Greedy as a Hog

I've never really had that big a problem with coaches bidding themselves off. I view the men and women of the sports world as I would if they were in business, even though they screw up constantly and actually have to struggle with employers to wear a suit and tie. Sports is, after all, a business. I assume that is a problem.

Bobby Petrino is just another coach leaving hardship for greener pastures, resigning from the hell hole that it the Atlanta Falcons to go lead the Arkansas Razorbacks. But that's what's troubling: he's just another coach doing what coaches do.

Now, I'm not going to fault Petrino for "lying" to everybody. With the way the media is now, people are forced to make decisions before they're ready, and usually choose the "I'm with my team" route. It's been an acceptable policy for coaches to leave on a whim, and the fault lies with the acceptance itself. Oh, people are lashing out now, but when the dust clears, Petrino will be a Razorback, and nobody will care any longer.

Football is no longer war. Generals are not rallying their troops to go into battle. Rather, hired hands are pitted up against one another, and the coach is little more than a micro-manager who tries to get his own players to care more than the other guys. They're seen as expendable by the league, and more importantly by the players. Loyalties are replaced by royalties, the heart with the brain. It's not Petrino's fault; he's just playing the game. Only, it's not a game anymore, it's a business.