Quote:
Originally Posted by 33girl
If you want to say "this is what happens when college ball is too much of a big deal" you have to gut the whole system, not just Penn State. It has to do w/ people in powerful positions abusing that power. PERIOD.
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You agree with the article.
And it does have to do with football if football (college athletics) is the crux of what makes some institutions "larger than life." There are certain types of structures and institutions (i.e., religion; highly profitable entities) where such power is most likely to be unquestioned and unchallenged thus breeding such abuse.
Every school has power dynamics and problems whether based on academic rigor or athletic rigor. I know from firsthand experience that the power dynamics at schools celebrated more for athletics tends to be (not always but usually) different than the power dynamics for schools known more for academics. Power dynamics are power dynamics but how it is handled by the schools and the public does differ. People will be angry over an academically well-known school but people will damn near kill you and eat your first born child over an athletically well-known school. That is why it is not only about power but about the specifics of football (college athletics). That topic can be its own GC forum.