Required Reading: Victory and Ruins

Photo Courtesy of Seattle Times

It seems incredibly strange to post something so serious following a few of our previous musings, but this special series from the Seattle Times is getting a lot of deserved attention. Entitled "Victory and Ruins," it provides a deeper look at the 2001 Rose Bowl Champion Washington Huskies. According to the paper's Web site, it offers an "unprecedented look behind the scenes {and} reveals an unsettling level of criminal conduct that was often excused or overlooked." If you're a fan of sports, you need to read it (today the third installment of the four-part special was published).

We're not sure riveting is the right word...or mesmerizing...or unbelievable. The stories are probably a disturbing blend of all three of those adjectives. One thing is certain, though. If this endeavor succeeds in anything, it is reminding us in stark clarity that big-time college sports can be just as ugly, corrupt and deceptive just like any other giant corporation. And that the term student-athlete is becoming more and more of a farce in modern day major D1 sports. This team's exploits rival that of the famed Colorado Buffaloes squad under Bill McCartney.

I sincerely hope a lot of these players, coaches and adminstrators get a fresh dose of criticism that they seem to have inexplicably escaped for far too long. It also makes you think for a few minutes about Ty Willingham. Backers of Coach W. have pointed to the type of culture he is instilling at UW, a character that is, by many accounts, a reflection of the man. A man who was recently chosen by his peers to head the American Football Coaches Association.

It also makes you think about somebody like Ed Hansen, the millionaire lawyer who promised a hefty "bounty" if UW canned Willingham. I wonder if Mr. Hansen's been reading the paper this week. It might cause a rational man to re-think whether winning really is everything...