Penn State scandal symptomatic of football economic monster

[n2doc]

Dave Zirin
Wednesday, November 9, 2011

critical part:

I agree with the Washington Post's Mike Wise, who wrote, "They would all be party to a worse crime than any crooked, pay-for-play booster at Miami, Ohio State or even SMU ever committed: guilty of protecting a program before a child."

But at the same time I would argue that the connective tissue between benign booster scandals and this monstrous state of affairs is more substantial than people want to admit. It's connected to the Bowl Championship Series, "conference realignment" and all the ways in which college football has morphed over the last generation into a multibillion-dollar big business.

This isn't about Sandusky. This is about a culture that says the football team must be defended at all costs: a culture where the sexual assault of a 10-year-old is reported to Paterno before the police.

This is what happens when a football program becomes the economic and spiritual heartbeat of an entire section of a state. Nittany Lions football regularly draws 100,000 fans to Happy Valley. They also produce $50 million in pure profit for the university every year and have been listed as the most valuable team in the Big 10 conference.

Another economic report held that every Penn State game pumps $59 million into the local economy: from hotels to kids selling homemade cookies by the side of the road.

It's no wonder that Paterno is revered. He took a football team and turned it into an economic life raft for a university and a region. When something becomes that valuable, a certain mind-set kicks in. Protect the team above all over concerns. Protect Joe Pa. Protect Nittany Lions football. Protect the brand. In a company town, your first responsibility is to protect the company.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/08/EDCD1LS2IE.DTL

[MineralMan]

1. In many places, football is equivalent to a cult.

And, as with cults, the leader is immune from criticism. This must end, I believe.

[MedicalAdmin]

2. Who cares? He won games.

That makes him a god and beyond your mortal judgement. Bow down and get your kids down there too.



Just sayin'. ...




















... that I agree completely with you.

[Brickbat]

3. It's beyond football, it's just greed and money. It's the exact same thing that the Catholic Church

is dealing with. It's powerful men institutionalizing greed, exploitation and human misery for profit. I don't blame spirituality, and I don't blame football; I blame the sick framework that greedy, ruthless people built around them for their own ends.

ETA: This framework is what the feminists mean when we talk about the patriarchy. It's rampant in every institution, and it is my hope that instead of tearing down the institutions, we break the system behind it.

[MedleyMisty]

20. I think the system is called "capitalism"

"Powerful men institutionalizing greed, exploitation and human misery for profit."

Yep. Sounds like capitalism. And I also hope we break it.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

4. The problem is, Paterno does shit now....

He's just a figurehead, the chairman of the board emeritus......hanging around to pile up wins. They wanted to dump him seven years ago when the team sucked.....but apparently someone stepped in and managed to set up a system of recruiting and coaching where the old coot could hang on and do nothing and play the legend.

They could fire him today, and it would have zero effect on the team on the field or the money flowing in. This is just a closed circle telling outsiders "You don't tell us what to do".

[Ruby the Liberal]

8. Worse thing that could possibly happen

On the one hand, I agree that removing him from the picture and continuing a successful program will take the wind out of the messiah complex sails, but on the other, I hope that the team tanks for a generation. Call it a failure of morale or kids not willing to commit their careers to be springboarded from that institution, or even karma - I don't care. Just bring down the powerhouse mentality that allowed this to happen (and happen, and happen, and happen).

[Lint Head]

5. The economic monster of greed is what is wrong with everything right now.

[Ruby the Liberal]

6. "a culture where the sexual assault of a 10-year-old is reported to Paterno before the police"

I have yet to see anyone calling out McQ on this.

He wasn't a kid at the time - he was 28 and ran to his daddy and JoePa for help.

[Safetykitten]

7. Hmmm....never have job in profession again, help defenseless kid. What to do!

[Ruby the Liberal]

9. He was a grad student at the time

He would have recovered if he was worth his coaching salary (that he now collects). The sport is too greedy. Someone would have picked him up.

[MadrasT]

10. +1

Exactly. A 28 year old man can't figure out that you see a kid being raped, you go TO THE POLICE? Not to your dad, not to your boss, but TO THE POLICE???

Folks are letting McQ off WAY too easy on this one.

He was the eyewitness. Folks up the chain definitely failed, but I see the major failure here being on McQ's shoulders (based on what I know at this moment).

[Ruby the Liberal]

11. I am with you on this

and will take it a step further. Dude was 28, standing 6'4" and weighing approx 240 (from his NFL attempts). He witnesses a ~60 year old guy raping a 10 year old and his instinct is to walk away and call his daddy?

