Comments on: Tolerance

By: Mark Solon

Mark Solon — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:39:47 +0000

Very good insight Ron, hadn't thought of that!

By: Ron Meyers

Ron Meyers — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:35:00 +0000

As I ponder this further, this may not be Mr. Blount's first football game, but it may be Mr. Blount's first real bout with football-related frustration. Given his obvious incredible talent, he may just now be reaching a level where the competition is as good as he is, and he can't always come out on top.

Now that sounds like something the start-ups and entrepreneurs can relate too!

By: Mark Solon

Mark Solon — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:17:48 +0000

Great points Ron. I was a baseball player too but have good friends who played football at a high level. I think football in particular cultivates a rage unlike other sports. A jeer from a bleacher is different than a guy who's been trying to take your head off for the last 3 hours rubbing it in. Blount was wrong, flat out wrong and like my comment above, should be suspended for a game or two with a warning that the next time he's out for the year, along with some significant community (high school) involvement. I just hope Blount doesn't wind up blackballed from the NFL because he was thrown out of college football for throwing a punch. Seems excessive to me…

By: Mark Solon

Mark Solon — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:11:17 +0000

Great response Rick and I've got strong feelings about consequences for our actions as well. I've got a 9 yr old who plays hockey and like football, hockey is a very physical sport where tempers can run high and we talk about this alot.

On the other hand, this was a highly charged atmosphere where a kid made a mistake. Yes he's made them before but I still think a full year's suspension is too much. We're so quick to punish and less interested in solutions where good can come from it. I still think that had they suspended him for a game or two, but made him talk to young athletes (lots and lots of these), more good could have come from this.

This won't be the last time a punch is thrown in sports. Football in particular is like the gladiators in Rome. The kid was provoked and then the reply operator in the stadium showed the punch over and over again, creating a riotous environment. Lots of bad decisions made. I hope Blount can come back from this and channel it into something positive.

By: Ron Meyers

Ron Meyers — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:51:15 +0000

Mark,

I understand what you are saying, and I might agree if this were Mr. Blount's first football game. I didn't play much football (too small) but I played a lot of baseball. I was playing in an organized league when I was 8 years old. I played on some very good teams, and some very very bad teams. By the time I was 20 years old, I was in the twilight of my baseball career, a veteran of hundreds of games and a dozen coaches. I knew better than to throw a bat or spit on an umpire, I was experienced enough to ignore the jeers from the bleachers, and I definitely knew the consequences of throwing a punch at another ballplayer.

By: Rick

Rick — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:35:37 +0000

As a former HS football, basketball coach and a competitive soccer coach I have a hard time agreeing with your line of thinking. A major part of participating in organized sports is learning to deal with this exact kind of situation. When kids (and he is a kid) find them selves in this kind of situation and react outside of the bounds of expectations they must suffer the consequences. What those consequences should be is entirely up to those individuals and organizations associated with the incident. Given prior actions (as reported) where this ended up is probably appropriate. What was the "learning" from this incident. I think Jeff has it right and I would add dealing with difficult situations and stress, something all teams and companies will deal with during their existence. Reaction in the heat of the moment can be the difference between succes and failure and we should all be prepared for that. I appreciate your passion but cut back on the high fructose sugar.

By: Tweets that mention Tolerance | Highway 12 Ventures -- Topsy.com

Tweets that mention Tolerance | Highway 12 Ventures -- Topsy.com — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:04:15 +0000

[...] this page was mentioned by Jeff Reynolds (@jcreynolds), Travis Franklin (@tsfranklin), Mark Solon (@hwy12) and others. [...]

By: Jeff Reynolds

Jeff Reynolds — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:49:29 +0000

I respect your views on this, Mark. If this was the first offense and not a repeat problem, I'd be right there with you. (BTW we shouldn't just discuss "the punch" — the behavior that followed was much worse.) Those of us who follow Oregon know he was suspended from practice for similar behavior and has had several run-ins before that which were not addressed at all.

This is not a tolerance issue. It is not a football issue. And it certainly isn't a tattoo issue. It went from a personal behavior issue to a leadership issue: how will Coach Kelly respond to a person who, despite attempts to help him, continues behavior that disrespect the team, the school, the fans, and himself?

As for banishing him…is there some sort of God-given right to play Division I football? I'm an Oregon alum. To me, what the NCAA does is irrelevant. All that matters is how Coach Kelly responds. I don't care if Blount plays football. I just don't want thugs like representing my alma mater.

I wish Blount the best. I hope he gets help. I hope he turns into a productive, educated member of society. I believe he can do this without football. He probably needs to do it without football.

As for entrepreneurism connections, I think we should be discussing why ethics and actions matter more than lip-service. Or the difference between confidence and cockiness. Or how one person can be poison to an organization. Or how mistakes are OK, but how not learning from mistakes is not OK.

…I'm officially done discussing this. Thanks for the discussion.