Sipple: Osborne says society's increasing vitriol impacts coaches

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Things I know and think I know:
He was in full work mode Monday morning.

Tom Osborne isn't the type to lapse into cruise control during his last days as Nebraska athletic director, even when a sportswriter stops by his office to wax nostalgic.

The 75-year-old Osborne will retire Jan. 1. When he took over as Husker football coach in 1973, did Osborne have a vision for how he wanted the program to be perceived nationally?

I was surprised by his answer.

More than anything in those days, Osborne said, he thought about season-to-season survival. He mostly thought about trying to somehow match the lofty standards established by his predecessor, Bob Devaney. Or else.

"I think you always felt you were never more than a year or two away from losing your job," Osborne said. "Maybe at this point, that sounds a little silly.

"There was always a certain amount of emphasis on trying to keep pace, and not as much thought on the big picture as you might think."

Osborne obviously grasps the big picture well. He hears folks hammering away at his head football coach, Bo Pelini. Osborne says he has talked to Bo about the criticism that goes with the job. At the moment, obviously, some of the heat is deserved -- 70-31, you know. Concern is only natural. But much of it is part of being the boss of a high-profile program that happens to have one of the most fervent fan bases in the free world.

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Execellent read. Always enjoy hearing what Dr. Tom has to say about the state of our program.

 
He kind of contradicts himself with this though: "I think you always felt you were never more than a year or two away from losing your job,"

So how is that any different from today?

 
kchusker_chris said:
He kind of contradicts himself with this though: "I think you always felt you were never more than a year or two away from losing your job,"

So how is that any different from today?
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I think he is saying that back then "you felt that way" no "you hear about it all the time"

 
grumpy2.jpg


/ Actually, TO has probably earned the right to shake his cane at NU football / fans.

 
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Osborne says Bo and his staff are doing a good job. Of course, TO promoted and endorsed Solich and Pedersen, both epic failures. So what does he know?

not serious.

 
kchusker_chris said:
accountability said:
Osborne says Bo and his staff are doing a good job. Of course, TO promoted and endorsed Solich and Pedersen, both epic failures. So what does he know?

not serious.
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maybe a little serious?
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No. Not at all. Call me a homer all you want, but Tom Osborne has done enough great things to easily overshadow his two biggest, so-called "mistakes". I will still take his word to the bank over anything else I see. It's just the way I feel.

 
Also remember his biggest mistakes were endorsements before the facts, not having a guarantee of success but guessing. If he would have said "they are doing a good job" in 2002 or in 2004, he would have been dead wrong, but saying "I think they will do a good job" is an entirely different sort of thing.

 
This has been discussed, but in my eyes, Solich wasn't a failure, and if I remember correctly, Osborne didn't endorse the hiring of Steve Ped.

 
I am sure Coach Osborne is quite correct. Not only is society, in general, a great deal more disgruntled and angry... but now, with the internet, with other forms of electronic communication available to express that anger... well, no doubt it is much tougher now than before to be any public figure (be it a coach, a politician, an almost anything...)

Any public figure will hear every persons angst towards them (justified or not) since there is no filter between the disgruntled and their keyboards.

20 years ago you may have wondered whether people were down on you and your performance... now, with the electronic social media.. there is no need to wonder... they are and they have said so... repeatedly.

 
I do think there is less patience, but not necessarily more anger. As has been pointed out, the mediums for expressing the "anger" has changed. I always bitched and moaned when we lost, but the discussions/debates were merely among family and friends. Unless one wrote a letter to the coach/University, the bitching was kept at the distance of reporters.

Now with the Internet, strangers, and the team/person I'd theoretically be bitching about, can anonymously see any thoughts I choose to share. I agree that this can make it tougher for said people/person to keep a postivite outlook, but at the same time, the team/person has to grow thicker skin and not take to heart what is anonymously posted.

I get the impression that many of today's teams/coaches take the Internet/Media responses more personally than before.

 
hskrpwr13 said:
I do think there is less patience, but not necessarily more anger. As has been pointed out, the mediums for expressing the "anger" has changed. I always bitched and moaned when we lost, but the discussions/debates were merely among family and friends. Unless one wrote a letter to the coach/University, the bitching was kept at the distance of reporters.
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More anger and more avenues to express anger are essentially just two different ways of saying the same thing.

 
kchusker_chris said:
He kind of contradicts himself with this though: "I think you always felt you were never more than a year or two away from losing your job,"

So how is that any different from today?
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He really doesn't. It is literally a-game-or-two from losing your job today.

Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
hskrpwr13 said:
I do think there is less patience, but not necessarily more anger. As has been pointed out, the mediums for expressing the "anger" has changed. I always bitched and moaned when we lost, but the discussions/debates were merely among family and friends. Unless one wrote a letter to the coach/University, the bitching was kept at the distance of reporters.
Click to expand...

More anger and more avenues to express anger are essentially just two different ways of saying the same thing.
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maybe anger has stayed constant- but the mediums through which we express anger have increased. Thus resulting in what appears to be more anger. i.e is there more violence happening in America today or are we just reporting on more violence thus making the appearance there is more violence? The other side claims there is literally more anger in the world. I am ignorant on how you could actually prove either side but IMO I would tend to lean towards more anger as a result of entitlements and the materialistic society that has developed.

Now applying this to college football and more specifically our Nebraska Cornhuskers. Are Husker fans really "angry" with Pelini and the Program?

According to the most recent poll on the Max (http://forum.huskermax.com/vbbs/showthread.php?42443-How-would-you-rate-Bo-s-performance-this-year)

roughly 77% are in approval of how things are going. Now take into context what Osborne said about social media outlets etc etc, with a quick glance at the max and huskerboard, I wouldn't have guessed things were this good. So what do we have? The minority having a stronger voice. Why? Besides the fact that they radio facebook forums etc---- Because they are angry. Why are they angry? Because they are entitled. Some believe we should win every game. They view it as themselves. Selfishness. Drives them to come to this forum and express their anger. Obviously everything isn't started out of anger, but I would think we could all agree most of the hot topics are.

Now apply selfishness(entitlement) to the past decade. We have a man like Tom Osborne, who is literally an enlightened guru-self actualized-whichever term you know as being of higher being. What I mean by that is--- the man is selfless in every way and will drive to be more so until the day he dies.. He could have been anything and been successful at it because he cultivates his success through the helping of others. Now the guru of nebraska hand picks us Solich. A couple tough seasons. Entitlement. Fire and crucify a man who has given 30+ years of his life to the state and program. Is that right? Over a few tough seasons? These types of knee jerk reactions are what happens when the angry people are in control. Then we spend some time in the desert- and now we are back again, but the same people wnat to make the same knee jerk decision we did with solich?? Insert the parable of the 40 years in the desert. Some of us are here to say, no, you do not represent the voice of Nebraska, now sit down Husker Crybaby. thank you.

 
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