The Michigan Man's Vanity: Why Rodriguez Deserves A Chance To Coach

I will start off with a disclaimer: I will probably piss off a lot of people with the title and some of the content of this "article". This article is, in reality, not really an article at all, and is indeed a long-winded diatribe I posted in response to this opinion piece. I don't apologize for hurting your feelings if you come away hurt. This was as introspective as it was observational. We need change, we need it now, and we need to be patient...

So, let's begin...

[Disclaimer: Please read THIS opinion before reading otherwise the context may be confusing or come across simply as rant. Thank you.]

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Couple of things:

1) The competitive advantage argument is a losing one, since there is no rule that states how much a player may voluntarily practice, work out, or study film. This isn't a timed exam where everyone gets just 20 hours of work before the big game. 

This is, in all reality, a profession. I know people don't want to look at it because we still have this absurd notion that scholar athletes at big schools are primarily a scholar and then an athlete, but it's just not grounded in reality.

In sports, as in the real world, the harder and longer you work, the easier it is to get ahead.  It's not cheating to work harder and longer if you're doing it just for the benefit of learning more or getting faster or stronger. 

That's like telling art students that they can only draw for two hours a day while in an art major. Let me tell you something, my sister has her BA in fine art, she practically lived in the art buildings at school—sometimes sleeping in the facility as she was only going to be gone for a few hours.  That isn't cheating, it's called passion for skill-building. It's the same with football.

If you want to argue anything, argue that Rich Rod (Dick Rod is an inherit slam on the man) was trying to create an advantage by making those whose natural desire to work harder was less prevalent come to the same level as his elite workers. 

If you have a problem with people working hard for the sake of accomplishing a goal, then by all means, live out your wealth-distribution, equal-work for all, Utopian dream-world.  However, the reality is that elite-level athletes focus on athletics because it is their vocation of the future, not their secondary motive in school. 

We go to college not because we could not learn in any other manner, we go to school to gain a competitive advantage in our respective vocation. There is no other reason to spend all the money that a higher-education cost other than to advance our future careers. Again, it's the same with football, even college football.

2) The tired old student-athlete argument is worn out and I propose should be looked at differently than you present. Think about how you worked your way through school. Did you get a full-ride or did you pay your way? Maybe your dad and mom paid for it. Well, I was lucky enough to get a combination of all three. I worked half-time, got some scholarships (my school didn't give full-rides), and my parents covered what I couldn't.

Think about why these so-called "student-athletes", whom so many people claim should focus only on their academics and then find time for athletics, pay for their college education. That's right, they don't. It's paid for by their athletic scholarship. 

So, why, I ask is it any different for them to have an inherent obligation to put in as much time as they can in dedication to their sport? Do I think they should be slaves to their sport and their coaches the task-master? Of course not. Do I believe they are so precious that 20-hours a week would cover the tuition at some of these high-cost schools (remember, Michigan is NOT cheap for out-of-state students)? Absolutely not.

Now, I'm not naive. I understand the NCAA has regulations to keep student-athletes as students for at least part of the time they attend the university. They even penalize the university if too many scholarship-awarded athletes leave the university early to attend the NFL, NBA, etc. I will be burned at the stake the day I commit the heresy that has been thrown down upon these coaches, however. Punished for their players working too hard?

They get the best of everything at Michigan. Free tutoring to keep them up with their schooling.  Million-dollar work-out facilities to hone their trade. What does the everyday "pay-as-I-go" enrolled-student get? 

They get the library, a student union, and a $35/hr tutor to help them in their studies—on top of working to pay for all of that. So, forgive me the rant, but it's absurd that anyone with all of these privileges would complain—let alone whine to the media or NCAA to save them. Perhaps they'd like to have no scholarship and play football? Then they would have no obligation to put in the extra mile.

3) As far as integrity goes. Who, but the man, knows the inner-working of another man's soul? I'm not impressed with RR as a person when I hear of him cursing. I do find Justin Boren's complaint of a year ago to be somewhat troubling. 

However, I take all of these with a little patience. People forget easily how demanding and stressful the job of head coach at Michigan can be. I've heard too many people who, just a mere two years ago, were calling for Lloyd Carr's head on a platter, laud him as Jesus re-incarnate.  Yes, yes, I know—compared to "Dick Rod"...

My point is that while no one is happy when PR debacles like this happen at a school, especially a school that has long been rife with traditions of excellence and the highest of standards, we all need to learn to forgive and move on. 

Rodriguez has been at the school for 18+ months. I for one, would like to give the man at least one season where he's not immediately in do-or-die mode and see how things pan out. 

The Free Press vendetta that has been working against him since 2008, the WVU warmongers looking for any way to do him or his family damage (literally vandalizing their property), and the fans ready to crucify at a moments notice are the ultimate reason these allegations even exist.  Our own vanity as "Michigan Men" has blinded us to the truth that we owe our great popularity in many parts to men, just like Rich Rodriguez, who were able to fight through the bull and persevere.

Goodnight, God Bless, and Go Blue!