Marcus Dupree has been the subject of a recent ESPN television short
biography. It is a terrible tale of stupidity, fraud, exploitation and
failure revolving around Marcus Dupree, one of the nation's most
extraordinary athletes ever. (He ran the 100 yard dash in 9.5 seconds,
was 220 pounds and as a freshman for Oklahoma's football team ran for
over 200 yards--while playing a half a game because of an
injury--against the best defensive college team in the nation that was
averaging a little over 64 yards a game rushing against them.) The
story, however, is less about this elite young athlete than the craven
and incompetent adults whom he had the misfortune to encounter.
He grew up in Philadelphia, Missippi and I doubt he was ever out of the tiny town except when traveling for a sport. When he was seventeen he became a national sports figure as a high school athlete. Bigger and faster than Jimmy Brown and still growing. He developed a vampiric collection of "friends and advisers", ended up going to Oklahoma to play ball and ran afoul of the coach, Switzer, got hurt, became disillusioned (and overwhelmed) and began a long spiral culminating in injury, failure and a return to Philadelphia as a truck driver. There was, however, considerable collateral wealth absorbed and disseminated among his "friends and advisers." Barry Switzer called it his greatest failure as a coach.
This is a terrible story of individual misjudgment, stupidity and avarice. But despite its breadth, it is individual. And hopefully we can learn from individual error. But the Penn State scandal is not individual; it is cultural and it teaches no lessons. It has become an entity, an evil entity. The basic reason that Sandusky was allowed to continue on in his behavior was the institution of Penn State football. It was the cause and the effect, a self feeding black hole of felonious corruption. Sandusky and his protection became integral with the football program, as integral as two-a-days.
Madness and evil teach no lessons. The program must be destroyed.
He grew up in Philadelphia, Missippi and I doubt he was ever out of the tiny town except when traveling for a sport. When he was seventeen he became a national sports figure as a high school athlete. Bigger and faster than Jimmy Brown and still growing. He developed a vampiric collection of "friends and advisers", ended up going to Oklahoma to play ball and ran afoul of the coach, Switzer, got hurt, became disillusioned (and overwhelmed) and began a long spiral culminating in injury, failure and a return to Philadelphia as a truck driver. There was, however, considerable collateral wealth absorbed and disseminated among his "friends and advisers." Barry Switzer called it his greatest failure as a coach.
This is a terrible story of individual misjudgment, stupidity and avarice. But despite its breadth, it is individual. And hopefully we can learn from individual error. But the Penn State scandal is not individual; it is cultural and it teaches no lessons. It has become an entity, an evil entity. The basic reason that Sandusky was allowed to continue on in his behavior was the institution of Penn State football. It was the cause and the effect, a self feeding black hole of felonious corruption. Sandusky and his protection became integral with the football program, as integral as two-a-days.
Madness and evil teach no lessons. The program must be destroyed.
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