Expediency
We live in a culture where the end frequently is seen to justify the means. As I write this post Joe Paterno, one of the most successful college football coaches in history, has just been fired. His dismissal is related to an apparent cover up of former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky’s possible involvement in child molestation while he served at Penn State. He was a very good defensive coordinator and Penn State enjoyed success during his employment. It should be noted that Joe Paterno is not charged with any crime but the trustee’s of the university felt strong enough about this error in judgment to dismiss not only Paterno but Graham Spanier, the current president of the school.
Now before you feel too sorry for the 84 year old Paterno, take note of the apparent fact, that one of the assistant coaches went to Joe Paterno to report that Sandusky was in the shower with a 10 year old boy. This whole incident in my opinion is a prime example of a culture steeped in expediency. This situation revolves around winning football games but I ask, at what cost?
Turning attention away from Joe Paterno and Penn State let me ask all of us a personal question. How often do we make decisions totally based upon our own self interest? Our prayer should be God help us all.
There was rioting in Happy Valley last night. From my experience with Penn State many of the participants were under the influence of booze or other substances. This does not excuse the fact that the going concern was probably not to change coaches during a winning season. Earlier today I heard two elderly women talking about this disturbance and one of them said, “It is just football for God’s sake”. For God’s sake indeed, I wonder how He feels about all of this. I know the Lord is not in favor of expediency at all cost. We all could stand some heart-felt soul searching to see how deeply we are infected with this ungodly attitude.
I write this not as a football fan so please be merciful when you read my comment. This situation speaks to me of how necessary it is for us to reevaluate the proper significance of “who we are” rather than base our lives on “what sport(s) we play”. Unfortunately, we’ve grown to value more highly the “do” rather than the “are” and, it is for that reason, that we are so easily convinced to believe a lie. Sports for many has become a worship service and the players and what they do on and off the field as a result have become sacred. In fact, our preferred sport too many times dictates even the groups of people we meet with on a weekly basis and makes that sport the main foundation for those meetings. I know something about this because I grew up in a town where sports [football and basketball] were the only foundation and motivation for many friendships. I only became aware after growing up that outsiders thought those relationships were deeper and stronger than they were and even envied us for our “close knittedness”; however, what they didn’t know was that in all the years of growing up, my family and I were never invited to any of the homes or social occasions in the homes of our “sports families”. When some of them had parties in their backyards, we could only stand near and look to see what was happening and we wouldn’t dare walk in and make ourselves comfortable.
Not taking away from the trauma those children and their families are now experiencing and the prayers that need to be prayed for them for healing because of this situation, but maybe now that this whole Penn State “sports family” facade is being exposed and hopefully disintegrating, the thousands of students who attend Penn State will come to realize that who they really are and the contributions they can make to society purchased by the hard earned money they and their parents will pay will help focus their thoughts back on who they are to become in society. Then, and only then, will what they do be based on the truth rather than on a lie brought about by the shaky foundation of sports.
Following is a response to my post from our son.
“I had a chance to read over your comments and while I absolutely agree with you
as it applies to the “football family” during your school years, this is a
“monster” that I unfortunately feel may not ever be tamed.
The irony here is while today your family would be welcomed into that yard, it
would merely expose you to the demon that sports has become. High school has
become bad enough; just consider the untold stories of the so-called “student
athlete” heading off to college that can’t cut sports and a college curriculum
because they were not given the benefit of the proper foundation.
Collegiate athletics is the demon on steroids. The game of football is larger
than life. Players are deities, coaches are revered, cheerleaders are stars!
Season ticket holders walk on water, Boosters are all powerful movers and
shakers…the list is endless. Recruits are treated like kings even before they
agree to enroll. University sports, football specifically, generates $70 Million
in 4 months.
I hope you’re right Mom; that students will be able to get back to the business
at hand following these most unfortunate recent events. In all honesty, I think
the business of generating that dollar has taken precedent over the value of
matriculation with the purpose of becoming a positive member of society. It’s
the perverts, the obsessed, the fanatics, that drive the “machine” that produces
the members of our society.
Penn State is in damage control mode and while I choose to believe that there
will be some good that will result from this; I think damage control means cover
it up and make it go away quickly.”
Now that Joe Paterno has died we may need to ask a few questions. Do you think the handling and firing of Joe Paterno was done fair or do you think it should have been handled differently?