That's how I'd describe what UConn's done to Kevin Ollie.
I know people have this narrative in their head that he got fired primarily because he was a bad coach and the violations were the final straw. No. He got fired entirely because of his coaching (which includes his recruiting). That's a key distinction because the violations only ever existed because of the poor coaching. What KO is accused of doing is child's play and everyone knows it. The University simply self-reported the violations because they needed to get out of the contract. And then, like a magic trick, the NCAA - a business partner - levied charges on him. What a coincidence!
"Oh this guy must just not be in on the DM chain. Doesn't he know that Ollie couldn't be bothered to do his job and may have done some other bad things as well?"
Let's hear them then. Have you ever stopped to consider something from someone else's perspective? Have you ever considered that corruption in the real world can stem from legitimate injustice as well? Do you think you always have the whole story when you get mad at how money is spent elsewhere? Or are you just always right? There's a common thread in all of that and it's a lack of transparency. The University is now unequivocally guilty, but hey, it's convenient this time!
"Do you expect me to shed a tear over a rich guy who was bad at his job not getting 10 mil"?
No. I expect you to shed a tear for your own continued involvement in a bureaucracy of which you're the victim. I expect you to begin recognizing the monopoly the school and the NCAA has over YOU. I expect you to recognize the danger in foregoing a democratic process because a couple biased parties decided that they were owed one.
"I dunno man, he broke the contract!"
Go talk to his lawyer then. Truth be told, I don't give a damn about whether Ollie gets this much money or that much money. There are more important things in the world.
I care about my school lying to me. I care about the fact that my school has been victimized by this shady business more than any other. I care about the fact that corruption breeds corruption, and if you don't have the courage to stop the cycle when the arrow lands on you, what's the point of even pretending you have an identity at all?
I don't care about what corporations or institutions can do to technically get away with things. I care about we can do. I care about our fanbase having a voice that represents us and not the status quo. Try being different, try being original. Ask yourselves what you want your role in this process to be. Follow my lead if you want the school to represent you and follow their lead if you want it to represent everything that's wrong with America. If you think you're progressive, if you think you're state's better than Alabama or Georgia because we're more educated, more enlightened? This is a test. Enter gate one and live up to your word or enter gate two and be a hypocrite.
This board has been great to me. I'm sincerely thankful to Tom, the rest of the admins, and everyone else who has made such a difference in my life these last eight years. I respect the intelligence of the people here tremendously and hope to continue learning from you moving forward.
But this isn't a difference in opinion for me, it's a crossroads. I'm not grandstanding, or posturing, or moralizing. I'm simply appealing to your appetite for listening to someone who's a lot more like you and a lot more invested in this matter than the noise coming from the other side.
The thing about this is that we matter so much more than Ollie's lawyers. The system is so stacked against anyone in Ollie's shoes that he's forced to defend himself by denying the allegations rather than mentioning the fact that, oh yeah, this is a business and they added the buyout to his contract because he was being pursued by freaking NBA teams.
We fund all of this and it's time for us to start having a say in what happens. Sure, you *can* ignore it. It's entertainment after all, so you're not going to go to hell for unknowingly ratifying things you can't see.
It's just that, the things you think you're doing in the interest of your school aren't always in the interest of your school. It's in the interest of our school to demonstrate a fighting spirit against the things that have largely ruined college sports. It's in the interest of our school to set the pace for change in our country.
I want you to think for a minute about who this is coming from. I'm not your gender studies professor or a social rights activist. I'm not Jay Bilas or Shaun King. I'm the person that studies hours of game tape, travels eight hours to and from tournaments without leaving my car, and writes mountains of paragraphs on January games, all for nothing. If I'm mad enough about something to leave, you should pay attention.
So I'll make things very simple and encourage you to boycott the program until Ollie is paid his buyout money and/or Benedict and Herbst are removed from their positions at the school. It's not the most important cause but it's the most important cause that's ours. DM me if you want to learn more about why I'm doing this or what we can do to maximize impact. Otherwise, have a nice life.
