Joe Paterno's Legacy Should Reflect Both His Victories & Mistakes
Posted by Maressa Brown on January 22, 2012 at 11:37 AM
Comments (65)
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False reports of Joe Paterno's death were swirling last night, but this morning, the former Penn State football coach's family confirmed his passing from complications related to lung cancer. In the statement, they say Paterno "died as he lived ... fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been."
Although we could see it coming -- especially given all the stress 85-year-old Paterno had been under in the past few months -- this is certainly a serious blow to Penn State fans and fans of college football everywhere. Of course, many people respected Paterno for his life's work and want to honor and pay tribute to his achievements. Still, the coach's death shouldn't mean the man gets to become a saint overnight.
You know what I'm talking about, because it happens all the time! Celebrity or public figure lives a charmed life, is beloved by many, but makes some questionable judgment calls (aka screws up royally) ... But when they die, sometimes, it's like reality gets distorted in a flash. Suddenly, that poor judgment or serious misstep is brushed under the rug, and we end up putting the deceased idol on a pedestal. Even if we were distraught by the guy's actions only a couple of months ago, his death triggers slews of sappy "RIP JoePa" status updates on Facebook. It's all sorts of wrong, because passing away shouldn't get anyone "off the hook" from the life they lead or the mistakes they made.
How Joe Paterno handled the Jerry Sandusky scandal should alter his legacy as a famous, beloved, winning football coach known for his integrity. Not that he should be remembered as villain or only for his failure to prevent Sandusky from allegedly molesting young boys, but let's just be honest, real, and fair with his legacy. Let's remember JoePa as a three-dimensional human being who had grand accomplishments ... as well as a huge unforgettable, unforgivable slip-up. It's fine if he goes down as "the greatest football coach in the history of the game" ... as long as we don't forget that he was also a flawed man.
Summary: People mourn the death of Joe Paterno because, as we all know, Joe Pa had a huge impact on sports fans all over America. This article is emphasizing the controversy of how public figures should be remembered considering their accomplishments and mistakes.
How do you think Joe Paterno should be remembered?
What should be the main focus after a person's passing: the good or bad aspects of their life?
(Group Members: Rachel Dorrian, Hallie Keselman, Sam Thompson, Alyssa Winner)
I agree with the author of this article completely. Yes, Paterno was a great football coach and should be remembered as such, but that doesn't mean we should just forget the rest of what happened. It seems like in death people famous people's mistakes are always forgiven and then forgotten overnight. Joe Paterno will be missed in the world of collegiate football, but that doesn't exonerate him of his very unfortunate mistakes.
ReplyDeleteI would also have to agree with this article. It's funny how people can love a man so much, then tear him down after the Jerry Sandusky incident, and now everyone is mourning and acting like the past couple months never happened. Yes death is sad and yes Joe Paterno is a legend, but say this same scenario happened to a normal college coach; would his death have been mourned to this extent? I think not.
ReplyDeleteI too agree with this author no matter whether they are a celebrity or not the deceased in most cases get a positive recognition; as if everything about them was so rosy?It's a snowball effect that is here to stay. Vincent Van Gough, Edgar Allan Poe, Gregor Mendel are only a few to name who became popular after their death which is boggling. Do we let people off to a certain degree because we know they're human and we all make mistakes? We can't judge Paterno about the Sandusky case all we can really do is move on and make sure that, that won't happen again. And I think that is the lens people will look at just because it is a mournful moment.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with this article I don't think Joe Paterno should be let off the hook for what he did. I think out of respect for his death and at his funeral he should be remembered for the good things he did in his life because there were a lot of things he did well. His legacy, however, he should be remembered for everything that happened in his life, the good or the bad. Not too many people will do this and they only remember good like when Michael Jackson died. I hope that people will learn from Joe Paterno and emulate the good things that he did and learn from the major mistakes he made.
ReplyDelete6 - I, too, agree with the author of this article. Any person that puts a football program over the well being of a child is almost as sick as the perpetrator. However, a single mistake, nor a single accomplishment, should define a person's entire life. That being said, the way in which the author introduces her beliefs tend to sway the general reaction in her favor (I agree as do the classmates preceding me). She brings the information in by using positive facts and then incorporating a "BUT" statement that includes her personal thoughts. This is apparently a great way to sway an audience's opinion. The author proves that it is extremely effective to build upon the public's general consensus (i.e. Joe Paterno is the greatest football coach in the history of the game), but then introduce one's own opinions into the argument (i.e. Let's remember him as a three dimensional human being with one big, unforgettable screw up).
