Battle of the Breeds

If you've read my blog before, you know I am a Penn State supporter.  You also know that I am a fan of Joe Pa, and there isn't a whole heck of a lot that will change that.  I applauded Bill O'Brien's efforts to take what appeared to be a sinking ship and try to resurrect it.  As a former athlete, I loved his "were not going to quit" attitude, and his support of the students that stuck it out at Penn State...

And then came December 31, 2013... The day he left. The day that Bill O'Brien failed Penn State.  At least, that is the reaction you got from most who were in an uproar over the incident.

If you read the news, or blogs, or opinion articles, you know how people reacted to this.  That is not what I want to focus on.  I want to take a moment to talk about how I think coaching has changed over the years.  How it has gone from being a passion to being a profession.

Here's my feelings.  There are two breeds of coaches out there.  One, is a dying breed, if not already long extinct.  Coaches who are passionate.  Joe Paterno, is an example of one of these coaches.  He cared about his players, but more importantly he cared about their success - both on and off the field.  Paterno and his wife, Sue, were both huge supporters of Penn States liberal arts college.  They also donated money to the university on several occasions for various things, including THON and the library.  Sue even tutored football players who were struggling so that they could keep playing football as well as graduate. 

From what I could tell, Paterno's goal was to see his players excel in life - not football.  He wanted to see his kids become successful, well rounded individuals with an education that would get them somewhere in life.  Paterno coached because he loved helping young men become something great.  Paterno coached because he had a passion for coaching. 

So as a passionate coach, you coach for the love of assisting someone to become a better person and athlete.  And that, is enough to satisfy you.

I could beat you to death with what makes a passionate coach what they are.  But I think its pretty well understood.  Money doesn't matter (although it is nice).  The players and their own success matters.  Well just leave it at that.

Now for the second breed... The coaches who coach for a profession.  I want to start off by saying that this is not a bad thing! I'm just trying to put this into perspective.

Lets say you're an athlete - of any sport.  Maybe you get injured, or can't perform at a professional level outside of college.  But you still love your sport.  What is the next best thing you can do? Coach!

Alright. So you're no longer going to be a professional athlete - you're going to be a professional coach.  I state again... PROFESSIONAL.  You probably want to make this your career.  What is the ultimate position for a professional coach? I cant speak from experience here, but I'm gonna go with probably coaching a professionally recognized team of some sort.  Be it the Olympics or be it in a nationally recognized organization, like the NFL, NHL, NBA, etc.

Now... Bill O'Brien.  Professional coach.  Bounced around a little as an assistant coach at a few colleges.  Then lands a job working with the New England Patriots.  That's a pretty sweet deal - he's working his way up the ladder.  And then, this head coaching job opens up with Penn State... Now he would be moving down to the collegiate level (not that there is anything wrong with that) from the pros... It is still a head coaching position - that looks pretty nice on a resume.  Along with that, its taking a team that is hurting pretty bad from not only the death of their coach, but the crippling NCAA Sanctions.  If you can turn that team into something strong and great, you're looking pretty good.

In my opinion, despite how tough of a position it is, you've got a chance to make a pretty good name for yourself there.   So why not take it?  This could lead to bigger things - like a head coaching job in the pros. 

We all know how that story ended.  Well, not ended.  Progressed.  His story isn't really "over" so to speak.  But he's thinking from a career stand point.  Something that someone who is using coaching as a career should do.  So does this make Bill O'Brien a bad person? No! Does it mean he doesn't care about the players? I sure hope not.  I hope that he does care about his players - and I am sure to some degree he does.  But instead of putting all of his focus on them, he's thinking about himself too.  There's nothing wrong with that. 

So here's the deal.  There are, or were, two breeds of coaches. Your Joe Paternos, and your Bill O'Briens.  Ones who coach for the love of their players, and ones who coach for the desire to move up the ladder.  Now I'm not saying you can't have a hybrid of these two coaches.  But I do feel that we have lost a lot of those coaches who are there specifically for the players.  Who turn down professional contracts because of the love they have for where they are, what they stand for, and the number of people they can impact by being simply who they are.

Was I upset that O'Brien left Penn State? Yeah sure.  But I was upset because there were promises made to prospects that he wasn't leaving.  My deal is, be up front! Make your intentions known.  Ha! But in their lies another issue.  If O'Brien came to Penn State and said "Hey, I'm just using this to help boost my resume.  I'll help you out for a year or two, and if a professional contract rolls around, I'm walking away."  Well.... Isn't that... Considerate? If I were an athlete, I wouldn't be too thrilled about that. "Cool. So this guy is coming in just to pity us, and move on."  That isn't the best attitude to have toward your coach...

So as fans I think this is something we need to consider.  We have on our hands, the battle of the breeds... That I think we have basically lost.  Not because of anything we did, but just the nature of the game.  We all want to have our coaches who we love, who stay forever, who we don't want to see go.  But by the flip side - we want to win too.  So maybe the loved coach with an alright team isn't as good as the professional one whose helping lead an undefeated team? Once again another argument... All of which is food for thought.

