Penn State Goings-On

[Malthus]

The morning paper was scathing on the reactions of the students & journalists. Much incomprehension was expressed as to how they could get so angry over the guy's firing (and how very important the game of football appears to be to them).

[Ed Anger]

So this is what it looks like when a major institution implodes?

Watch 'Pony Excess' on the ESPN. Old school style implosion.

[FunkMonk]

So this is what it looks like when a major institution implodes?

Watch 'Pony Excess' on the ESPN. Old school implosion.

Oh I watched the hell outta that awhile ago. I eagerly await the 30 for 30 on this fiasco.

[Ed Anger]

So this is what it looks like when a major institution implodes?

Watch 'Pony Excess' on the ESPN. Old school implosion.

Oh I watched the hell outta that awhile ago. I eagerly await the 30 for 30 on this fiasco.

The Roll Tide/War Eagle one on Tuesday was fascinating as well. I POSIONED THOSE TREES. ROLL DAMN TIDE! 

[Rasputin]

So this is what it looks like when a major institution implodes?

Watch 'Pony Excess' on the ESPN. Old school style implosion.

that was a great documentary

[jimmy olsen]

The morning paper was scathing on the reactions of the students & journalists. Much incomprehension was expressed as to how they could get so angry over the guy's firing (and how very important the game of football appears to be to them).

Think of it in terms of hockey, that's pretty popular in Canada right?

Imagine that the NHL was confined to Canada, and there was no minor league. All of the players are drafted out of college into the NHL. College hockey would be huge in Canada under those circumstances wouldn't it? In small towns without anything else going on they would be completely dominate. Now imagine one of the best college teams has been coached by the same man for 46 years, and he's been on the staff for 62. He's not only a great coach, but without a doubt has been the most morally upstanding coach during that time span. A paragon of everything good in collegiate athletics. He's built a ten million library for the campus and founded a classics program. The stadium has expanded from holding 30,000 people to 110,000. He would become a literal cult figure.
That's what Paterno was.

[Neil]

The morning paper was scathing on the reactions of the students & journalists. Much incomprehension was expressed as to how they could get so angry over the guy's firing (and how very important the game of football appears to be to them).

Think of it in terms of hockey, that's pretty popular in Canada right?

Imagine that the NHL was confined to Canada, and there was no minor league. All of the players are drafted out of college into the NHL. College hockey would be huge in Canada under those circumstances wouldn't it? In small towns without anything else going on they would be completely dominate. Now imagine one of the best college teams has been coached by the same man for 46 years, and he's been on the staff for 62. He's not only a great coach, but without a doubt has been the most morally upstanding coach during that time span. A paragon of everything good in collegiate athletics. He's built a ten million library for the campus and founded a classics program. The stadium has expanded from holding 30,000 people to 110,000. He would become a literal cult figure.
That's what Paterno was.

Colleges are more of larger city phenomena in Canada.  I can't think of a single example of a small town with a huge university the way they do it in the US.

[Rasputin]

neil's point is well taken; college football is a huge rural america phenomenon and pre-exists pro football

doak campbell stadium in tallahassee holds about 86,000 people; the city has a population of 181,000

the swamp in gainesville holds about 88,000 people; the city has a population of about 124,000

compare this with jacksonville florida, the largest city in north florida; we have a population of about 1,000,000 (metro area); we have an nfl team whose stadium holds about 73,000 and we struggle to fill it for the nfl

outside of the northeast, in most of america, college football is king and has no rival

it is the opening discourse in any polite conversation in the fall and wishing someone's team good luck on saturday is as gracious a closing to correspondence or a conversation as any other

it is in that arena that joe pa had become a living legend; while still alive he and bobby had statues made in their image and placed outside of their respective stadiums; it is quite simply a prominent fall from grace and disillusioning experience on an epic scale

[Admiral Yi]

it is the opening discourse in any polite conversation

God this is so true.

[The Brain]

it is quite simply a prominent fall from grace and disillusioning experience on an epic scale

The rioters haven't been disillusioned.

[Caliga]

It's fun to tell people I hate college basketball down here.  It's like I called their granny a whore or something.

[Malthus]

The morning paper was scathing on the reactions of the students & journalists. Much incomprehension was expressed as to how they could get so angry over the guy's firing (and how very important the game of football appears to be to them).

Think of it in terms of hockey, that's pretty popular in Canada right?

Imagine that the NHL was confined to Canada, and there was no minor league. All of the players are drafted out of college into the NHL. College hockey would be huge in Canada under those circumstances wouldn't it? In small towns without anything else going on they would be completely dominate. Now imagine one of the best college teams has been coached by the same man for 46 years, and he's been on the staff for 62. He's not only a great coach, but without a doubt has been the most morally upstanding coach during that time span. A paragon of everything good in collegiate athletics. He's built a ten million library for the campus and founded a classics program. The stadium has expanded from holding 30,000 people to 110,000. He would become a literal cult figure.
That's what Paterno was.

There have been Canadian sex scandals involving similar allegations against coaches.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_James_(ice_hockey)

I do not remember anyone rioting.

Mind you, he wasn't anything like as prominent as these characters.

[Valmy]

It's fun to tell people I hate college basketball down here.  It's like I called their granny a whore or something.

I am sensing you find the team or sport the most people love in your area of residence and then relish telling everybody how much you hate it.

[Malthus]

It's fun to tell people I hate college basketball down here.  It's like I called their granny a whore or something.

I am sensing you find the team or sport the most people love in your area of residence and then relish telling everybody how much you hate it.

He's gonna be in trouble when he moves to an area where the team sport is eating barbeque and ogling big-breasted women. 

[Malthus]

neil's point is well taken; college football is a huge rural america phenomenon and pre-exists pro football

doak campbell stadium in tallahassee holds about 86,000 people; the city has a population of 181,000

the swamp in gainesville holds about 88,000 people; the city has a population of about 124,000

compare this with jacksonville florida, the largest city in north florida; we have a population of about 1,000,000 (metro area); we have an nfl team whose stadium holds about 73,000 and we struggle to fill it for the nfl

outside of the northeast, in most of america, college football is king and has no rival

it is the opening discourse in any polite conversation in the fall and wishing someone's team good luck on saturday is as gracious a closing to correspondence or a conversation as any other

it is in that arena that joe pa had become a living legend; while still alive he and bobby had statues made in their image and placed outside of their respective stadiums; it is quite simply a prominent fall from grace and disillusioning experience on an epic scale

That's just it: up here, the sheer level of prominance and adulation given to these figures is considered bizzare and excessive - and nothing brings that to attention more than this scandal.

I can't think of any Canadian equivalent, off the top of my head. I mean, statues in their image? Rioting when they are fired? It's ... odd.