(04-03-2013 11:48 AM)Captain Bearcat Wrote: I really don't get why there's a big uproar over this. 9/10 of that video is things that half the coaches in America do/say on a regular basis.
I would give a little more credit to coaches in America for not physically grabbing kids and throwing balls at their heads. Even then, regardless of whether this behavior happens elsewhere, he got caught on videotape doing it all where others haven't. Any employer (much less a public flagship university) that keeps an employee that does this with documented video evidence is potentially subject to some major litigation. If you want to say that a lot worse happens elsewhere, well, you can also say that people have been fired for a LOT less.
Quote:You don't fire somebody without a warning unless they do something extreme. While he certainly deserved to be suspended, none of the things in that video are extreme enough to warrant firing without a warning.
I would disagree with that. I've heard a lot of bad language in my day from coaches, but kicking players and throwing balls at kids' heads should not be tolerated. On the street, that's assault.
Quote:This is a classic example of media sensationalism of everyday behavior, and we're all supposed to be "outraged." But I guarantee that most of the folks who are outraged either never played sports or forgot that they had several coaches who were almost like this. It's usually not the most effective strategy, but that's a completely different debate.
Like I've said, I had a lot of coaches swear and scream, but never physically kick or throw balls at players. Even then, just because this behavior might have been acceptable in the past (I'm 35 years old) doesn't mean that it's acceptable in the present any more than racial comments that were acceptable in the past might be acceptable now.
Quote:I also found it amusing that one version of the story stated that his original suspension was for using a homophobic slur. PC bs.
The N-word used to be socially acceptable to be used in my parent's generation. Now it's not, and frankly, we're better for it. Likewise, the F-word as it relates to homosexuals used to be socially acceptable to be used when I was growing up as a slur. We're at the point where it's becoming unacceptable, and frankly, we'll be better for it. Rice is a public employee in a position of authority at a public university, so regardless of what one personally thinks of gay rights politically, if a professor or any other university employee would have been suspended for using that slur under that university's anti-discrimination policy (which is pretty common), then that has to be applied equally to everyone, including the basketball coach. There's also a much different standard of what's "PC" in an open forum (e.g. I just saw The Book of Mormon and it was among the most hilarious 2 hours of my life with about as much politically incorrect material that you could possibly imagine and then some) versus being a in a work environment or where you are in a position of authority over employees, students, or in this case, athletes who, if they complain, risk getting their scholarships yanked or, at best, have to transfer and sit out a year. People in authority positions are held to a higher standard under the law (much less from a moral and ethical standpoint).
There's no defense to this. None. "It happens everywhere else", "it used to happen to me in the past", or "I'm not offended when someone says f*ggot" are not viable excuses.