Observing a Controversy

About this time two years ago Texas Tech fired its eccentric, successful football coach Mike Leach.  As would have been expected, there was lot of controversy, anger, and taking of sides at the time.  As would have been less expected, there still is.   People  are still agitated, still posting  to web sites, and still bitterly at odds. The continuing conflict is interesting apart from the events and merits of the case (which are instructive and worthy of study in themselves). It is interesting because of what  I think it illustrates  about the “sociology” of people in West Texas.  

 

In West Texas you have large numbers of  some of the most ornery, independent, tolerant, freewheeling,  and hard to control people you might find anywhere. The frontier spirit and the cowboy way are alive and strong. On the other hand you have - also in large numbers  - some of the most dogmatic, authority revering,  hierarchically minded, and obediently rule accepting people you might find anywhere. The notions that the people in charge and  the official version have to be right are also alive and strong.
  

The controversy over Mike Leach displays the two strains of thought fairly clearly.  Leach was a very unconventional college football coach. He ran a daring, innovative, and high speed offense, eschewed coach-speak, kept his religious opinions to himself, avoided suits and ties, had little or no interest is stroking bosses, boosters, or local big shots, often said what was on his mind, and reveled in the idea of representing the anarchic  spirit of a pirate.  The chancellor and regents  who fired him (and Craig James who provided the triggering event) were and are representatives and examples of order, authority, and publically proclaimed propriety.  

You can observe a lot just by watching it.