Putting Things in Perspective!!

This photo is of Lane Kiffin, who until yesterday was the University of Tennessee's football coach. He has only been there for one year. He decided to take a job with Southern Cal where he had been the offensive coordinator for about 6 years earlier in his career. He reminds me of some of the spoiled, immature little sixth graders I taught, who thought that because they were really good athletes they deserved to be treated more special than others. Now, mind you, not all, or even most, of my athletic students felt this way, but there were those who did. We, at UT, have had recent incidents of both football and basketball players being arrested for armed robbery and having marijuana, a gun with the serial number filed off, etc..... These incidents have been an embarrassment to the whole state. Thankfully, the young men have suffered the consequences of their actions.
Kiffin is a young man, only 34, who doesn't know what loyalty means just yet. However, he may have just made the best decision of his life and for UT, as well. Perhaps we will get a much more mature and loyal person to take his place.
I think the thing that bothers me the most, is not that he's leaving, but that he is taking other coaches with him. Orgeron, who has been doing most of the recruiting for UT has supposedly texted some of the recruits and told them not to go to UT but to go to California instead. I think that is shameful. I have nothing against California, even though the last time we played them they beat us. But, to me this is a matter of ethics.




Okay, now to put this all in perspective:
This is just college football, a game, and is not something that is going to change the world for the good or the bad. Kiffin is just a man, however delusional he is; he is only human. I just hope he realizes that. lol
This stadium is a place where I have spent many a Saturday cheering on the Vols. I will continue to go there on fall Saturdays and have a great time.

This is our adorable mascot.

But...... to the people of Haiti, is any of this important?
What about to my 50 year old friend who was recently diagnosed with Lymphoma and is to start the first of her 30 chemo treatments tomorrow at Vanderbilt Hospital? She goes for 5 days, comes home for 21, then goes back for 5, home for 21, etc... 6 times until this part is over. Then, she has to go for a whole month when she will have some kind of bone marrow, stem cell treatment. She has two children who are still young and has learned that this is genetic, and she could have passed this on to one of them.

What about to my mom and my mil who are suffering from Alzheimers?
What about to the family of the young man in the town where we used to live who was murdered the other night?
What about to all the folks who are lined up at the food pantry that is up the street from my house?
What about to the parents of the children with Autism?
What about to the children who are being treated at St. Jude's Research Hospital in Memphis?
ETC..................................
Do you think any of this UT stuff matters to them?

Yes, I love UT sports, and I am sad that Kiffin is leaving, well sort of, but when I look at the large picture, I realize that it really doesn't matter. I hate hearing bad news about the university in any way. I get upset when we lose, but I get over it, and the world goes on.
My daughters are probably going to wonder what's happened to the mom they know who has UT paraphernalia all over her house, especially in the family room in the basement, and whose classroom was all decked out in orange, as well! I've seen the light, and realized that even though it's all fun, it doesn't really make a difference.