and was a coach.
I wonder what Rice would do if one of his players hit/kicked him back?
Of course we don’t know the answer to that because most kids are afraid of getting suspended or having to sit out a year because they would have to transfer.
All of which makes Rice’s actions cowardly. He’s the “wuss”.
I saw the videos and think the coach is lucky he didn’t get punched in the mouth. You simply don’t target a guy’s head with a basketball when his back is turned. He deserves his fate.
Not acceptable. But it reminds me of an old joke about a farmer beating his mule. A city dude driving by stopped and asked "why are you beating that mule?" The farmer answered "I'm not beating him; sometimes it takes a whack with a two-by-four to get his attention!"
In HS, my football coach used an arrow to put ‘racing stripes’ on the back of slow linemen’s thighs (like mine) if they didn’t get off the ball fast enough.
The degree to which you needed to improve was governed by the number of stripes he could lay down before you were away from the line of scrimmage.
An excellent system, effective, egalitarian, done in good humor, and not cruel, in my opinion.
Our line was off the ball quicker and we won football games. Now, that’s impossible today, period.
Oh, and don’t say ‘fag’ anymore. You might as well yell ‘nigger’ at a press conference. Amazing how fast that happened.
Throwing a basketball as hard as you can off a player’s head is no different than punching a player in the jaw. It’s assault and battery, not discipline.
Yeah, maybe those moments in the video were cherry-picked, but that looked less like someone trying to motivate players to learn, and more like somebody with serious rage issues.
}:-)4
Not even Knight was caught doing what Rice did.
Knight did choke and head butt players but he never was caught throwing a basketball at anyone's head.
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