Quote:
Originally Posted by UteStar
I think it is a dangerous approach for Bronco to take for a couple of reasons:
Spiritual--what does this mean? I don't want a teammate to be figuring out how my spirituality is. I don't need him to write to the coach--"well, he missed church this week and he swore a few times. I'm concerned." That would bother me to have someone that would write about me every week. Strange.
Emotions--why get in that as well? Yeah, if the guy is suicidal, then sure...but most likely, what do you write about?
The spiritual watching bothers me and it is dangerous in my opinion to have teammates watching that on other teammates. I also think it would be a problem for those that are not members.
In regards to the recruits--I don't have any problem with a host to report that the recruit was drinking or that he hated the church or whatever.
Its easy to say that what Bronco is doing is working...but I think people need to look at the whole state of the program and see what he is doing and see if that is cause for future concern. I think that is valid and I think what he is doing will have to evolve over time or I do think it could become a bigger problem. Just my humble Ute thoughts.
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I still see this as a way for Bronco to deal with problems internally. His intent is to help kids avoid run-ins with the honor code office, not to spy on them. I think we are also taking quotes from an LDS magazine a bit too literally. Why is bad for John Beck to look out for McKay Jacobsen? Take away the loaded religious words and this is just a buddy system where Senior classmen help an intimidating coach get to know the underclassmen and make sure they are adjusting to college life. Why is that dangerous? The problem is that Meridian really spun this article for the LDS crowd.
Is this heavy LDS spin on every aspect of the program? I don't know, I'm not that close to the program. Jay is arguing that it is over-the-top and permeates everything. Others see it as a way to appease the "mullahs."
I think that it is somewhere in the middle. Bronco has created an identity for the team. That identity draws on LDS themes but in the end he is trying to motivate these kids by using themes that he knows. I think it works because they resonate with most of his players, including religious non-LDS kids. I will grant that his style weeds out a certain contingent, but we never had much of a chance with that contingent in the first place.
So far it is working but it will take two or three more recruiting classes to see if he can continue to pick up the non-LDS recruits that he needs with this style of coaching and leadership. I don't see it as a big impediment.