How do you motivate a human being to do things against his own nature?
October 16, 2016 3:42 PM Subscribe
(NYT)When the University of Houston’s football players arrive for a game, they know what to expect as a prelude to the coming hours of brutality as they file into the stadium: a kiss on the cheek from their head coach, Tom Herman.
When players for the University of Houston's football team first walked into a stadium before a game last season, they were admittedly caught off guard by their new head coach's actions.
According to The New York Times, head coach Tom Herman believes there are two ways to motivate human beings to do things against their own nature: fear and love. For Herman, “love wins every time.”
Therefore, in order to show is players love, Herman gives them a kiss on the cheek as they file into the stadium before a game.
We should never normalize, let alone praise, unwanted sexual contact.
posted by Dashy at 6:41 PM on October 16, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by Dashy at 6:41 PM on October 16, 2016 [6 favorites]
Total agreement, Dashy. I mean, the articles make clear the intent isn't sexual - but as someone who prefers not to be casually hugged or kissed, it made me uncomfortable. Of course, there is a lot of casual touch in general in sports, so perhaps players truly don't mind it?
Hopefully they feel like they can speak out against it if they do.
posted by hilaryjade at 7:12 PM on October 16, 2016
Hopefully they feel like they can speak out against it if they do.
posted by hilaryjade at 7:12 PM on October 16, 2016
Of course, there is a lot of casual touch in general in sports, so perhaps players truly don't mind it?
Based on everything I have seen and heard (and I am friends with someone who deals with the players on a regular basis), no they don't mind.
Tom Herman is an absolutely amazing coach with a pretty good amount of common sense. I just don't think he's the kind of guy to deliberately make someone uncomfortable if they've made it clear that they don't want to be touched. I could be wrong, but I haven't heard any of that kind of gossip and I probably would have.
It is also really strange that this made it to the NYT. Of all the things about this team, this coach, this year? I would have gone for: the Big 12 expansion talk, the playoffs hopes, the Cinderella story, the rumors of opportunities from just about anywhere that has a head coach opening, the loss to Navy, the huge salary, the incredible UH transformation that he's part of...and then the kissing thing would be number 99 or so.
Phi Slama Jama is the subject of ESPN's next 30 for 30. I think that in 20 years, Tom Herman's teams are going to be the subject of another one.
posted by librarylis at 8:46 PM on October 16, 2016 [5 favorites]
Based on everything I have seen and heard (and I am friends with someone who deals with the players on a regular basis), no they don't mind.
Tom Herman is an absolutely amazing coach with a pretty good amount of common sense. I just don't think he's the kind of guy to deliberately make someone uncomfortable if they've made it clear that they don't want to be touched. I could be wrong, but I haven't heard any of that kind of gossip and I probably would have.
It is also really strange that this made it to the NYT. Of all the things about this team, this coach, this year? I would have gone for: the Big 12 expansion talk, the playoffs hopes, the Cinderella story, the rumors of opportunities from just about anywhere that has a head coach opening, the loss to Navy, the huge salary, the incredible UH transformation that he's part of...and then the kissing thing would be number 99 or so.
Phi Slama Jama is the subject of ESPN's next 30 for 30. I think that in 20 years, Tom Herman's teams are going to be the subject of another one.
posted by librarylis at 8:46 PM on October 16, 2016 [5 favorites]
Thanks, librarylis! I appreciate insight from someone who has a better sense of it. :)
I liked the contrast of it - the same way I like seeing players on opposing teams help each other up after a tackle. I do think there has been an awful lot in the US news about unwanted kissing lately which does make this seem even odder to be covered in the NYT.
posted by hilaryjade at 6:25 AM on October 17, 2016
I liked the contrast of it - the same way I like seeing players on opposing teams help each other up after a tackle. I do think there has been an awful lot in the US news about unwanted kissing lately which does make this seem even odder to be covered in the NYT.
posted by hilaryjade at 6:25 AM on October 17, 2016
Even Judas Iscariot had God on his side.
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:40 AM on October 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:40 AM on October 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
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