Lodged deep within the N&O’s write-up of the upcoming Wolfpack hoops season (all WTNY, all the time, just like the buffoonish duo of Fowler and Lowe want it) is this little gem from Fowler’s always jabbering mouth:
Too many times, loyalty’s a one-way street. Fans want the coach to be loyal to them, but they’re not loyal to the coach.
Pardon my language, but this is the biggest crock of shit Lee Fowler has ever served up (and that’s really saying something). It’s a perfect microcosm of his asinine philosophy – by being “loyal” and almost never firing anybody, no matter how weak the results, he believes he will get “loyalty” in return. That is, should one of his coaches turns out to have a clue, they’ll stick around and not seek other jobs or ask for a raise. Seriously – that’s how this man “thinks.”
Assuming you have an IQ above room temperature, you understand that 21st century college athletics is a big business, not a “Mom and Pop” operation. Hell, that’s been true for almost fifty years. And no, Lee, the vast majority of fans (again, with the room temperature vs. IQ caveat) don’t want loyalty. They want results. And frankly, I expect the ones that get those results to be paid commensurately with what they deliver. That’s why I have been a paying member of the Wolfpack Club since the day I graduated – so that we have the resources to attract and keep winners.
Of course, you can imagine what kind of coaches are attracted to the “no pressure, we just want loyalty!” ground rules. That’s right, coaches who can’t hack it on the open market. Where winning brings financial reward, and losing brings a pink slip. The most determined, driven, and ultimately successful coaches aren’t worried about failure. They don’t need Clueless Lee’s security blanket. And that’s why Wolfpack athletics will be stuck in a seemingly endless cycle of mediocrity.
We learned last spring that at least one major donor values having a golf buddy over leadership that strives for championships. And apparently the other heavy hitters who feel otherwise don’t feel it strongly enough to draw a line in the sand. You and I can’t change that sad state of affairs, but you can stop enabling this twisted regime.
