But NPR asks an interesting question:
"Did Columnist's Gender Play Role in Coach's Tirade?"Discuss.
September 28, 2007
Interesting take on Oklahoma State Coach's rant
Mike Gundy's tirade at a local columnist has caught the national attention. And not for the better, we should say. I am split here, in that he attacked the Daily Oklahoman--widely considered one of the worst papers in the nation, but then also think that a coach claiming to protect a 21 year old he calls a "kid" is missing just how paternalistic his actions are.
But NPR asks an interesting question:
But NPR asks an interesting question:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
"Did Columnist's Gender Play Role in Coach's Tirade?"
Maybe, but the coach also mentioned that he has a child, so maybe it was more directed at childless people not being able to understand. Anyway, I have seen coaches lose it far worse than that. I am not excusing his behavior, but there seems to be a strange relationship between sports reporters and coaches.
Yeah, perhaps. I think the columnist might have not been singled out so vociferously had she been a he, but I don't know. To be honest, I was more troubled by the blatant paternalism here. If Gundy wants to actually help his quarterback, he has to teach him to be able to handle criticism. Calling him a kid and actually calling attention to the column at a national level is not exactly helpful.
"Crown their ass!"
I admit to not having read the column in question, and that I have only seen the actors mentioned in television interviews.
I wonder if it was a combination of what the columnist said, and the fact that she is a female saying it that through him over. Maybe part of what she said in her column made him feel his authority/decisions were in question, and who is "she" to question him?
I watched ABC yesterday during the disastrous halftime of the OU game and was dissapointed to hear the analysts defend Gundy and say things like it was good to defend your players and to deflect attention from them. Because his rant didn't actually accomplish either of those things. I didn't even know that his quarterback had been benched, and certainly didn't read the Oklahoman to find out why. Now, I know that people think the QB is soft and afraid. Now I know that Gundy sees himself as a "man" because he is 40, but sees a 20 year old football player as a "kid."
I am all for defending players, but that isn't what he did. And Nina, I suspect you are right. And that makes it even worse, right? Then it is more about him than about his player.
Post a Comment