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| This is interesting. Robin Pingeton is introduced at Mizzou, and ends up emphasizing the fact that she is a Christian and all of her staff are married with kids. Mizzou is a secular, state supported institution, unlike, say Baylor, which is an ecumenical institution. Here is what she said in her press conference:
From http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/news/story?id=5067067
[url] Calling herself "a Christian who happens to be a coach," Pingeton was accompanied by her husband and 3-year-old son. An aunt and uncle who have lived in Columbia for nearly 50 years sat proudly in the audience.
She emphasized the theme of family throughout her remarks, noting that the three assistants who will follow from Illinois State are each married with children.[/url]
Pingeton follows Cindy Stein. Of all the things to emphasize in a press conference, Pingeton picks being a Christian and having a straight staff. What is she up to here? And, does she really think that will give her an edge in recruiting when, for example, her mentor Bill Fennelly can claim the same thing?
Now, Mechelle Voepel has a very interesting take on this situation, having spent 26 years covering women's hoops: http://voepel.wordpress.com/2010/04/13/new-coaches-more-thoughts/
If Pingeton introduces herself to others as "a Christian" who happens to be a coach, does that imply that she should be held to a different standard of behavior? Will others measure her not only according to wins and losses, but also according to whether they perceive her conduct to be "Christian-like" in their own eyes? In particular, will her players view her that way?
And what about coaches who are not at church-affiliated institutions? Should they keep religion out of basketball? If not, then who gets to say what religion comes into play?
What do you think?
-G |
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| Interesting stuff. Coaches have to answer to their fanbase. As long as they're winning, the peripheral stuff usually doesn't matter much. I'm guessing that being visibly Christian and straight is a net benefit in Missouri. Doesn't Stephens run a fairly Christian program at Drake?
 Fear the squirrels |
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| Mecha, Pingeton's perception was probably that her comments would play well in Missouri. But I think she just alienated a large share of the Stein's old fans.
And don't coaches also have to answer to their players? (gasp, I know heresy for some.)
Do you remember when Rene Portland stepped down at Penn St? Not long before, she had been sued by a player who claimed Rene told her to, in effect, "act more like a straight player", because she ran a "straight program".
What about the Mizzou players? What if one of the players isn't Christian, or is, but follows a different set of beliefs than the coach's? What then? Will she feel like she has to participate in, say, FCA, in order to earn playing time? Will she feel like she needs to, say, do a chapel service before games in order to see more floor time? Again, what does a player's status as a Christian have to do with recruiting, playing time, or any other decisions about competing? Should it have anything do with those facets, or should it be irrelevant, in fairness to the players at a secular institution (and a state-supported one at that).
A person can have tremendous character, irrespective of whether they follow a given coach's beliefs about religion.
And what about the player who isn't straight. Will she feel pressured to "act more like a straight player" to curry favor with her coach, just like the Penn State player did? Whether a player is straight-acting or simply straight should have nothing to do with recruiting, playing time or any other decisions about competing.
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| [quote]Lisa Gardner (4/13/2010)
This is interesting. Robin Pingeton is introduced at Mizzou, and ends up emphasizing the fact that she is a Christian and all of her staff are married with kids. Mizzou is a secular, state supported institution, unlike, say Baylor, which is an ecumenical institution. Here is what she said in her press conference:
From http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/news/story?id=5067067
[url] Calling herself "a Christian who happens to be a coach," Pingeton was accompanied by her husband and 3-year-old son. An aunt and uncle who have lived in Columbia for nearly 50 years sat proudly in the audience.
She emphasized the theme of family throughout her remarks, noting that the three assistants who will follow from Illinois State are each married with children.[/url]
Pingeton follows Cindy Stein. Of all the things to emphasize in a press conference, Pingeton picks being a Christian and having a straight staff. What is she up to here? And, does she really think that will give her an edge in recruiting when, for example, her mentor Bill Fennelly can claim the same thing?
Now, Mechelle Voepel has a very interesting take on this situation, having spent 26 years covering women's hoops: http://voepel.wordpress.com/2010/04/13/new-coaches-more-thoughts/
If Pingeton introduces herself to others as "a Christian" who happens to be a coach, does that imply that she should be held to a different standard of behavior? Will others measure her not only according to wins and losses, but also according to whether they perceive her conduct to be "Christian-like" in their own eyes? In particular, will her players view her that way?
And what about coaches who are not at church-affiliated institutions? Should they keep religion out of basketball? If not, then who gets to say what religion comes into play?
What do you think?[/quote]
A. What is she up to? Very simple. You can have your lil' darling hoop girl go play for some lesbian if you want, or you can have her play for a program that is a family centered, God fearing, 'Christian' environment.