(Note: Please take this for what it is worth.  Leave the money factor out. Leave the W/L columns out. There are so many factors that go into a topic like this that I know I didn't touch on. So just take this for what it is worth - an opinion about styles of coaching.)

This is why we THON

For our next big project, we need to come up with a timeline of an event, organization, or person and create a video project using the "four dimensional story telling" program, Meograph.  After attending Slippery Rock University's Up 'Til Dawn for Saint Jude's Childrens Research Hospital event last week, I would like to expand upon the idea of student run organizations that benefit pediatric cancer, and do a piece on Pennsylvania State University's Panhellenic Dance Marathon, more commonly known as THON. 

Penn State's THON held in the Bryce Jordan Center in the spring of 2013. The event raised $12,374,034.36, breaking the previously held record. (Photo credit: Elizabeth McClure)

From THON 2013

Elizabeth McClure (left), sophomore on the Rules and Regulations
 committee with senior Emily Wolf (right) who was one of the dance
participants in 46 hour event to help raise money for the Four
Diamonds Fund. (Photo courtesy: Elizabeth McClure)

In this video, I plan to focus on the student's current preparations for the event coming up February 21-23, 2014, as well as highlight pieces of last year's event.  This is an event that is run by the students, which is why I intend to focus on them and their input. They recently went through the interview process to join committees, and some have given member positions within the committees. 
I intend to talk to the following students for the video:

• The head of one of the Rules and Regulations committees
• Rules and Regulations committee members 
• A member of the Morale committee 
• Morale committee captain
• New members who will be experiencing their first THON event
• Students who have previously worked THON
• PSU Alumni, Emily Wolf, who was one of the dancers at last year's event

On top of talking to the above listed people, I want to do a brief history on the THON organization, starting from its conception in 1973, when it benefited the Butler County Association for Retarted Children.  The history would highlight some of the major events that have gone on since the creation of the program. I would also like to include as much information as possible in regards to this year's event, and have that be the concluding segment of this Meograph.  This is something that could potentially be updated as events go on throughout the planning and preparation process.

Video courtesy of the Penn State YouTube account.

This is a video of inside the Bryce Jordan Center during the THON event.  The floor is filled with students who are dancing for the cause as well as Four Diamonds family members, while the seats are filled with students, and others who attend the event.  

For those who do not know what THON is, or what it does, and think I just posted photos and videos of a packed event center, here is a brief piece about the event:

THON is a completely student run event that raises money for the Four Diamonds Fund, a fund that strives to aid children battling pediatric cancer.  Each year, Penn State students sign up to be on committees that play some important role in the 46 hour dance marathon.  They begin working in the Fall, which is also when some of their fundraising starts.  Students travel in groups to various locations both inside the state of Pennsylvania and outside the state.  They also send out donation letters to try and get donations via mail from friends and family members across the globe. 

On THON weekend, Four Diamonds families are invited to join the students, and participate in the two day dance marathon, held in the Bryce Jordan Center on campus.  At the end of the event, the total is calculated, and presented to the crowd live (last year's video can be seen below this paragraph).  People who can't make the event are encouraged to participate by watching on the live stream online!

The Never Ending Saga of the Penn State Sandusky Scandal

Recently I read an article that was posted online by an organization called Onward State.  It originally began as a student run blog page for Penn State students to keep up with news that might impact the campus in some way, shape or form.  Today, it continues to produce stories and issues them to the students.  On occasion, the news they report includes incorrect facts, and sometimes what they report is the truth.  Sometimes you just need to wait and see if the news continues to be reported that way by other organizations before you can decide if what they reported was factual in nature.

The article I read continued the never ending saga of the Penn State Jerry Sandusky scandal.  If you are interested in reading it, please click here.  For those of you who do not know me, I am a Texas Longhorns football fan.  I do however, have a sister who attends Penn State in State College, Pennsylvania, and have quickly learned to love the school and the football team.  Even though I have been a Longhorn fan for many years, I have always loved and supported the great man that was Joe Paterno.

I have been shocked and amazed by how the media has chosen to cover this story from its beginning back in November of 2011.  The media has tried to awe and amaze us with facts about the cover up, pinning blame on Joe Paterno, former university President Graham Spanier, former university Athletic Director Tim Curly, and former Senior Vice President of Finance and Business Gary Schultz.  Any news story that was produced showed photos of Joe Paterno, followed by the headline of "The Penn State Scandal".  We saw footage on almost every television news station of Penn State Students rioting in the streets the night that Joe Paterno was fired.  Media vans were flipped and students were deemed to be "on a rampage" due to the removal of their beloved Coach.

