Is JoePed's fall from grace the biggest ever?

John Edwards? VP candidate to cheating on a cancer-ridden wife ... He may not have been revered though ... :)
 
1. JoePa (a bigger pattern of overall crime than OJ perhaps..yet he didn't commit the specific acts himself. But universal ICON to universally despised in a few months is a huge fall)

2. OJ, murder is hard to top (despite Johnny Cochran's stellar performance). He might be #1, if not for the recent book which puts together a pretty good case for his son committing the murders. Plus there are more African-Americans who believe he's innocent, than Penn St fans who think JoPa is innocent. Thus...a lesser "fall from grace"

3. Pete Rose (tainted his sport directly)

4. Tiger (he didn't commit a serious crime or tarnish his sport directly)

5. Ronnie Harmon ('86 Rose Bowl, nuff said)

6. The Black Sox (an oldie but perhaps the original sports scandal)
 
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ibahawkeye said:
First thing that came to my mind was Tiger.

Although, what Tiger did doesn't compare to this scandal.
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Tiger is still one of the most popular golfers on the tour and draws some of the largest cheers. Who, outside a 50 mile radius of happy valley, would do that for JoePa?
 
In terms of sports figures, I think only OJ Simpson even comes close. And since Paterno is no longer living, unlike some of the others here here, he doesn't have the opportunity to try to "rebuild" his reputation either.
 
DuffMan said:
I cant think of anything that rivals it, certainly in our country. He went from being one of the most known amd revered people in this county to dead and villified in a matter of less than a year.
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Richard Nixon had a pretty good fall.
 
DuffMan said:
every man woman and child who wore a psu shirt, hat, or jersy from 1966 to 2011.
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By that logic, every fan of Mel Gibson revered him just as PSU fans did Paterno. The only people Paterno was truly a leader for were the young men who played for him. The others are all part of the glorifying sect who need/ed to get a life. Just like those who revere actors.

And if the leader card is what you want to play to prove your point, then there's no arguing against Richard Nixon. Joe Paterno was a ******* football coach. It's society's problem for turning him into something more than that.
 
tm3308 said:
DuffMan said:
every man woman and child who wore a psu shirt, hat, or jersy from 1966 to 2011.
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By that logic, every fan of Mel Gibson revered him just as PSU fans did Paterno. The only people Paterno was truly a leader for were the young men who played for him. The others are all part of the glorifying sect who need/ed to get a life. Just like those who revere actors.And if the leader card is what you want to play to prove your point, then there's no arguing against Richard Nixon. Joe Paterno was a ******* football coach. It's society's problem for turning him into something more than that.
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your logic is bad. paterno. many fans, especially young ones, look at their teams players as heros. Being a leader of their heros made JoePa their leader by proxy. People dont associate bonds like that with actors, there is no emotional connection. To argue otherwise is stupid.
 
In sports Yes, nothing compares to it. In society there have been some preachers that have done similarly ridiculous, evil things that were big time pastors or evangelists, but other than that, nothing compares.
 
DuffMan said:
your logic is bad. paterno. many fans, especially young ones, look at their teams players as heros. Being a leader of their heros made JoePa their leader by proxy. People dont associate bonds like that with actors, there is no emotional connection. To argue otherwise is stupid.
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Tell that to young moviegoers. Or are people no longer whining about how Hollywood sets such a poor example for America's youth? Idolization is idolization, no matter how you choose to spin it.

And on top of that, we aren't talking about his standing with PSU faithful. As we've seen over the last year, they have had a tough time seeing anything but the past glory. Paterno's fall has come on a more national level, with people who had no such emotional connection to his players.
 
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hawkdrummer1 said:
1. JoePa (a bigger pattern of overall crime than OJ perhaps..yet he didn't commit the specific acts himself. But universal ICON to universally despised in a few months is a huge fall)2. OJ, murder is hard to top (despite Johnny Cochran's stellar performance). He might be #1, if not for the recent book which puts together a pretty good case for his son committing the murders. Plus there are more African-Americans who believe he's innocent, than Penn St fans who think JoPa is innocent. Thus...a lesser "fall from grace"3. Pete Rose (tainted his sport directly)4. Tiger (he didn't commit a serious crime or tarnish his sport directly)5. Ronnie Harmon ('86 Rose Bowl, nuff said)6. The
Black Sox (an oldie but perhaps the
original sports scandal)
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Good post. Forgot about #5. moped riding slimeball.

Your points on 1 and 2 are valid, but I'm voting oj #1 fwiw.
 
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