Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Jumping on the Hatewagon
It's funny how a good sports scandal can bring out the worst in people. As much as I would like to avoid such topics, some are so ubiquitous that I feel compelled to address them (such as Tiger Woods.) Mike Leach was fired last week for the alleged mistreatment of one of his players. Since then, there has been a firestorm of controversy as to whether it went down the way Adam James says it did. Did Leach really lock him up in an electric closet or just trying to let him rest? Was the other guy there to guard the door making sure he didn't leave or to get him water? Who knows, but that's not really what I'm interested in. There has been a surge of support for Mike Leach - Team Leach shirts, "Bring back Leach" groups on Facebook with a million members in it. You know what people are saying about Adam James, the alleged victim? One of my friend's Facebook statuses said, and I quote, "[James] should crawl back into his closet...like the little bitch that he is." And there were many more like it last week. There has been a slew of hatemongering, and it's all been directed at James. The reason this situation disturbs me is because it is eerily similar to the situation a rape victim finds herself in when she comes forward to accuse someone who is held in high esteem, such as, I don't know, a sports player. All the hate and judgment is directed toward the victim. The victim is put on the stand instead of the accused. And I want to point out that after the bowl game a lot of players came forward in support of their teammate, and feel like things are better off without Leach. I think that says something about the strong bond a team can have, which is one of the positives of team sports. Football is considered by many to be a practice of hegemonic masculinity (thanks Dr. Dunham), but I do believe there are positives to this kind of masculinity as well. It seems to be the fans that are the problem. Hate is not going to bring Leach back. And I don't understand why they are so loyal to him when in fact he is not very loyal to Tech, as evidenced by all the crap he pulled with renewing his contract last year. Whether James's allegations are entirely true or not, what disturbs me is how eagerly people will jump on the Hatewagon in support of a sports coach. A sports coach. That's all he is, seriously - he's not a hero or an activist, and he certainly isn't an angel. He does not deserve the pedestal the fans put him up on just because he was fired. He did this to himself, and I firmly believe it was not without reason.
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very well said. it is just sad how people that we KNOW are not usually hateful people have seemingly become so over THIS incident. it truly blows my mind.
ReplyDeleteLeach wasn't pulling crap with last year's renewal of his contact, the administration was:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/12-09/1231newleach.pdf
I haven't seen any hard evidence supporting James' allegations, but there is support from former teammates in Leach's defense:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/316689-emails-from-tech-players-show-mike-leach-was-lied-about-by-crybaby-james
http://dennis-dodd.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6270202/19238949
Whether James' allegations are true or not IS important. It brings to light an administration that is willing to jump on the first chance possible to kill the only thing that puts Texas Tech on the map. James isn't the victim here (the "shed" isn't a closet, it's the size of a one-car garage. Much larger than most hospitable rooms), a great coach is. All a coach has when signing contracts with colleges is his reputation.
Yes it is horrible to put a rape victim on trial, as it would be horrible to condemn James if he were mistreated. But condemning false accusers that abuse the sanction of the victim is just.
We won't get Leach back; we all know that now. The administration is at fault and the student body suffers the consequences of decreased revenue via incoming freshman and game revenue.
Honey - thanks for your well-made points and counterarguments. I actually agree with you on most of these. I think they were just looking for an excuse to fire Leach. This whole affair is just one big pissing contest between assholes. My main concern is the treatment James is receiving when none of us can prove that he is indeed a "false accuser."
ReplyDeleteAfter having been at Mayfield with Jim Bradley as our football coach I have to say I'm very much with you in the way coaches are treated. I don't know what the situation at tech is but I will vouch for the fact that Jim Bradley verbally and emotionally harassed a gay student in his PE class and that student committed suicide not long after. Bradley went on coaching and being hailed as a hero for coaching our team to victory. No one ever said a word against him for his sexism or homophobia.
ReplyDeleteThe point of the argument is not who is telling the truth in this particular case but rather the attitudes of so many people involved. They are a symptom of larger problems within society especially attitudes associated with performances of hegemonic masculinity such as men in sports.
When kicker Katie Hnida came out and accused her former teammates of sexual assault not only did the head coach come back and say she had no evidence he later justified any actions by the team saying that she was awful and players respect each others abilities. The idea that this is okay because people in sports should "man up" is both infuriating and bullshit.
Victims shouldn't have to be crucified just because the person who made them a victim is in a position of power.
I'm going to stop talking before I start frothing at the mouth.