Should we be surprised that former ASU athletic director Steve Patterson jumped ship to go work for Texas?
I’m more surprised by the outrage expressed by many fans at the supposed audacity of Patterson leaving after only being on the job for 21 months.
In this new era of big money in big-time sports, loyalty is a concept of the past. Players, coaches and yes, even administrators moving on to greener pastures is now the norm.
But can we blame coaches, athletes or even administrators for bettering their position if and when the opportunity presents itself?
Loyalty is a word that we can throw around, but there’s no loyalty for players who suddenly find themselves not performing as well as they once could. These players usually get shown the door. Where’s the loyalty for them? What about coaches who aren't winning games? They quickly find themselves jobless.
Why aren’t fans upset at organizations for not being loyal? They get away with disposing of coaches and players all the time, and we don’t say anything.
Big money and the need to win now dictates an atmosphere where loyalty means nothing, and we have to start seeing that as fact. We must enjoy the players and coaches we have when we have them, because we never know how long they’ll be representing our respective teams.
Reach the reporter at lzazueta@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @lorenzozazueta
