The legacy of Joe Paterno is tragically ironic. He had survived as a football coach by being a great coach and a man with integrity and honor. He established the university and his team with the motto of “commitment to integrity.” When Penn State tried to force him out in the past, it was the fear of public backlash that made the university keep the coach. This week, the opposite occurred as the PR nightmare swirled out of their control. For Joe it was not a scandal involving tattoos, agents or cheating. It was Joe not acting as a man of integrity.
Many blame the media for the size and scope of this story. Out of all of the stories covered in the news, online, or in social media I can’t think of one that has warranted more attention than this one. The truth is the actual firing of Joe Paterno had nothing to do with his actions of his complicity in any crimes. He was fired because Penn State was in a dire situation and about to lose total control.
Twitter and Facebook should not be confused with online chat rooms, where you do have anonymity. Once your tweet goes out it is there forever, whether you delete it or not. Your opinion has a face on it and most times a picture too. That could be seen this week as celebrity Ashton Kutcher showed his support for Joe Paterno. He immediately took down the tweet and turned over his twitter account to his management. Twitter and Facebook give a voice to the people that generally do not have a voice. Their opinion is their opinion and should be taken as such.
One thing I did see in the twitter world was some actual (and surprisingly real) reporting. Sports writers were some of the first to adapt to social media. If you follow sports writers outside of those involved with ESPN you can see some real reporting, especially those connected to local newspapers, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, and CBS Sports. This was an opportunity for sports writers to cover a real story, a meaningful story. For the most part, these writers have done well with the task. That was seen as the quasi riots began on Thursday night with real time reporting and eye witness accounts from the sports media on twitter.
This story has evoked so much outrage that I initially could not understand. I have had mixed emotions but the longer the story went on the more strongly I felt about it. Joe Paterno built up a legacy based on integrity, and his inaction in one instance is enough (and should be enough) to tear down that legacy. Through all of this Joe Paterno seems old and disconnected. He has yet to apologize or make a statement of importance. This story has been led by the social media and he seems to have little knowledge of what that is or how it works. The media did not generate the story or determine the outcome. It accelerated the pace of story and forced those in power to come up with a conclusion quickly.
- Derek Cole
KIN 577
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