Governor Corbett and the Sandusky Affair: Friday case file #1

Dreamworks

In regards to the People vs. Common Sense:

P.U., what‘s that smell? If you answered the bizarre, counterintuitive and politically buffoonish federal antitrust lawsuit filed against the NCAA for its sanctions against Penn State University by Gov. Tom Corbett, go to the head of the critical thinking class.

That was the editorial desk of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. They're not just good for gay marriage and pot legalization anymore!

Corbett's suit blames the NCAA sanctions for a drop-off in business at State College hotels, restaurants and bars. But isn't it just possible that the drop-off resulted from people who are simply appalled by what happened at Penn State, and wanted to distance themselves from a program, and a football-cult mentality, that may have allowed Sandusky's abuses to go unchecked in the first place?

That was Chris Potter at the Pittsburgh City Paper Blogh, stating the obvious so we don't have to.

Because he orchestrated his announcement in State College before a Penn State backdrop of alumni, students, former athletes and politicians, it was clear that the governor was putting on a show for Penn State fans.

That was the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette with its world-weary editorial gaze.

And those two keen reporters'-eye tweets were from Bob Mayo, WTAE reporter and elusive blogger.

Wikipedia would have us believe that the NCAA is "an association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals" originally convened by President Teddy Roosevelt to encourage reforms to prevent football injuries. In 1981 it was challenged by two of its universities for "price fixing, output restraints, boycott, and monopolizing" in an anti-trust suit and lost certain provisions of its media rights contracts.

So in that instance of sales and marketing the NCAA did resemble a "trust" -- although that probably does not mean one can just go pumping that well every time one has a grievance of some sort. The marketing scheme did not involve any fines issued for a "loss of institutional control" or for "alleged despicable institutional behavior," which would fit in much more clearly with the NCAA's charter purposes and intent.

Risk Management Monitor

For what it's worth, I am certain Mr. Corbett believes he is in the right here. When the politics seem to suggest advantage in a course of action, a man can discover vast inner capacities for vainglorious self-delusion. It only gets easier each time you slip the shroud over your own eyes. One can only imagine what happens to somebody by the time they reach Gubernatorial heights -- the air must be so thin up there.