Basketball is a competitive sport that often brings out the best qualities in people. However, the pressure of winning and impact of losing can have quite the opposite impact. I watched a video today that is shocking, to say the least. The video showed a Rutgers basketball coach throwing basketballs and even kicking his players. He did not stop at the physical abuse; he also yelled and berated his players, even calling some of them derogatory names. While watching the video, I kept waiting (or maybe wishing) for one of the players to react aggressively towards their coach. But, when I thought about it, it made sense that the players chose the high road. They were probably afraid of losing their scholarships. Where were the assistant coaches and other university personnel who witnessed the abuse? Someone should have intervened.
The incident reminded me of the way Bobby Knight often behaved while coaching at the University of Indiana. Knight has been the poster child for inappropriate behavior among college coaches. He is known for yelling, cursing and disrespecting players, referees, members of the media and any other person who dared to get in his way during his infamous rants. On one occasion, he threw a chair onto the floor of a basketball game. He was given unabashed control over his basketball program and to his credit, he was very successful. However, He was given the proverbial boot when a video surfaced of him choking one of his players.
I agree that players should be mentally and physically tough. This is especially important for student-athletes playing in programs that are subjected to high levels of media scrutiny each year. However, there is a difference between being tough and being abused. Some coaches are given the ability to do the latter. That is never okay. The abusing party should be responsible for his actions, but I think the problem is larger than a single coach or even the the respective sports program.
In some cases, it is an institutional problem. The pressure placed on coaches by athletic directors and boosters is too great at times. This causes some people to do things that are not in their character. It is odd because the university helps create the problem, then when the coach loses his cool, they are fired. It does not seem fair, but I guess life is not fair. One thing is for sure, with the popularity of social media and the internet in general, I would not be surprised if these videos continue to surface.
If you have not seen the video, check it out below.
Peace
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