Penn State Cult (Joe Knew)

[Jaxbuck]

I had to show this thread to my mother - we've compared the shithole I grew up in to Rock Ridge for over 20 years now

You guys never had a #6 worked up on you I hope.

 

[Mike80]

You guys never had a #6 worked up on you I hope.

Nope - but I was really glad when we moved out of there. FACT.

 

[LovelandBuckeye]

Nope - but I was really glad when we moved out of there. FACT.

Where is the EVIDENTS?

 

[sparcboxbuck]

Yeah, the tOSU fanbase response was rather tempered, IMO. We actually moved on rather quickly after the punishment was handed down. Granted, some of that may have to do with landing a Top-5 coach and native son as a replacement. I don't recall any wild conspiracy theories. But watch, the cult will rail about this for years. I think most of the Buckeye ire was directed to Gene Smith's clumsy handling of the situation, and a handful of goofy comments from Gee.

I do recall a number of people who, at a minimum, held out hope that the federal investigation caused JT to keep it to himself and that would come out in the end.

Frankly, I have to admit that there was a part of me, however cynical I can be, that hoped for that to be the case.

That said, UFM being hired largely distracted me from those thou... Urban Fick'n Meyer is our coach! Fuck Yeah! See... Did it again.

 

[Hodgepodge]

Excuse me while I whip this out.

 

[BuckeyeInWA]

Mark May is an asshole pure and simple.

As for the first part of your statement, it's a little more complex than you present it. Any large, diverse fanbase is going to have a variety of opinions regarding an NCAA investigation/sanctions. I think our response was relatively balanced and mild relative to the Spoiled Children and in an entire different galaxy than the Paterno Cult's response. I personally keep in touch with about two dozen Ohio State alumni (friends from college, a couple from State and another dozen in Chicago), and no one thinks we were framed by a corrupt ncaa, thinks that we didn't deserve to go on probation or thinks that JT should have kept his job.

I should have been more clear. You're absolutely right that the response from Penn State fans has been vastly worse than that of OSU fans or USC fans to their respective scandals. I was just arguing that it's the same underlying mental progress that causes otherwise rational individuals to turn into irrational fools. It's just far more severe in the case of Penn State.

As for the ESPN role, you need to look at that as a very complex issue vis-a-vis the Big Ten's relationship with the network and more importantly the network's business interests of which their coverage of Tresselgate was only a part. They've attacked first and asked questions later regarding anything they can get their hands on against the Big Ten since the BTN was formed and they weren't invited to partner up in it. There is a complete ESPN bias against the entire Big Ten on the part of ESPN based upon the threat to their business interests that the BTN represents, and it's dictated their reporting and editorial content regarding any Big Ten school not just us.

I don't know, I guess I just don't see it. I think that the way ESPN covered the tattoo scandal was pathetic and sensationalistic, but I felt that way about almost all the sports media coverage I saw of the scandal. I've seen several people float this idea that ESPN is biased against the B1G because of the BTN, but I really don't see evidence of that in their reporting and it also doesn't really make sense. ESPN is in the business of sports. What's good for college football is good for them. It doesn't matter which conference produces entertaining games. If it drives public interest, then that benefits ESPN. If we assume that ESPN is operating solely on economic self interest, then it just doesn't make sense for them to be actively hostile to a large conference like the B1G that has so many fans. Or maybe I just don't see it. Reasonable people can agree to disagree.

 

[Mike80]

I should have been more clear. You're absolutely right that the response from Penn State fans has been vastly worse than that of OSU fans or USC fans to their respective scandals. I was just arguing that it's the same underlying mental progress that causes otherwise rational individuals to turn into irrational fools. It's just far more severe in the case of Penn State.

With most fanbases I would agree. I do not agree when it comes to the Ped Staters.

these people are a cult - they would literally throw themselves in front of a bus to save Pedterno's reputation. they are pathetic to the point that his former record means more to them than morality, child welfare and whether or not a crime was even committed.

The place needs to be nuked off of the face of the planet entirely.

I don't know, I guess I just don't see it. I think that the way ESPN covered the tattoo scandal was pathetic and sensationalistic, but I felt that way about almost all the sports media coverage I saw of the scandal. I've seen several people float this idea that ESPN is biased against the B1G because of the BTN, but I really don't see evidence of that in their reporting and it also doesn't really make sense. ESPN is in the business of sports. What's good for college football is good for them. It doesn't matter which conference produces entertaining games. If it drives public interest, then that benefits ESPN. If we assume that ESPN is operating solely on economic self interest, then it just doesn't make sense for them to be actively hostile to a large conference like the B1G that has so many fans. Or maybe I just don't see it. Reasonable people can agree to disagree.