I am a foot shorter, but I like to think that I would have at least tried to STOP it.

Thats the part I don't get in all of this.

[JanMichael]

13. He wouldn't have had to attack the monster just yell "WTF are you doing...

...I'm calling the cops NOW" and run out. The assault would have ended and 6 years of more victims would be spared the ordeal.

But no. Sneak out and call daddy and not a SWAT team. That's fucking creepy.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

12. People protecting the image are disgusting

To use sports figures very close to my heart, if Coach K had been told about Christian Laettner assaulting a kid and he had not reported it to the police, I'd want Coach K to resign. No ifs ands or buts.

[robdogbucky]

14. And the beat goes on....

Penn State Scandal: Mike McQueary Away From Team, 'On Recruiting Trip'

Nov 08 4:12p by Jason Kirk

Penn St. Nittany Lions assistant coach Mike McQueary isn't with the team right now and is away on a recruiting trip, reports ESPN's Chris Fowler. McQueary is best known as of late as the former graduate assistant who observed defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky raping a 10-year-old and then went to tell coach Joe Paterno.

McQueary played at Penn State, and has been a position coach since 2000.

His role in the story has been in question, most powerfully by the mother of an alleged victim:

"I don't even have words to talk about the betrayal that I feel," said the mom of Victim Six. " was a grown man, and he saw a boy being sodomized ... He ran and called his daddy?"

Hard to imagine just how well that recruiting he's supposedly doing is going.

http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2011/11/8/2547838/mike-mcqueary-penn-state-investigation



How does McQueary live with himself, as apparently just last summer he sent out a recruitment letter to P$U prospects. I don't have a link to that letter, but it was scanned and posted at another website. Timed to take advantage of a scandal at rival Ohio St., this was signed by McQueary and said in part:


"...The college football world has once again been thrown into controversy. During this time I would like to remind you that Penn State is 1 of 2 Division 1 institutions that have never been investigated or sanctioned for any NCAA infractions.

Think about this as you make your college decision. Coach Paterno's saying "Success With Honor," has value here. It is not something we take lightly."

Think Penn State

Coach McQueary


http://twitpic.com/7ch1tc





Unfuckingbelievable

[fishwax]

17. wow

"...The college football world has once again been thrown into controversy. During this time I would like to remind you that Penn State is 1 of 2 Division 1 institutions that have never been investigated or sanctioned for any NCAA infractions.

"Think about this as you make your college decision. Coach Paterno's saying "Success With Honor," has value here. It is not something we take lightly."

:puke:

[Ruby the Liberal]

19. Whoa

So he witnesses the anal rape of a 10 year old and 9 years later (summer 2011) AFTER his December 2010 testimony as to the events of 2002 brags about things like integrity and the lack of investigation?

That took some brass ones.

[Fool Count]

15. I would go even further and say that this is just one, though more glaring,

example of the general principle - profit motive inevitably poisons everything which
is decent and holy and good - be it college sports, compassionate and fair society,
or the American Dream itself.

[robdogbucky]

16. Report: Alleged Sandusky victim number doubles

Report: Alleged Sandusky victim number doubles

Posted on: November 8, 2011 7:14 pm

Posted by Adam Jacobi

On Monday, Pennsylvania state police commissioner Frank Noonan and attorney general Linda Kelly encouraged alleged victims of former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky to come forward and assist the state's investigation. Noonan and Kelly publicized two phone numbers for the potential victims to call in order to contact investigators. One day later, it looks as if their call has been heard.

According to Fox 29 in Philadelphia, the number of alleged victims in the Sandusky case has doubled, and now approaches 20. As of Monday, Sandusky had been charged with indecent acts against eight minors. Sources tell Fox 29 since a press conference on Monday, the number of potential victims has more than doubled in the case...

...According to the grand jury presentment, Sandusky's alleged sexual assaults on minors stretch back to his days as a Penn State coach, and more allegedly occurred in Penn State football facilities even after Sandusky had retired.

There have been no details about the new allegations publicized as yet, and though additional charges may yet be issued, Sandusky still faces the 40 charges he was issued on Friday. Thus, at this time the official facts about the Sandusky case remain the same.




Those with information have been asked to contact investigators from the Office of Pennsylvania Attorney General at 814-863-1053 or Pennsylvania State Police at 814-470-2238.

http://eye-on-collegefootball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/24156338/33197576

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. Collegiate sports are not helping academics.

Been saying that for years. Now maybe people will listen. The NFL wants or needs a Trippler AAA league, fine, let them fund it.