Mangino vs the Hot Dogs

[Made in the USA]

KU coach was right to chew out showboater

When I was at the University of Kansas in the late '80s, the Jayhawk football team gave us a lot to cuss about.

Victories came so rarely that when we beat Kansas State University in 1988 for our only win of the season, we tore down the goal posts.

But on the worst Saturday afternoon defeat, I don't think any of us went off the way KU coach Mark Mangino did a week ago.

KU officials were upset that a Topeka television station broadcast Mangino's tirade. Others expressed shock that a coach would cut loose that way on a player.

But if you look beyond the profanity, Mangino is getting at something profound, something that transcends sports.

What set Mangino off also has become my biggest sports pet peeve -- crass individualism. And what exists in sports simply reflects society.

The behavior in our sports stadiums didn't start there.

The KU incident began with Kansas sophomore Raimond Pendleton's unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. He made a celebratory and unnecessary dive into the end zone after a 77-yard punt return during the Jayhawks' 52-7 romp over Central Michigan on Sept. 1.

Mangino exploded.

Between expletives, Mangino reportedly asked the player if he thought he'd scored by himself, if no one blocked for him, if no one coached him. Don't disrespect yourself, your opponents or your teammates by acting as though you scored all by your lonesome.

Football is a team sport.

I like the exuberance of the college game, and I'm not certain Pendleton's dive qualifies as unsportsmanlike. It's like the uncontested dunk in basketball.

But there's a fine line between cheering with teammates and cheering for yourself, a line too many athletes are crossing.

What I hate most is seeing players walk off the field with the football after a touchdown or some other big play.

I'd kill that practice if I were a head coach. We'd decide later as a coaching staff or as a team who deserved a game ball.

But what else should we expect?

Athletes hail from our society, and our society is ruder and cruder than ever. At the heart of that rudeness and crudeness are selfish people with little regard for the people around them.

I see drivers who speed up to prevent another driver from merging or from making a left turn. Parents who bring noisy kids to events where listening is the point of going. Shoppers who stand on your heels in the grocery checkout. People who allow their fearsome-looking dogs to run free, infringing on someone else's right to walk or to jog. People who stop and chat -- in their cars -- in the middle of the street. People who take up two parking spaces by parking over the lines.

You get the picture.

I can't exactly condone Mangino's language. I will say, though, that as nasty as it must have seemed to people unfamiliar with coachspeak, those of us who've been around coaches and locker rooms have probably all heard worse.

But I do support his message.

Shoot, I wish I could take him with me the next time I go to the movies and someone behind me kicks my seat or talks through the whole movie. The next time I see someone in pajamas and fuzzy slippers in public. The next time I see someone smoking in a car full of kids with the windows rolled up.

It's enough to make you cuss.

Wichita Eagle 9-16-07

I side with Mangino on this. I think he is a good Coach, and the media had no business being that close or filming him disciplining his team. If you have ever played organized sports beyond the "kiddie" stuff, you realize that if you screw up, you will probably get chewed out and sworn at!! After all, all he did was chew the kid out. He didn't try to EAT him or anything!!

[BroncoFan]

I fully agree. I really feel the press was trying to "make" news happen and cause controversy for the sake of news. This coach was doing something every coach in the NCAA should be doing. These athletes are getting way out of control and sportsmanship is lost. The way the coach delivered his teachings to the student was between him and the athlete. I do not care that he used expletives. He is not the only one who does. In fact, do you realize that most of the athletes do on the field/court at this level? Lets look at the point the coach was making, not the expletives.

[lurker]

Originally Posted by BroncoFan

I fully agree. I really feel the press was trying to "make" news happen and cause controversy for the sake of news. This coach was doing something every coach in the NCAA should be doing. These athletes are getting way out of control and sportsmanship is lost. The way the coach delivered his teachings to the student was between him and the athlete. I do not care that he used expletives. He is not the only one who does. In fact, do you realize that most of the athletes do on the field/court at this level? Lets look at the point the coach was making, not the expletives.

NO SHIT?!