The Miami Hurricanes football program is spending the early part of this week hiding under a rock after a recent photo shoot gone wrong—learning the hard way how Internet trolls, neckbeards and rivals will pounce on any embarrassing content, inevitablymaking matters worse.
Last week it was the bride who took a saw to her chastity belt. This week, the Canes’ offensive line in poses that must have position coach Art Kehoe seeing red.
While this hardly qualifies as news—especially late August during a game week and pending season opener—the story is making its rounds right now, so let’s get in and out, moving on to more important topics.
Were the photos embarrassing? To some, obviously. A more logical assessment would be that the shoot fell flat and the horsing around was poorly-timed.
If one wants to go there regarding how this program has truly embarrassed itself, how about dropping the final four contests to end the 2014 season or losing 51 games over the past nine years?
What about Pell Grant fraud, on-the-field brawls, players paid for game day performances, taking money and gifts from boosters or player retention issues ranging from poor academics, sexual battery or assault, to felony drug charges and resisting arrest?
(Seriously, get click-happy with those aforementioned links and take a walk down memory lane if you’re still seething inside by way of staged pre-season photos.)
Frustration over the fallout from these images is understandable, but what about some perspective in the process? Log on to any Canes-themed message board and it’s a big homophobic mess and the end of times for many—chatter about desecrating the uniform; as if this is the military and we’re talking life or death, opposed to a game and pastime.
In looking at these images, the most-glaring issue is the generation gap that exists here. These are Millennials and Generation Z cutting up in their own manner—leaving older folks scratching their heads; something that’s been part of life on this planet since time began.
Stand-up comedian Doug Stanhope did a bit years back about getting older and more crotchety and jaded regarding the younger generation—the notion that the kids coming up were too deviant and out of control.
Stanhope’s twist; that his Generation X era would complain in the opposite fashion—that those coming up behind them were too soft and not raising enough hell.
“These [kids] drink a Red Bull for some pep and prefer you went on the patio for a cigarette and the closest they come to a fist-fight is on a message board somewhere,” Stanhope vented in his 2007 special.
As the years roll on, it’s hard to argue the validity of his curmudgeonly sentiment.
Separate the act from the reaction-to-said-act and go back three decades to an era where Miami was deemed a renegade program that the older folks simply didn’t get, or relate to.
Even if that dated generation loved the winning ways, the majority certainly weren’t fans of the process—feeling that the players were thugs and harkening back for better days of crew cuts, family-friendly Friday night games at the Orange Bowl and those pre-U era gold helmets and green jerseys.
Conversely, as a fourth grader when Miami won that first title, a junior high, guitar-playing misfit when it won its second and a high schooler when it brought home those third and fourth championships—I completely ate up the anti-establishment mentality; as did my U-loving peers.
Middle fingers tossed up at “the man”, while the Canes were beating down opponents, running up scores, taking pride in penalty flags and end-zone dances? Hollywood couldn’t have scripted something more perfect for that thirty-and-under crowd in that era as Miami played the villain to perfection.
Folks across the spectrum loved racking up four national titles in a four-year span—even fi the disagreed with the process.
Still, had the Canes displayed that level of swagger without racking up the wins and hardware, rest assured the criticism would’ve reached epic levels and the suits would’ve eventually won.
Miami would’ve been deemed out of control, the risk not worth the reward and that whole power struggle between former president Tad Foote and Jimmy Johnson in that “Decade Of Dominance” era would’ve had a completely different narrative; Foote getting his way and the football program eventually reeled in.
Instead, Dennis Erickson replaced the NFL-bound Johnson, winning ways continued and the rules applied even less—defensive players setting the new coaches straight regarding how the show was run.
Like just about every other aspect of life—winning has a way of curing everything, offering forgiveness and rewriting history. Lose, and it’s the complete opposite—which is where the Canes sit today; folks blowing collective gaskets of some rogue team photos because there’s simply little to celebrate as of late.
If Miami was coming off a 12-1 campaign last year, folks might see humor in these images or simply dismiss them completely. Coaches would be praised for keeping things lighthearted and bringing some fun to the process—like Southern Cal’s Pete Carroll last decade when his Trojans were the kings of Los Angeles.
Instead, something as trivial photoshoot horseplay is viewed by some as a lack of institutional control—most-likely the same contingent who support a win-at-all-costs mentality.
Clamoring for Miami to again be a top-notch program is understandable and every fan’s right.
Getting caught up in generational gaps and over-chastising behavior foreign to them is not.
Three decades removed from a childhood where the Canes were the most-dominant force in college football, I waste zero time pretending to understand what this new generation of athletes finds humorous or relatable.
In other news, I also couldn’t care less.
If it’s a laugh-riot for Generation Z to reenact “Step Brothers” or “Titanic” movie poster poses, so be it. I’m sure my constant quoting of “Fletch”, “Coming To America” or “Caddyshack” in my formative years was as lost on my elders as these poses were on me.
Where this group of Canes missed the boat—the unintentional we-don’t-give-a-shit attitude and message these goofball poses sent out. What they saw as an inside joke went over like a fart in church with a fan base tired of a decade’s worth of irrelevancy.
Fifth-year head coach Al Golden is 28-22 entering this season; the same record as his predecessor Randy Shannon—who only lasted four season before getting canned.
It’s late in the fourth quarter for Golden regarding his tenure at Miami—and a a head coach, for that matter. He’s down two scores, has the ball, will need a defense stand and another score if he’s going to stay alive.
Translation; the Canes need something regarding a nine-win season with a legitimate shot at a Coastal Division crown—something this program has failed to do every year since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004—for Golden to buy himself another year.
Without that, a slew of coaches these kids have an affinity for will all be out of a job.
The ripple effect of that—barring the next coach isn’t a sure-fire winner—could produce a trickle-down effect that impacts those coveted recruiting classes lined up to play for the Canes; Swag ’16, Squad ’17 and Storm ’18.
Still yukking it up, fellas?
The intent may have been fun-loving, but it truly gives off the wrong attitude and vibe regarding what should be a season of laser-focus and burning desire to turn things around. Especially towards a fan base that’s still not over that second half collapse against Florida State, or the three losses that followed.
It’s one thing for kids to be kids, but when those actions impact the real lives of adults and their families—let it serve as a sobering, growing-up moment.
Same for a coaching staff that needs to harness this as a teaching moment, as the Hurricanes simply don’t need this bad press or a carefree player-fueled attitude that goes against the toughness this program needs right now.
Here’s hoping Miami’s staff finds a way to make a positive out a negative with this one; another stepping stone in this long, drawn-out comeback process.