Legend [16186]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 8525
Joined: 11/30/98
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My rant for the day
Feb 14, 2001, 12:00 AM
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I really despise the virulent personal attacks on Clemson people that so many folks so enthusiastically engage in on this board. When we lose a game, some folks say, more or less, that Coach so-and-so is a worthless piece of garbage. Lose a recruit and others say that Coach what's-his-name is a lazy dirt bag and has one more year to measure up. Why do so many folks love to demonize people on our own side? Why is it that so many of us resort to personal attacks when decisions are made that we don't support? That technique is recognized as trashy and contemptible when sleazy lawyers use it to earn a living, but we have a lot of folks who seem to do it for fun.
Recently Bobby Robinson got handed a job. Tulane backed out of a game and Robinson has a very short time to book an opponent. Robinson has now been called disloyal, incompetent, beholden only to the dollar, and generally had his character thoroughly assassinated. Despite a professional lifetime spent on our behalf folks seem perfectly comfortable saying Robinson is working for his alma mater and not ours. Many posters of Tigerboard, seem to KNOW the only correct and only acceptable outcome to our dilemma. The popular mode of thought seems to be #### the economics of a home game, we must play anyone, anywhere to secure one of the two BCS slots that are dependent upon strength of schedule. Not all of us are sure of that argument, but some are. Not content to argue that point, some now resort repeatedly to doubting Robinson's motivation and loyalty.
Continuing to insult Bobby Robinson is not really appropriate. Yes, he went to Furman. He's now been at Clemson as a coach and an AD for a WHOLE lot longer than he was ever at FU. Frank Howard went to Alabama but after a while we quit holding that against him, didn't we?
In my opinion several folks have gone way past making a point about who they want to schedule and are now engaged in some sort of negative, "call the AD a disloyal incompetent jerk" game. While those folks are entitled to their opinion, I think it's pretty lame to spend a lot of effort attacking the motives of a guy who has given way more time, effort and produced way more for Clemson University than almost any of us. Heck, when Bowden says he likes working for Robinson some question Bowden's honesty on the issue.
Stock didn't go to Clemson. Bowden didn't go to Clemson. Will they get attacked for bad character should the recruits and wins not pile up at the right rate?
The technique of personal attack is not limited to our AD. If a coach doesn't sign the back we want from Georgia, he's a weak link and has to go. If the admissions office doesn't admit a guy who can get into school ANYWHERE else, the folks there are crooks out to sabotage the whole athletic department. If the compliance officer says, "this area is trouble," she gets drug through the mud and accused of malfeasance, idiocy and incompetence. There are a way too many people on this board who spend time demonizing Clemson people to suit me.
I'm not in charge here, but it would suit the hell out of me if about 95% of those who routinely engage in character assassination and trashing talking of our own players, coaches, and administrators would find some other team to support. Clemson University deserves better.
BTW, I am no Pollyanna. I'd love to play get a good Div 1 team on a home and home basis to replace Tulane. I'd like to have signed the RB from Georgia and I wish we had the best and newest facilities in the country today. I wish we had beaten FSU at home two years ago and I wish GT hadn't thrown for 500 yards on us this past year. While I want all this pretty desperately, I still can't see any benefit in attacking the players, coaches, and administrators who wear orange and who I think want the same things I want almost all the time.
These tactics look awful to me and they say a lot more to me about the people employing them than they do about the targets.
Go Tigers!!
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