ReplyDelete6 I agree with a lot of Courtney said. The author uses a technique that almost leads you through the paragraph waiting for the big "BUT." And then the author hits us with their opinion, damning Paterno for the mistakes he made. Yeah, he screwed up, he's human like the rest of us, and as he's stated in other interviews, he had never come into contact with this kind of situation. I'm guessing he was a little naive, maybe didn't understand that was occurring, or another host of factors. I find it difficult to believe that someone with the moral fiber of Joe Paterno would take the course action he did without those other factors. He taught the young men under him to be better than that. But unfortunately this is the reality that has confronted his legacy. There will always be a big BUT, as there should be, he should be held accountable, but not be called a monster. He should be remembered as a great coach, not sanctified, but remembered. He will always have a place among the great coaches and mentors, regardless of the mistakes he made.
ReplyDelete6 I agree most of the ideas in the article. The article use the example of Joe Paterno's death to express the question that whether we should remember the mistake someone did after his death? According to the Joe Paterno's example, he has made a huge mistake which almost ruin all his past success, but in the same way, he is the greatest coach in American. In my opinion, a people does so much great things like him should be respected but we also should objectively remember both of these two parts. I like the way author says "Let's remember JoePa as a three-dimensional human being who had grand accomplishments ... as well as a huge unforgettable, unforgivable slip-up."
ReplyDeleteIn another aspect, if the mistake people made is not so serious, we should be forgive that part and leave a final good impression on the dead. there is a saying according to the Buddhism that people's death is just like the blow out of the light, everything should be forgiven.
6. After reading this article, I found a very interesting thing that the author is very smart to state her claims. And the truth is, readers generally agree with the author. Why?
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the article, the author describes how grand accomplishments Joe Paterno had with some instances, such as his successful coach career experiences and how respectful and honorable the Penn State fans and even fans of college football everywhere are to him. However, the author suddenly introduces a new idea about Joe Paterno’s mistakes and seems to persuade people to think objectively and rationally: “passing away shouldn't get anyone ‘off the hook’ from the life they lead or the mistakes they made”.
I think the author is smart to state the claims because usually people cannot disagree with this kind of claim that the author made because the claim itself is hard to challenge. The claim represents a thinking way that we should be objective and rational to judge. Who would say “no, I don’t think we should be objective”?! Further, how about the author describes Paterno’s mistakes first, and then state the claim like this “even though Joe Paterno made a huge unforgettable, unforgivable slip-up, passing away shouldn’t make anyone to forget his grand accomplishments”? Would it be different?
Last, this article reminds me of Jobs’ death. At that period, many people regard Steve Jobs as a legend; however, Jobs also made huge mistakes in his life. But I still admire him in some ways. Thus, I don’t think it is right to put a flawed public figure on a pedestal as soon as they pass away. But also, after keeping regret emotion aside, people should objectively judge what should be pushed.
7. This article does seem to have an effect on people's values. I would have to agree with some of the earlier comments that Joe Paterno did accomplish unimaginable achievements. I do not believe that people should take that way from him. I know it was not the right thing to do by letting the child abuse go on, but in all reality, he wasn't the abuser. I know he could have put a stop to it, but his first job was coaching. I believe that his intentions to be a good person were definitely there. Joe Paterno made a name for Penn State. I mean think about it, all the commercials on the television were of his saying, "Come to Penn State." He was like there icon that people looked up to. I know an icon is supposed to do the ethical thing in all situations especially the case of the child abuse, but he really was a good man that brought Penn State a lot of money and recognition. He also attracted people to their university.
ReplyDelete6. I'm going to have to agree with the author of the article up to a point. I believe that people should be remembered as who they really are. Both the good and bad choices people make are part of their life. Joe Paterno should be viewed "as the greatest coach in all of football history" and as child molester he was as well.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, right after someones death the deceased should be remembered for their accomplishments. The reason I believe this is because it's already hard enough for the family of the departed to deal with their loss without the constant reminder of the mistakes their loved one made during their time alive. I know that at my funeral I will want to be remembered for my accomplishments, not my mistakes I've made. I'm not saying that Joe Paterno's mistakes should be swept under the rug, but that their is a time and a place and now is not the time.
