At its worst, organized sport is a microsociety of entitlement, abuse and expectation that is completely out of proportion to its value to society in general.
At its best, it is a subculture of trust, commitment and co-operation that can be a beacon to others, particularly children. The benefits of shared values and goals, work ethic and organization are paramount.
In recent weeks, the worst of sport has come to dominate the sporting news and wiggle its way into everyday conversation.
At Pennsylvania State University, things have gone horribly wrong — or, more precisely, an ongoing wrong, of horrible proportions, is just now being made public.
In Neepawa, Man., things have gone horribly wrong — or, more precisely, another wrong that may have been perpetuated for years, has just recently been made public.
Penn State Nittany Lions football and Neepawa Natives hockey represent a subculture where society’s rules are ignored or buried, and the insiders are either exalted beyond reason or victimized beyond any moral authority.
And a microsociety of trust and accomplishment becomes a culture of secrecy and predatory abuse.
Legendary, long-serving Penn State coach Joe Paterno has been fired, as has the university’s president. The school’s athletic director and its vice-president stepped down before that.
All of this is the result of the revelation that former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky faces 40 criminal counts of sexually abusing at least eight boys over a 15-year period — some on Penn State’s campus, under Paterno’s nose.
Almost a decade ago, a graduate assistant informed Paterno that he had witnessed an alleged sex assault perpetrated by Sandusky. Paterno passed the information up the ladder, but apparently took no action himself.
Neither did his superiors, and police now allege that the abuses continued for years.
And the university is to blame for that, and for the mindset that allows them to believe that the football program is somehow above the law; somehow above decency and honour.
Now, some observers are even suggesting that by firing Paterno, the university is guilty of further victimizing the victims: fans are angry about Paterno’s loss and blame the alleged victims of the sex crimes, presumably for coming forward and, ultimately, toppling this house of cards.
How much more insidious could this sense of institutional entitlement be?
In Neepawa, a junior hockey hazing tradition has become public knowledge, setting off a firestorm in that community, forcing players to abandon the team, and ultimately leading to an apology and the resignation of the coach/general manager, Bryant Perrier.
Never mind that it took weeks for the club to take this action and for Perrier to leave. Never mind that the Manitoba Junior Hockey League fined the team a paltry $5,000 for allowing the hazing to take place.
At the heart of both of these circumstances are young men whose lives have been turned upside down.
Where is the solace for the young men who were subjected to the hazing in Neepawa? What irreparable damage has been done to their trust in others and their confidence in themselves?
And what of the young men in Pennsylvania, who can only look on in shock at the football fans chanting on Paterno’s lawn in support of the storied 84-year-old coach?
Where will they find the support and counselling, within such a twisted community, to repair their lives?
Sometimes, the winners and losers in sports have nothing to do with the scoreboard, and everything to do with human nature at its worst.
John Stewart is the Advocate’s managing editor.