IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: College Football

  • Government Shutdown Affecting Others Outside of Washington

    The government shutdown that is upon the country has many in Washington wondering: what do we do now? However, this congressional budget stalemate has trickled into many areas of our country that lie outside of Washington, DC. The shutdown has had an especially big impact on all service academies’ athletic programs across the country. These student athletes and coaches have been in limbo since the announcement of the shutdown.

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    At first, all athletics employees were sent home and put on leave. The Air Force Academy golf team has already cancelled a tournament since the shutdown and apparently the decision wasn’t taken very well by the people involved. What is making situations like this so difficult is that coaches of these schools are essentially government employees, leaving them no option but to have little to no communication with their players. That being said, Air Force golf has not been the only ones affected. Cross country meets, soccer games and tennis matches have been cancelled or rescheduled at all three service academies, leaving these young people forbidden from doing what they love.

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    The interesting thing is that all three schools’ football teams still competed over the weekend. Initially, all athletic functions were to be cancelled due to the shut down. However, the 3 schools decided to challenge the decision, which was then reviewed by the secretary of defense. The secretary of defense decided that the games could continue, as long as no government funds were spent on the day. Even so, many have speculated that this decision was solely a monetary decision. Navy’s athletic director, Chet Gladchuck, certainly provided some evidence for this thought with his comments that were given to CBS New York. Gladchuck was quoted saying that cancelling a game would be “devastating to the Navy athletic program budget.” While these football teams were still given the opportunity to compete and do what they love, others like Air Force golf were forced to cancel or wait to have the opportunity to do the exact same.

    The expectancy violations theory has been rampant this entire situation as every team has been affected in some way, positive or negatively. The expectations of players and coaches have not been met due to issues that are outside of their control, essentially invading their personal lives and causing a change in their daily routine. With that being said, it just doesn’t seem fair. In the end, it all seems about “par” for what has been going on in Washington as of late.

    -Ryan Nagy

  • The Race to be First

    Reporting any new information to the public can be risky, especially when it is a headlining topic.  As any social media expert, one should always make sure that the information they are providing the public is 100% accurate.  Any false information can put you and your company’s reputation at risk.

    With overwhelming attention surrounding the football program at Penn State, every tweet, wall post and blog comment brings more and more Internet traffic to the school and community.  In a society that completely thrives and relies on Internet access, acquiring information has never been easier or faster.  Along with the ability to supply millions with information via Twitter, Facebook or other social media sites, comes the responsibility to maintain an ethical mindset when sharing information.

    Joe Paterno, the recently released Penn State head football coach who served for 42 years, passed away at 9:25 am this past Sunday. On Saturday night, several hours before Paterno’s death, Onward State, a student-run news organization, reported through a tweet that the community icon had passed. The Onward State managing editor, Devon Edwards claims the tweet was based on an email hoax and has since resigned.

    It is shocking that a student organization (which presumably is more focused than professional organizations on performing tasks “by the book”) that is tied to an institution which has been so heavily shrouded in controversy recently, would fail to perform such a basic and necessary task as confirming information, especially when dealing with such an emotionally charged topic as the passing of Joe Paterno. Unfortunately, this is just the latest occurrence in what seems to be an ongoing problem with many forms of media.

    Managing Editor of Onward State’s Apology

  • Gone, but never forgotten: Joe Paterno

    Fact: Joe Paterno is and will always be a legend in the sport of college football.

    Fact: Joe Paterno is the winningest coach in top-level college football.

    Fact: After 46 years as head coach, Joe Paterno is no longer the leader of the Nittany Lions.

    Previous to this week, Joe Paterno was considered the most respected man in college football. He is small in physical stature, greying, wears outdated glasses, and has a soothing-yet rough voice; basically, he fits the description of a typical grandfather. To his fans, the thousands upon thousands of Nittany Lions across the nation, he is their grandfather. His abrupt and unexpected departure from his long-held post as leader of Penn State Football has left his fans in a state of hysteria.

    Students at the university are outraged over the board of trustees’ decision to fire Paterno. These students fully support their beloved coach, regardless of this situation, but why? How can anyone support a person who was aware of such wrongdoing and allowed it to go unreported? Penn State students are different. On Wednesday night, students hit the streets voicing their love for “Joe Pa”, knocking down sign posts, yelling at police, shattering car windows, and turning over trash cans and newspaper boxes. Students even overturned a television news van in an attempt to illustrate their infuriation with the media, which they largely blame for the boot of the beloved coach.

    Under Paterno’s leadership, and motto of “success with honor,” a program was able to defy records and challenge teams across the nation. Although ‘Joe Pa’ was an amazing coach on the field, it takes more than Saturday games and weekly practices to make a good coach. Because Paterno neglected to consider the other duties of being a leader, a man was allowed to repeatedly desecrate innocent young children. In a 15-year period, 8 boys were sexually abused by one man, Jerry Sandusky. This one man has been charged with 40 counts of child abuse, 21 of which are felonies; however, because of him a powerhouse program has been forced to start all over.

    Paterno had announced Wednesday morning that he would step down as coach at the end of the season. But amid the outrage, Penn’s State’s Board of Trustees held an executive session late Wednesday night and fired him and the schools President Graham Spanier, triggering the protests and media frenzy.

    The Penn State story has been a lesson in what not to do in terms of crisis management from a public relations perspective. In a world filled with social media and news happening 24/7, companies, and in this case a university, cannot afford to mishandle a major crisis. It requires preparation and nurturing. One cannot just announce the events in such a manner that Penn State did.  They waited too long to address the allegations after the story had gone live-online, and began being broadcast on news outlets. Not only this, the university cancelled Paterno’s weekly-football press conference, which then caused chaos among the media. If anything good can come out of this, it will be that horrific instances such as this, and men such as Jerry Sandusky, never happen again.

    – Jordan Hill, Michela Noreski, Ashley Nelson