robpollard

July 11th, 2018 at 2:03 PM ^

1) Kevin Wilson seems like an awful human; this is just the latest example. I was little surprised, in this day an age, that OSU was able to hire him so quickly after IU and not get really any pushback, but I guess Football Uber Alles (...see what I did there?)

2) It's Zander Diamont --- I think Zander Diamond was an actor on the new version of Beverly Hills 90210.

WestQuad

July 11th, 2018 at 2:07 PM ^

There was talk on here the other day about how winning cures all evils.   Hitler was a loser.  Hopefully Kevin Wilson continues to be.  

OSU is sort of a reform school for coaches.   Meyer's circle of trust at Florida was full of miscreants (one murderer),  Larry Johnson and Greg Schiano knew about the pedophilia at PSU and did nothing and Kevin Wilson abused his players and praised hitler.   I'm taking their collective worst acts, but collectively it ends up being a sketchy group.

bronxblue

July 11th, 2018 at 2:13 PM ^

He didn't say it was Wilson, only a former coach.  There was a wild-ass inference it was Wilson based on him being the head coach.  It's wrong for anyone to say that Hitler was a great leader, but it's also wrong to make accusations about who said it.  Unless there is more to the story than the link provided.

Space Coyote

July 11th, 2018 at 2:39 PM ^

Came to say the same.

Though I do think you could argue that in some ways, Hitler was a great leader (he did lead an economically devastated country to fairly high prosperity) in some ways. Highly flawed military leader, possibly the worst moral-leader of all-time. But (unfortunately) was able to convince and inspire ~38% of his country, and convince a large remaining portion of the country to be mostly complacent against his wrong-doing and (reluctantly or not) actually fight for him. The movement and ideology he led spread well beyond German borders too, throughout Europe and even well into the Americas. 

Again, terrible, terrible person. His leadership was certainly flawed. I don't say it like that to downplay his atrocities, but to come from his beginnings and from Germany's beginnings in the 30's to what his ideology and party became requires a certain quality in terms of leadership. He was a great political speaker, he did strongly convince people that his ideology was correct, and led a large amount of complacent people to fight the battles for that ideology. Part of that was through fear, but much of it was through agreement. That in no way makes what he did right, in fact just the opposite, he utilized strong leadership to morally corrupt a great deal of people and bring about one of the worst periods in human existance.

The upside of a coach using him in this way, however, is questionable, because the downside and baggage that comes with the claim is so obvious and awful. I would question a coach's (or any leader's) decision to use this example, and would in fact use that as an example of their own questionable leadership skills. When this coach side this, I don't think he was really expecting to have a nuanced, contextual discussion about history, psychology, sociology, and the human condition that probably need to come with it (even the above seems insufficient; a thesis may suffice).

Space Coyote

July 11th, 2018 at 2:44 PM ^

Can't edit, so I just want to make clear. Hitler was an awful, awful leader in many ways too. 

I think the greater point here is: bringing up Hitler in a positive light is a bad and stupid move, especially when you are trying to inspire a group of people, because any truthful discussion beyond "he was a bad person" requires way more attention to be at all motivational. 

Carpetbagger

July 11th, 2018 at 4:18 PM ^

That's quite untrue. However, there has been a renaissance in media coverage.

I had thought we, mainstream society and mainstream press, had tacitly agreed to ignore the KKK and their ilk; figuring they would fade away.

As no politics as I can be, it's a shame that has changed, and likely increased awareness and interest in racist groups as a result.

bronxblue

July 11th, 2018 at 3:12 PM ^

Yeah, it's a weird place because in a particular light you can make a very coached argument that points out the positives of a leader.  NK has been run by a number of murderous dictators for decades now...but they are also one of 9 players on the nuclear stage in the entire world.  That's arguably a positive for their leadership; certainly doesn't outweigh their widespread humanitarian abuses.

What I don't get is why anyone would pick him to prove a point about leadership because, as you noted, his accomplishments are relatively unspectacular and the downside is MASSIVE.  Like, we have other examples of leaders who brought their nations back from economic devastation without the end goal of religious genocide.  But it is an historical fact that Germany recovered from heavy economic issues stemming from WWI under his control.

1VaBlue1

July 11th, 2018 at 3:23 PM ^

I wanted to say much the same thing, but you said it so much better than I probably would have!  If you want to praise the parts of Hitler's leadership that would actually make sense, I can name 15 other leaders for which the same praise can be made - without the political baggage. 

I just can't imagine someone using Hitler as an example of doing something - anything - right.  Especially in the context of a football locker room, where all you're doing is trying to jack up your players.  You're not looking for an educational back and forth...

SMart WolveFan

July 11th, 2018 at 3:33 PM ^

Great motivator might have reluctantly agree, maybe even great puppet, but he only lead people to their death in great numbers, that's about as close as I'll give him.

Of course the language of Nationalism does sound a lot like regional sports rivalism. I guess at IU hate was all they had.

Brimley

July 12th, 2018 at 1:01 AM ^

I couldn’t get past the leading Germany to prosperity part of the comment. The prosperity came from institutional theft on an astonishing scale. The regime stole from its own and then its neighbors. We all agree the guy was evil but please don’t fall in the trap of saying he had any leadership skills beyond the ability to tap into a sense of entitlement and convince people they were somehow deserving of their neighbor’s property. 

Bigfoot

July 11th, 2018 at 2:19 PM ^

I mean, they don't care. Wilson, Schiano, LJ, they are somehow smothering the wrestling scandal thing.  Everyone knows what they are, and they don't care.

Red is Blue

July 11th, 2018 at 2:44 PM ^

It obviously depends on what was meant by "great" in the phrase "great leader".  One could argue that unifying a bunch of folks to do something, even if it is wrong, shows that person has influence and power which are definitions of leadership. But being someone who leads other people is not the same a being a good person.  That being said, why would you use someone pretty universally viewed as evil as an example?

mGrowOld

July 11th, 2018 at 3:22 PM ^

Imagine a GIF of George from Sienfield sitting at a desk talking to his boss.  In that GIF George is saying "Is that wrong?  Was I not suppose to do that?" over and over while his boss shakes his head in disgust.

Seeing as our new and improved MGoBlog doesnt easily accomidate GIFs that's the best I can offer.  But you guys have active imaginations and probably have already seen the GIF before so it's practically the same thing.