Taking On The Establishment

One of the hardest things to do in history is to fight the establishment. Standing up against the establishment historically has been a recipe for sanction, ridicule, defamation, retaliation, and in some cases even physical violence and murder. I am not saying that anyone would get murdered over a confrontation with The Pirate Master and the Golden Fairy, but many of the other tactics could apply. The establishment always has the upper hand, they control the flow of information, potentially damning documents, and typically set themselves up where they could claim plausible deniability in a last ditch effort if it came to that, which it rarely does. One coach, one person, one parent, one wrestler standing against an inappropriate use of power will have a negligible effect of the establishment, in fact if they are reading any of this they are already circling the wagons for the potential attack, and in so doing crossing those last T’s and dotting those last I’s.

I can think of several reasons why a coach would not go out on the limb by himself, the people he will be facing wield a mighty hammer, and there is much more to lose in a confrontation than a wrestler, a match, or a title. A coach can (if he angers the wrong people) lose his team, his position, and his job. While losing your (teaching) job might be a little extreme, losing the position is not; many coaches are granted favor and preferable assignments because they do so much for the school with kids and with time they are scantly compensated for, but we all know $hit rolls down hill, so let me give you an example of a typical fear of the coach on his willingness to challenge the establishment.

Coach Soandso has a very good team, a team with possibilities of challenging for a title (in his estimation of course). He sees a window of opportunity VS his biggest rival and likes his chances. His rival however goes out and brings in some mercenaries; a move that completely and for all intents and purposes ends the hopes and dreams of this coach’s team to realize their championship aspiration. The coach decides to fight back against what he perceives to be a grave injustice and follows the proper protocols in doing so. They first thing he does is outline a list of grievances and any information he may have that could and should be damning to his rival. He takes this information to his advocate (which should be his athletic director) and delineates for him what this other team is doing, how they have done it, and how it negatively impacts his team and their ability to maximize their full potential. His athletic director responds, OH! I wasn’t aware of that, Periquito Perez (the AD at the school in question) is a close friend of mine, I must speak with him about this so he is not caught with his pants down. This statement completely sucks the wind out of coach Soandso’s sails and he gives in to the nepotistic and narrow view of his AD. Later he is angered by the tone of his supposed advocate and the lack of advocacy demonstrated by one who should be looking out for the interest of the student’s athletes in coach Soandso’s school. He goes over his AD’s head to the Principal who says OH! I did not know that, I am friends with the principal of the school in question; I better call her so she is not caught with her pants down. After much frustration he decides to go over the principal’s head to the director of all sports for the conference who not surprisingly tells him that the school in question has gone through all the proper procedures and the he should leave this alone. The coach involves the Newspaper and the internet, and brings forth his accusations and his proof. The feces hits the fan or so he thinks, but what really happens? The coach embarrasses the director of the Conference, however, she has a trump card, and she lays out all the information on why and how things were done and proves that she in fact was duped by the school in question. The principal of the school in question claims to have been duped by her athletic director, and the athletic director claims to have been duped by the coach, who was duped by the kids and their families. The school in question revokes the eligibility of the athletes in question and all seems well. However, behind closed doors, the director of the conference is not happy at the betrayal and contacts her friends (The Principal and athletic directors) at coach Soandso’s school and tells them that coach Soandso is a loose cannon, that he can’t be trusted and that they should rectify the situation. Coach Soandso goes on to win his title or not, but the following school year he is informed that he will not be rehired as the wrestling coach, his teaching position goes from six honors classes to five 9th grade classes out in a portable, no 6th period supplement, and 2nd period planning. He is also told he is no longer need to teach that night school weight training class, he is no longer need to work security at the football games, and he is no longer needed as the cross country coach. Meanwhile the school that was accused of wrongdoing has now had their athletes sit for a year, the coach received a slap on the wrist, the AD and principal went out and had a drink and laughed at the situation, and everything falls back into place.

If you don’t think this can happen, ask Coach Bill McDonnell, while the situation is different and the circumstances are not quite the same, many of the sanctions fit the bill.

The only way to defeat the establishment is to form a militia; get the common man and have him unite against a powerful wrong for a greater good. The disenfranchised coach, the discriminated athlete, the aggrieved parent, these must be your allies, without them you can do nothing.

I predict right here and now that nothing will come of these allegations, and the status quo will remain in place and in power.