Well, that didn't take long.
Or, I guess you could say, it took entirely too long.
Mike Rice is out as Rutgers men's basketball coach after a video went viral that showed him verbally abusing players, throwing basketballs at them and dropping a few homophobic slurs on his players for good measure.
After first deciding to merely suspend Rice for three games, the school reconsidered that decision after an ESPN report that included the famous video.
And that is my point. Mike Rice is no longer the coach today because of that video. Take away the video, and there is not nearly the stir over this story.
It reminds me of just how much of our lives is being recorded on video these days.
I don't like what Rice did. It was ugly, clearly over the line in terms of the physical abuse. And that is not even the worst part. His slurs were offensive. Every time I think we are beyond such issues, something like this pops again.
But I found myself interested in the reaction to the story yesterday. In particular I noticed that several players defended thier coach.
And that reminded me that anyone who has been a part of team sports, as I was at the high school level, probably ran into a few coaches like Mike Rice. Maybe not when it comes to his language, but certainly the way he would get in his players' faces, including physical contact, if not throwing balls at them.
The difference, of course, is that back then none of that kind of behavior was captured on video, let alone broadcast or posted online for the world to see.
We live in a different world. Don't believe it? Just ask Mike Rice or the folks at Rutgers.
After first deciding to merely suspend Rice for three games, the school reconsidered that decision after an ESPN report that included the famous video.
And that is my point. Mike Rice is no longer the coach today because of that video. Take away the video, and there is not nearly the stir over this story.
It reminds me of just how much of our lives is being recorded on video these days.
I don't like what Rice did. It was ugly, clearly over the line in terms of the physical abuse. And that is not even the worst part. His slurs were offensive. Every time I think we are beyond such issues, something like this pops again.
But I found myself interested in the reaction to the story yesterday. In particular I noticed that several players defended thier coach.
And that reminded me that anyone who has been a part of team sports, as I was at the high school level, probably ran into a few coaches like Mike Rice. Maybe not when it comes to his language, but certainly the way he would get in his players' faces, including physical contact, if not throwing balls at them.
The difference, of course, is that back then none of that kind of behavior was captured on video, let alone broadcast or posted online for the world to see.
We live in a different world. Don't believe it? Just ask Mike Rice or the folks at Rutgers.
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