Sports

Circling the Wagons?

The video above is an episode of ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” from 2008. It is a report about off-field crimes committed by Penn State football players. What caught my eye in this report was not the behavior of the players, but the interviews with Coach Paterno and President Spanier. Even back then, there seemed to be a circling of the wagons. The President’s last words were telling. He was not nearly as concerned with the crimes committed as he was with the bad press that Penn State had gotten for their players’ crimes.

2 Comments

  • Derek

    That was a pretty interesting quote from Ron Bracken, (a longtime local reporter) who said “Nobody outside the football program knows whether Paterno has control or lost control of the football program because nobody is allowed to see behind those walls”.

  • Reg Schofield

    The reality is within the hallowed halls of sports , winning is everything , period. In Canada its hockey and within our junior programs we have had our own scandals . In the US college sports are huge . It is perhaps fanatical how certain teams are followed , as well as players. As long as maintaining a winning tradition and to win at all cost , I’m afraid these type of shameful acts will be hidden or brushed under the table. To be honest I have lost much respect for sports over the years with all the doping , behavior and greed that has dominated all levels .

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