Worship in the Sporting World: The Joe Paterno Conundrum
I'll put it as simply as I can, I love sports more than any healthy person should. Growing up as an early to middle aged teenager, and being a highschool athlete (I use that term loosely) I found myself influenced by various sporting figures, whether it was teams or individual athletes, my attitude, my work ethic, even my mood were all inspired by sports. I remember watching the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary on the South African Rugby team and their unlikely championship; I cried. I remember watching Invictus (same story, Hollywood style); I cried. I remember the first gold medal Canada won at the 2010 Olympic games by Alexandre Bilodeau and watching him share that moment with his brother; I needed a whole box of tissues for that one.
All of a sudden though, I found myself not just cheering for the great story, crying with the underdog as they revel in the impossible moment of glory they had captured. I found myself not just being influenced by their successes, but perhaps even more so by their failures. A loss by my Canadiens, puts me in a bad mood all night, Notre Dame blows it against another team they should easily beat and my afternoon consists of frustration. That's not abnormal, many sports fans have that irrational anger towards teams or athletes they love, some would even argue that it's not irrational at all.
But then you read about the Penn State scandal, and you realize you haven't felt real anger towards the sporting world: real justified, blood-boiling, head steaming anger,until news like this breaks.
The story doesn't need to be repeated, everybody who has access to a computer knows it, but my anger,and my sadness come from a much more personal place. In my hometown I went to a highschool that was football obsessed, and for a school in Canada that is pretty surprising. We were a dominant team, still are. Everybody knew the players had amazing coaches, phenomenal coaches, who loved to talk about one college in the states that influenced them, a school that did things the right way that were coached by a legend who mixed a combination of football smarts, gentlemanly class and a mantra that hard work and dedication are the staples of all facets of life, not just football:
Penn State, Joe Paterno
I wasn't even on the football team and still I heard more talk about JoPa and his school more than any other American college. Penn State was a symbol of doing everything the right way.
Of course the entire time I was at highschool, Penn State hadn't been doing things the right way. In fact they had been hiding their deepest darkest secret for three years before I entered, and would hold on to that secret for almost three years after I left. This was the school that had a program, an attitude, a coach that all should aspire to. Yet we were all fooled. That attitude was in words alone, not actions. A program of inspiration, will now forever be known in infamy, for failing to live up even remotely to the standards it held itself to, the same standards that influenced a football crazed school in Canada.
Joe Paterno, while not the ultimate monster in this tale, chose to look the other way, he enabled, and he let a lot of people down. In fact he let a lot of people I once knew quite well down. They will defend him, and who can blame them? When our heroes fall we feel betrayed, we feel the need to justify, to explain. To say "we understand why they did what they did".
Except this one cannot be understood, cannot be forgotten, and cannot be forgiven. These crimes go beyond any of those capacities.
What do we take from this? A program was ruined, a lifetime legacy was ruined, a schools reputation was ruined, but the most heartbreaking of all; lives were ruined. Lives of innocent people who are forced to suffer forevermore.
What has this taught me individually? That maybe I need to reconsider who I hold in high esteem. Athletes amaze me, delight me, they make my day and ruin my night. Does that mean I should continue to put them on a pedestal? Not all athletes will let me down, some would argue. Many out there are the ideal role models who are out in the world inspiring everybody daily. To which I say, the most respected of them all fell from grace today, no one is safe, no one is perfect.I love sports, but worshiping them only leads to heartbreak, it's inevitable, and if your'e really unlucky your heart will get broken in a real way, beyond the suffering of a loss. The suffering you feel for others, the sickness that always comes with real tragedy. Not the fleeting pain we feel through organized competition.
I learned that my love of sports must change, it can no longer be so personal.
Huh, suddenly I feel healthier.
'
All of a sudden though, I found myself not just cheering for the great story, crying with the underdog as they revel in the impossible moment of glory they had captured. I found myself not just being influenced by their successes, but perhaps even more so by their failures. A loss by my Canadiens, puts me in a bad mood all night, Notre Dame blows it against another team they should easily beat and my afternoon consists of frustration. That's not abnormal, many sports fans have that irrational anger towards teams or athletes they love, some would even argue that it's not irrational at all.
But then you read about the Penn State scandal, and you realize you haven't felt real anger towards the sporting world: real justified, blood-boiling, head steaming anger,until news like this breaks.
The story doesn't need to be repeated, everybody who has access to a computer knows it, but my anger,and my sadness come from a much more personal place. In my hometown I went to a highschool that was football obsessed, and for a school in Canada that is pretty surprising. We were a dominant team, still are. Everybody knew the players had amazing coaches, phenomenal coaches, who loved to talk about one college in the states that influenced them, a school that did things the right way that were coached by a legend who mixed a combination of football smarts, gentlemanly class and a mantra that hard work and dedication are the staples of all facets of life, not just football:
Penn State, Joe Paterno
I wasn't even on the football team and still I heard more talk about JoPa and his school more than any other American college. Penn State was a symbol of doing everything the right way.
Of course the entire time I was at highschool, Penn State hadn't been doing things the right way. In fact they had been hiding their deepest darkest secret for three years before I entered, and would hold on to that secret for almost three years after I left. This was the school that had a program, an attitude, a coach that all should aspire to. Yet we were all fooled. That attitude was in words alone, not actions. A program of inspiration, will now forever be known in infamy, for failing to live up even remotely to the standards it held itself to, the same standards that influenced a football crazed school in Canada.
Joe Paterno, while not the ultimate monster in this tale, chose to look the other way, he enabled, and he let a lot of people down. In fact he let a lot of people I once knew quite well down. They will defend him, and who can blame them? When our heroes fall we feel betrayed, we feel the need to justify, to explain. To say "we understand why they did what they did".
Except this one cannot be understood, cannot be forgotten, and cannot be forgiven. These crimes go beyond any of those capacities.
What do we take from this? A program was ruined, a lifetime legacy was ruined, a schools reputation was ruined, but the most heartbreaking of all; lives were ruined. Lives of innocent people who are forced to suffer forevermore.
What has this taught me individually? That maybe I need to reconsider who I hold in high esteem. Athletes amaze me, delight me, they make my day and ruin my night. Does that mean I should continue to put them on a pedestal? Not all athletes will let me down, some would argue. Many out there are the ideal role models who are out in the world inspiring everybody daily. To which I say, the most respected of them all fell from grace today, no one is safe, no one is perfect.I love sports, but worshiping them only leads to heartbreak, it's inevitable, and if your'e really unlucky your heart will get broken in a real way, beyond the suffering of a loss. The suffering you feel for others, the sickness that always comes with real tragedy. Not the fleeting pain we feel through organized competition.
I learned that my love of sports must change, it can no longer be so personal.
Huh, suddenly I feel healthier.
'
Oh how I love the way you write. Funny how I was talking to Dominque this morning about this exact topic, high school and the obsession with Joe.
ReplyDeletewell done slick. enjoyed reading it very much. get a hair cut. call your mother.
ReplyDelete