A plea to the powers that be at the NCAA:
Fire Bobby Knight.
It's has become excruciating to have to endure Knight's antics, and his latest episode should give you all the reason that you need to rid the pagantry and spectacle of collegiate athletics, of this cancer. To say that Knight was wrong for laying his hands on one of his players is a massive understatement. Its reprehensible, its inexcusible, its classic bullying, and it would comfort me to know that these actions would cost Knight his job, if it weren't for the fact that he has done this before, with little or no reprecussions. Some might say that he lost his job at Indiana as a result. Please! Indiana was looking for a reason to be justified in firing a coach that had been resting on success acheived a decade and a half ago.
How many All-Americas has he recruited in the last 10 years?
Is it a coincidence that the hoosiers advanced all the way to the championship game in the first full year after Knight's departure?
So the folks down in Lubuck, desperate to capture some attention for their basketball program, in a football crazy part of the world, hire Knight. Did they honestly think that he would lead their program to prominence?
Knight is a narcissistic bully who shows respect for no one but demands it from everyone and his act has grown very tiresome. To be blunt, the NCAA has repeatly shown that it is an organization lacking any heart and compassion, robotically enforcing its brand of justice, untempered with mercy. An athlete is expelled from his team, even as a first time offender, and transfers schools, losing year of eligibility, whereas a coach is bought out of his contract, and subsequently enjoys a seemless transition to his next coaching job.
Now the NCAA finds itself in its own type of 'statement game'. Bobby Knight has completely run amok and it is time to ban him from coaching for life. He has used up his 2nd chance, his 3rd chance, etc. He is never going to change because he doesn't think that he needs to change. It's time, however, that the NCAA show some backbone and integrity. Banning Knight would send the long overdue message that no one is bigger that the institution of sport itself. Knight's disrespectful and tyrannical ways are no longer tolerated.
In the mid 1980's, for violations substantial in their quantity and severity, a number of sanctions were levied against Southern Methodist University. These sanctions were so powerful that they effectively crippled a thriving football program, that has never been the same since. These sanctions were referred to as the 'Death Penalty'.
Because of his own doing, its that Knight's career suffer the same fate.
Fire Bobby Knight.
It's has become excruciating to have to endure Knight's antics, and his latest episode should give you all the reason that you need to rid the pagantry and spectacle of collegiate athletics, of this cancer. To say that Knight was wrong for laying his hands on one of his players is a massive understatement. Its reprehensible, its inexcusible, its classic bullying, and it would comfort me to know that these actions would cost Knight his job, if it weren't for the fact that he has done this before, with little or no reprecussions. Some might say that he lost his job at Indiana as a result. Please! Indiana was looking for a reason to be justified in firing a coach that had been resting on success acheived a decade and a half ago.
How many All-Americas has he recruited in the last 10 years?
Is it a coincidence that the hoosiers advanced all the way to the championship game in the first full year after Knight's departure?
So the folks down in Lubuck, desperate to capture some attention for their basketball program, in a football crazy part of the world, hire Knight. Did they honestly think that he would lead their program to prominence?
Knight is a narcissistic bully who shows respect for no one but demands it from everyone and his act has grown very tiresome. To be blunt, the NCAA has repeatly shown that it is an organization lacking any heart and compassion, robotically enforcing its brand of justice, untempered with mercy. An athlete is expelled from his team, even as a first time offender, and transfers schools, losing year of eligibility, whereas a coach is bought out of his contract, and subsequently enjoys a seemless transition to his next coaching job.
Now the NCAA finds itself in its own type of 'statement game'. Bobby Knight has completely run amok and it is time to ban him from coaching for life. He has used up his 2nd chance, his 3rd chance, etc. He is never going to change because he doesn't think that he needs to change. It's time, however, that the NCAA show some backbone and integrity. Banning Knight would send the long overdue message that no one is bigger that the institution of sport itself. Knight's disrespectful and tyrannical ways are no longer tolerated.
In the mid 1980's, for violations substantial in their quantity and severity, a number of sanctions were levied against Southern Methodist University. These sanctions were so powerful that they effectively crippled a thriving football program, that has never been the same since. These sanctions were referred to as the 'Death Penalty'.
Because of his own doing, its that Knight's career suffer the same fate.
posted by average john at 10:36 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home