Penn State's penalty
There are two ways to look at these punitive actions against Penn State University and its football program: the public relations angle, and angle of the cynic...PENN STATE’S ANGLE—The university chooses to take down the Paterno statue, which promoted the coach as an idol figure. They keep the Paterno family name on the university library as a lasting symbol of the coach’s contribution to academics at the institution.
THE CYNIC'S ANGLE—The university takes down the Paterno statue as a no-brainer. They keep the Paterno name on the library because otherwise the Paterno family might want their money back.
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NCAA’s ANGLE—The governing body of college athletics hands down a $60 million fine against the school, eliminates scholarships over a period of years, allows athletes to transfer from Penn State right away without forfeiting even a year of eligibility, inflicts a ban on bowl appearances for 4 years, and strips Paterno and Penn State of their wins from 1998 through 2011, but does not impose the death penalty because doing so would wrongly penalize the innocent student-athletes.
CYNICAL RESPONSE—With this package of punishments, the NCAA makes sure that only Penn State pays a price. The death penalty of the program would have meant lost revenue for other schools besides Penn State because of cancelled games on the upcoming schedule, not to mention the loss of revenue to the NCAA's television partners. This move allows the NCAA to appear bold in its public actions, but in truth, this penalty has no meaning to any other school in respect to what should be a renewed mission of placing the sport of football in the proper context of an academic institution. All of the other Big 10 schools get to keep their annual Penn State game-- now an easy win. ESPN and the Big 10 TV Network get to keep every possible penny-- and at least for a time, they gain a ratings increase by continuing to televise Penn State games.
NCAA’s ANGLE—The governing body of college athletics hands down a $60 million fine against the school, eliminates scholarships over a period of years, allows athletes to transfer from Penn State right away without forfeiting even a year of eligibility, inflicts a ban on bowl appearances for 4 years, and strips Paterno and Penn State of their wins from 1998 through 2011, but does not impose the death penalty because doing so would wrongly penalize the innocent student-athletes.
CYNICAL RESPONSE—With this package of punishments, the NCAA makes sure that only Penn State pays a price. The death penalty of the program would have meant lost revenue for other schools besides Penn State because of cancelled games on the upcoming schedule, not to mention the loss of revenue to the NCAA's television partners. This move allows the NCAA to appear bold in its public actions, but in truth, this penalty has no meaning to any other school in respect to what should be a renewed mission of placing the sport of football in the proper context of an academic institution. All of the other Big 10 schools get to keep their annual Penn State game-- now an easy win. ESPN and the Big 10 TV Network get to keep every possible penny-- and at least for a time, they gain a ratings increase by continuing to televise Penn State games.
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Putting the death penalty completely aside, I think a more just penalty would have been letting Paterno keep his wins, which we all know he really won, and adding instead a punishment of no televised games for several seasons. An increase in alumni donations are going to cover that $60 million penalty in no time flat, but keeping the team's games in the dark strikes at the heart of the beast. Not even considered though, I'll bet. Papa Espy needs ta' git paid.
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There's a lot of criticism being hurled online at the parent(s) that had taken a 6-year-old child to the Batman movie premiere in Aurora late last Thursday. It's a movie based on a comic book superhero. A better question is why there were 40-year-olds there.
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Last month, David Letterman appeared on Alec Baldwin's public radio program in New York City, "Here's The Thing." It's a great listen. Dave fills in some little-known gaps in the story of his rise to fame. We know he was an Indianapolis weatherman, but he shares quite a bit about his overlapping time in radio, and about his geographic transition to Los Angeles in the mid-70s. Baldwin's show also features Miles Davis bumper music.
posted by CM @ 6:47 PM
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