6&7. This article is a perfect representation on an article that effect's peoples values. The whole situation that surrounds Penn State is very touchy. Many people feel different ways about the situation and it is shown through this article and the responses that it has gotten. Some people feel that he should be remembered for the tragic event that happened at Penn State and others for his persona on the football field. This is a classic case of people just telling the next person and letting the issue slip their mind. Joe Paterno was not the abuser, he did not see the situation happen and he only knew of it from an assistant coach saying he saw it. He didnt even have any proof it happened. If anyone is to be held accountable it is Jerry Sandusky and Mike McQueary the assistant coach who saw it happen. Joe Paterno should be remembered for the thounsands of lives he impacted and all that he did for the college football world and especially Penn State. He should be remembered as a legend and not for the tragic event that happened at the end of his career that he didnt even see.
ReplyDelete6. I believe the author of this article has a valid argument, that one's passing does not excuse them from fault. In essence, I agree that regardless of a person's accomplishments, they should be remembered for who the individual really was. Of course, to those closely tied to Joe Paterno he will always be respected and deemed a sports legend. Yet on the other hand, for the millions of people who did not know him, he will be remembered as an accomplice to Jerry Sandusky's criminal acts. Joe Paterno was a man known for his integrity, until this event surfaced; his failure to report such atrocious acts against children showed his true colors.
ReplyDeleteEven if he was unsure, he should have reported it; that was his responsibility. Joe Paterno could have put an end to the child abuse, but he didn't. He allowed child after child to be abused; those children will remember that abuse for the rest of their lives. Although he was an icon and sports legend to many, he should be remembered for his involvement in the crimes of Jerry Sandusky. If that is brushed under the rug and he is only remembered as a sports legend, it is as if the public excuses such behavior.
I concur with the author of this article. When celebrities falter and are still alive, they are viewed as villains but once they die, what they have done no longer seems like a big deal. Their death seems to overshadow their mistakes and they are forgiven, even placed on a pedestal with great respect. It seems that it may be human nature not to speak ill of the dead, and in death the are forgiven because some think their mistakes are not worthy of death. However, when remembering someone who has faltered in such a way as Paterno, it is important to consider all aspects of their life: the good and the bad. A person's legacy is not defined by one aspect of their life but their life as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the author of this article as well. Yes, Paterno was an amazing football coach and should not be forgotten, but that does not mean that we should just overlook everything that has happened in the past. It wasn’t the right thing to do by not telling anyone of the child abuse, so we can’t just forget about it all after his death. So, basically, we need to remember the bad along with the good.
ReplyDeleteThis whole story is just hard to swallow as a sports fan. Joe Paterno was always known as a great head figure, leader, coach, and man. He taught these young men to truly become men. I would agree that Paterno is at fault for not doing more than he did. Deciding to keep your mouth quiet about a scandal as serious as this one is the opposite of being a leader. At heart, I think Joe Paterno was a great man, and if he could have done it differently, he would publicly came out and told the news. However the real one at fault is Jerry Sandusky. If all of these allegations are true, (These are still just allegations. Nothing has been proven) than he was a sick man, and he is the one who hurt Paterno and his legacy. I believe that Joe Paterno will be remembered for all of these things. It is unfortunate for his family to have to hear bad news like this. However, football is still just a game and childrens' safety should always be a priority.
ReplyDelete^Joe Bilardello is joefalcons
DeleteI believe that Joe Paterno was a great leader and a great coach. He did a lot of good during his time with Penn State. Paterno was also renowned for his charitable contributions to academics at Penn State. He and his wife Sue have contributed over $4 million towards various departments and colleges, including support for the Penn State All-Sports Museum. The Sandusky scandel cannot be overlooked and we should also remember that he turned the other way while injustice was being done in his locker room. Joe Paterno should always be remembered for the good he has done but we should not forget the injustices he stood and watched.
DeleteWhile I agree that we cannot just forget about a person's mistakes, I think that it is a shame if they are all they are remembered for after his or her death. For someone with such great accomplishments, I think it is slightly wrong to hold such grudges towards a person's mistakes once they are gone. A person should be remembered for the span of a lifetime, with the focus on the person that they tried to be and aspired to be. I guess I believe that none of us are perfect, and even though some of his actions were inexcusable, why try to remember a person for their faults when we can try to remember them for the positive things that they have done? -Danielle Valentine
ReplyDeleteI believe Joe was a generally a good person, but could of done some things differently. He has been a great mentor for kids that have been on his team and for poeple around him. He contributes a lot of good to Penn State but also made a very crucial mistake. He should be remembered for the good and the bad. He should of handled a crucial situation differently, but I can understand that he didn't want it to go public for the university's sake. Everyone criticizes what he did, but I am sure not everyone would of done differently than him. I believe Joe Paterno personally did more good than bad to the world. You can't put all the blame on one person. -Brad
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