You really need to read up on the EsPiN negotiations around the 2005 timeframe. The Big Ten essentially told ESPN to shove it up their asses.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

I do recall a number of people who, at a minimum, held out hope that the federal investigation caused JT to keep it to himself and that would come out in the end.

Sure, that was a view held by some. Some still hold it. The big difference is off the football boards. No students rioted when JT was fired. No HOF former players were sitting in Ohio Stadium boxes with cardboard JT cutouts in the window. No Ohio State board of trustees went rogue. There are no framingtressel.com websites out there. There are no furious alumni planning on protesting his dismissal by holding a rally next Saturday that's been hijacked by some deviant Michigan alum going full Lenny Pepperidge on them.

World of difference here, my friend.

 

[HorseshoeFetish]

Sure, that was a view held by some. Some still hold it. The big difference is off the football boards. No students rioted when JT was fired. No HOF former players were sitting in Ohio Stadium boxes with cardboard JT cutouts in the window. No Ohio State board of trustees went rogue. There are no framingtressel.com websites out there. There are no furious alumni planning on protesting his dismissal by holding a rally next Saturday that's been hijacked by some deviant Michigan alum going full Lenny Pepperidge on them.

World of difference here, my friend.

Well...when you put it like that...I mean sure.

 

[Buckeye86]

Sure, that was a view held by some. Some still hold it. The big difference is off the football boards. No students rioted when JT was fired. No HOF former players were sitting in Ohio Stadium boxes with cardboard JT cutouts in the window. No Ohio State board of trustees went rogue. There are no framingtressel.com websites out there. There are no furious alumni planning on protesting his dismissal by holding a rally next Saturday that's been hijacked by some deviant Michigan alum going full Lenny Pepperidge on them.

World of difference here, my friend.

There is also a pretty big difference in the timeline of events. Ohio State fans (including myself) were fired up when the clouds of uncertainty were still swirly. Once things settled done and the situation became clear I think almost everyone accepted and moved on.

Compare that to the reaction at Penn State post Freeh Report and the fact that a large chunk of the fanbase will seemingly never accept and move forward no matter what is revealed and I think that is where you will find the biggest difference.

Oh yeah, and the scale of the problem was not in the same universe which makes the above differences exponentially worse. I agree with the cult on this point: it wasn't a football problem in Happy Valley. It was a common human decency erased by 60 years of the football and Paterno cult controlling everything in Happy Valley problem.

Ohio State had a football problem.

 

[Taosman]

My Ped State alumni friend still don't get it! She tried saying "they all do it!" WTF? This is a well educated, reasonable person mostly but can't quite wrap her mind around the total cover-up and how hugely it penetrated the athletic department!

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

... If we assume that ESPN is operating solely on economic self interest, ...

Bad assumption. I've lived in 8 states and have friends all over, few of whom are Buckeye fans. All who have commented on this see ESPN's behavior as irrational. To wit, their petulant butt-hurt is preventing them from acting "solely on economic self interest".

Even when they do act on economic self interest, trolling Buckeye fans pays the bills just fine.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

Bad assumption. I've lived in 8 states and have friends all over, few of whom are Buckeye fans. All who have commented on this see ESPN's behavior as irrational. To wit, their petulant butt-hurt is preventing them from acting "solely on economic self interest".

Even when they do act on economic self interest, trolling Buckeye fans pays the bills just fine.

It's not just Ohio State, they go after any hint of scandal in the Big Ten with both guns blazing and no prior investigation or FACTS!. You would have thought that DickRod's extra practices was the equivalent of SMU from watching ESPN (and before anyone says they were, keep in mind that Woody was dinged for the same violation in the 70s).

It's nice to feel special, but ESPN has it in for the conference as a whole. We were just the biggest target, and until Penn State came along, Tressel gave them the perfect vehicle to channel their agenda.

 

[colobuck79]

This is a well educated, reasonable person mostly but can't quite wrap her mind around the total cover-up and how hugely it penetrated the athletic department!

ISWYDT

 

[NFBuck]

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=157&f=1395&t=9312778