B. Because it does. See Bill Fennelly's early years at ISU vs. Iowa.
1. Yes.
2. Yes.
3. They should.
4. What about them?
5. The individual's choice.
6. The head coach.
Lisa Bluder and her staff while at Drake were quite open about their faith, family, and the Drake community. It appeared from public statements that it was some garden variety Protestant/slight Evangelical leaning view. Players even mentioned God in speeches at the luncheons and the annual banquet. God, family, and Bulldogs. Anyway, that was the public face of the program.
In Central Mo, Robin Pingeton know exactly what she's doing. She learned very well from her mentor. |
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| According to Mark Harris regarding Pingeton, "the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Central Illinois quoted her on its website. The quote speaks for itself: “We certainly want to win games here, but our main focus is to serve the Lord and impact lives for Christ.”" Hmmm, I thought the State of Illinois hired her to C_O_A_C_H, not proselytize for her faith of choice.
Imagine a Literature professor being hired at a state institution (or really, any secular institution), and going around saying things like "I certainly want to help students learn literature, but my main focus here is to serve Allah and impact lives for Islam." And, I strongly encourage my students to participate in the "Fellowship of Islamist Athletes" as a condition of being a student in my class. How well would that go over?
Or, consider a Jewish philosophy professor who has a local rabbi read from the Talmud before every class meeting.
There is something really wrong when we give coaches so much power that they can even get away with trying to impose their own brand of religious beliefs on their players. Or, use a player's faith as a recruiting screen.
-G |
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| You are absolutely right, Lisa.
Let me add this. Robin Pingeton is an idiot. Always has been. She's a good recruiter and leave it at that. Her family situation ain't what she wants you to believe it to be. Big time phony. |
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| Such displays I generally find very disturbing. Grabbing the moral high ground turns me off pretty quickly. Maybe it plays in Columbia, but if I was an alum, I would be writing the AD asking about this hire and the 'holier than thou' approach that seems to be at work here.
Darth Vader
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| On the FCA, Pingeton and her coaching staff, and the overtly anti-gay requirements of the FCA:
from http://voepel.wordpress.com/2010/04/20/whats-new-at-mizzou-part-2/#more-2108
"But it’s notable that while at Illinois State, Pingeton and all three of her assistants were quoted on a Fellowship of Christian Athletes web site talking about how religion impacted their coaching. Among the statements to the FCA were these:
Pingeton: “The neat thing about coaching is that you can share your faith, and people don’t even realize it, through how you handle situations and how you handle your players. Our coaching staff has a passion for the Lord and a passion for coaching basketball. I feel so blessed that I am in a position where I can combine these passions. How many people get to go to work and say, ‘I do my two favorite things in the world?’ ”
She also said, “We certainly want to win games here, but our main focus is to serve the Lord and impact lives for Christ.”
And her assistants all commented on the FCA Coaches Huddle, a weekly meeting group.
Norton, speaking about the FCA group leader: “Your ability to relate to our coaching staff, team, etc. and apply it to the Bible is a great gift.”
Willie Cox: “It allows one to see how others before us have had some of the same situations come up in their lives, and more importantly, how the Bible says we should handle these situations through Christ our Lord. It lets us see that through Christ, all things are possible.”
Jenny Putnam: “I am able to become stronger in my relationship with the Lord and better serve as a witness for him with our players in my words and actions.”
....
But as for the FCA, I must be blunt: I don’t know how a student-athlete or coach who is gay _ or those who are heterosexual but committed to gays and lesbians being fully accepted in society _ makes peace with being a part of that organization.
The FCA’s opposition to homosexuality is well-known. In order for someone to apply as an officer with the FCA, one of the many things – in a written document _ that they must promise to abstain from is homosexuality.
However, there may be gay or gay-accepting people who believe the FCA is an evolving institution, and that they may influence that evolution. Or they may feel that the good they get out of being in the FCA offsets any specific disagreements they may have with the institution’s philosophies.
Again, this is a topic that, ideally, a recruit should discuss with a prospective coaching staff. But that takes an incredibly confident and self-aware teen-ager. The reality is that a lot of kids are trying to ascertain their spiritual beliefs in college, and some of them are also trying to figure out their sexuality. Some may realize/discover they are Christians who are also gay.
I understand it’s quite a lot to expect most teens to have adult-level conversations about these topics. Heck, it’s hard for a lot of adults to have adult-level conversations about them.
Which is why it’s incumbent on the coaches to be sincere about the environment/culture of their program."
There's more, but you have to go to Voepel's blog to read it all. It's worth reading.
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