According to the Admissions Page for Penn State University Park, approximately 35,000 students attend their largest campus.  Approximately 1,000 of these students were in attendance of the riot the night that Paterno was fired.  Considering that there are 35,000 students on that campus, it could have been far worse.  But news organizations painted it out that the entire student body was rioting at the loss of their coach.

Candlelight Vigil held at PSU for the victims.

But how many of you heard about the student organized candle light vigil held for the victims?  Hardly any television news organization covered the event.  Some print organizations, like Reuters did.  Were you aware that over 10,000 people were in attendance at this event? Now, I am sure that there were more people at this event than just students alone.  But that number is ten times higher than the number of those who were rioting.  But it was brushed under the rug because it wasn't juicy enough to catch the eye of many news organizations out there who were trying to show the nasty under belly of the Penn State Athletic Organization.

Now, here is what I have a problem with.  Why was it that every time the Penn State Scandal was brought up, Joe Paterno's face was shown.  Joe Paterno is not the one who abused those innocent children.  The only person whose face should have been shown, was that of Jerry Sandusky.

My next issue is the people that say "he should have done more".  Sure, I see your point, and I agree, but only to a certain degree.  Here's my arguments for this issue.

• Take a moment to consider the generation Joe Paterno was from.  Also, take a moment to consider how old the man was.  That generation really didn't openly discuss sexual topics.  It was something that was to be left behind closed doors.  Maybe Paterno didn't realize how bad the situation was - not because he was trying to protect his program, but because he simply couldn't wrap his head around what was going on.  
• Now think of a time when you reported an incident to whoever your higher up official is, or even filed a report to the police.  What is it that you usually hear from them once you turn in the information? "Thank you, we will investigate this." and usually, you will never hear what came out of that investigation.  Joe Paterno did what he was LEGALLY required to do.  An incident was reported to him, and he took it to the people above him, and was told it would be looked into.  And from what we can gather, we can assume a few things.  One of which is that he turned it in, and never heard anything more of it.  Another is that he turned it in, and knew that there was more going on and didn't do anything about it. 

I simply can not wrap my head around the comments that "he didn't do enough".  Change your sentence, please.  Joe Paterno did what he was legally required to do.  COULD he have done more, yes.  Could he have called the police if he felt it wasn't being investigated properly? Yes! Could he have placed a phone call every day to make sure that the situation was being handled properly? Yes! But would anything more have come of it? Who knows! The man was old.  He wasn't even on the sidelines for the majority of the football games because of it.  How much energy do you think one old man could put toward a situation, when he was probably very confident that the school he loved so much and dedicated his life to should have been taking care of the situation.

For those of you who question his character.  Please think back for a minute on all of the things this man stood for.  He wanted his football players to excel in college.  He felt that they were there as students first, and football players second.  He was a strong supporter of liberal arts.  His wife went so far as to tutor players who were struggling in classes. Together, the Paterno's donated roughly $4 million to various departments at the university, and helped raise over $13.5 million to help build an extension of the school library.  He was paid roughly $500,000 a year to coach that school.  While other college football coaches at schools of an equal skill level are paid two or three million dollars a season.

But lets remember, that this man was a bad man, and lacked any form of morals, and only cared about football.

So the sanctions come out, and everyone is so happy because "Penn State deserves everything it has coming to it".  Why would you ever think that students who weren't even involved deserved to have games stripped from them? Why should they lose all of their wins? Why were the punishments so harsh?

Lets go back to when the Duke Lacross team had charges brought against players for an alleged rape incident.  The NCAA decided not to get involved because it was a criminal case.  So why is it that they can get involved with a criminal case involving a coach of a team? This incident had nothing to do with students of the school, yet they are the ones being punished for actions that they had no control over?

Then comes the incident with Notre Dame that was barely even covered in the news.  Girls were allegedly raped by football players, and then threatened not to go to the cops because "you don't mess with the football team".  The girls were harassed so much that one of them, who was a freshmen, went to far as to commit suicide because she couldn't handle it.

Did the NCAA do anything? Those players were playing in championship games like nothing even happened.  There was no national story with news airing 24/7 about the Notre Dame Scandal.  So what made Penn State such a priority over schools with similar incidents like the Duke Lacross team or Notre Dame?

All and all, I am curious to see what all is said about there being no evidence that Paterno did anything to cover up this scandal.  I will forever be a Joe Paterno fan, and a firm believer in what he stood for.  I can't begin to wrap my head around how people think he was this evil and corrupt man, who cared only about football.  When that is in fact the farthest thing from the truth.  I hope that one day, his name will be wiped clean, and all that he stood for will be what he was remembered for, and not this scandal that has ruined Penn State in the eyes of many.

Lastly, to all my Penn State friends and family members. Just remember to stay strong, and don't let people with negative opinions weigh you down.  The actions of a few corrupt people do not equal the actions of the whole.  You all have done things to be proud of at that university, THON being one of the most important ones.  You had a record breaking year last year, so keep up the good work and break it again this year.  FTK!

WE ARE.... PENN STATE!