The Rutgers basketball coaching scandal raised some questions that seldom get raised and even less often answered. While there seems to be ample finger-pointing toward coaches and the administration that is warranted, there are some others that need to be quizzed.
In this era of players who want to show off, chest-bump and challenge authority and coaches, how is it that not one of the players who were clearly abused got fed up, hauled off and knocked then Rutgers head coach Mike Rice into the next calendar year? Too often this generation likes to talk the talk, and yet when their own manhood was challenged, in this case, you never heard one peep.
It appeared that the whole team endured the wrath. They were supposed to be a TEAM. Teams stick together. They win and lose as one. They fight together. They stand up for each other. Obviously, this was not a team, just a collection of leaderless basketball players.
The other people obviously asleep at the wheel were the parents. Surely some parents knew what was going on here. Is this a group of parents who never told their kids not to let anyone put their hands on them? Did we not all get that speech at some point? Can parents and players be that scared of the repercussions of a maniac with a coach’s whistle?
While coaches tend to raise their voices to get a young person’s attention, there is a line that should not be crossed. If players and parents allow this to happen, then it is hard to defend them. If a coach were to be as physical with my kid as the Rutgers’ coach was with his players, there would be a procedure before a response.
Number one: call your lawyer and have him and the bail bondsman on stand by. Number two: give the a coach a chance to respond, as these are serious allegations and the accuser should have a chance to respond.
For parents who will now run and have a talk with their kid as if it were having the one about the birds and the bees, this is a little different. Coaches and players get emotional during the course of the season, and things will be said. Most players get that. When it comes to a player having balls hurled at them or being shoved or verbally abused, then we have a problem and it should be addressed with players, coaches, athletic directors and principals, not to mention legal representation.
Not one kid should have to endure such antics in order to play a game.
Coming out party?
The sports media have a new obsession that is starting to make me wonder. In the era of the gay marriage debate, there is now the notion that perhaps there may be an athlete or two in one of our major team sports who may be gay. Hmm. Some in talk radio and national print are overcome by this notion. They want to know: Is sports ready for a gay athlete?
Here is a news flash: gay athletes have always been part of the sports community. The reason it has not been publicly disclosed is because it is no one’s business. Another reason is that some gay athletes may not be able to handle hostile media and fan reaction.
When someone does decide to come out, how are we supposed to act? Are we supposed to have a party? Have our local and national news stations use the “BREAKING NEWS” moniker and have experts come sit in and tell us about gay people and their impact on the world? How about letting school out for the day so parents can have a talk with their youngsters?
I have always wondered why this is a big deal, as heterosexual athletes do not come out and tell the media who they sleep with. It has nothing to do with their performance on the field, court or ice. After all, would you really care about the sex lives of any of these guys if they did not play a sport you follow? Who cares?
I am trying to figure out what a person’s sexual orientation has to do with athletic performance. It won’t be long now before someone will come out and we can move on to some other issue. Before we do move on, take a look at those who make a big deal in the coverage element of the story and ask why are they so interested?
