Winning ain't everything: The firing of Art Briles
- KAS
- Jun 8, 2016
- 4 min read
Okay. Time for a serious topic.
If you’ve been living under a heavy, black rock in the Sahara Desert then perhaps you’ve missed the sexual assault allegations against Baylor University football players over the past few years. Some have been convictions, others have been concealed and strategically hidden from the public – but either way, Baylor University staff decided enough is enough and recently chose to let go of Head Football Coach Art Briles.
Listen up football fans, we have an update for you: winning ain’t everything.
And as a former college student and young female in this country, a nation drunk off the excitement of major sporting events, I’d just like to extend my gratitude to the Baylor Bear family for seemingly prioritizing the rights of their female students over the reputation and eligibility of their male athletes. This isn't quite justice but it's a start.
It may seem like a band-aid solution to only fire the head coach but this is a southern school with a historically good football program and in the state of Texas where nothing is better than football, Baylor University now goes against the grain to claim some things are more important than a winning season. Even if this is only damage control and due to public backlash, I don't care. Something needed to be done and it was.
Some may speculate aspects of allegations are fabricated or exaggerated, and if that is at all true, then I deeply pray for each party involved. But as far as I am concerned, women are claiming to have been sexually assaulted by members of this team and deserve to have those claims heard.
Is this unfortunate trend a direct result of coaching? Nope. But the Baylor football coaching staff knew of the allegations and prevented some victims from getting justice.
We have legal systems in place to attempt a fair trial for each party. If the man is innocent then he can prove that in a court of law. It isn't up to a football coach to decide who is innocent or guilty and what is appropriate punishment for sexual assault.
So firing a head coach, especially from a major southern football school, sends a message. It lets coaches know their leadership positions aren't guaranteed with a winning season or playoff presence. It lets the football community know that sexual assault cannot be hidden to protect players and their eligibility. And it lets players know the importance of respect, responsibility and situation awareness. It holds people accountable for their actions.
Brock Turner, the Stanford swimmer recently convicted of sexual assault, received only six months in jail for his crimes and is proof of rape culture - i.e. victim shaming, perpetrator empathy, alcohol scapegoating, etc. The judge's concern for how jail time would impact Turner was more than his concern for how Turner's assault on an unconscious woman has impacted the victim.
*sigh*. Another topic for another time, I suppose.
But while it's clear some perpetrators like Brock Turner and a couple Baylor athletes (to name a few) received unfair privileges and empathy, it's also clear more people are waking up and seeing this terrible concept named "rape culture." Rome wasn't built in a day and can't be torn down in an hour.
What I mean is, rape culture took years to construct and now the masses are beginning to comprehend its reality and social ramifications. It won't be deconstructed instantly and life won't be completely fair starting 9 a.m. tomorrow, but the social outrage against Brock Turner, his family, the judge and the sentencing, along with the applause for Baylor's somewhat band-aid action against Art Briles, prove progress can be made.
It might only be baby steps and there will likely be more injustices along the way, especially since Baylor kept the assistant coaching staff - but it's progress. And that is what allows people like Brock Turner's victim to sleep at night.
While the case against Brock Turner solidifies the injustices surrounding sexual assault, Baylor's actions prove we can start doing something about it on a macro level.
I won’t go long and in depth about any specific Baylor related instances because frankly I wasn’t there and I don't truly know what happened. However, what I do know is this: women are accusing these respected and athletically talented boys of committing assault and they have not been afforded proper justice solely because the accused boy plays for a good football team.
Not because he was innocent. No. The perpetrators' coaches intervened and saved them. And after years of this pattern, not much has been done about the situation as a whole.
Until now.
We've got a long way to go and I still have mixed feelings about the buck stopping here with only Art Briles' firing, but I'd still like to thank the Baylor staff. It's a thank you from women everywhere.
Side note: I am saddened to say I personally know women who have been affected by sexual assault. One in particular has found the strength to publicly share her experiences and while her story is not mine to tell, I feel it is important to include the links with this post. She is an accomplished athlete, Olympic hopeful and incredibly beautiful human being.
Read her story: https://operamagna541.wordpress.com/2015/09/03/the-worst-day-of-my-life/
Read her take on the trial: https://operamagna541.wordpress.com/2016/05/29/the-trial/
Comments