Was the Sandusky scandal inevitable in the rarefied world of athletic coaching?

I always love it when I read a post that has me not only nodding in agreement with every paragraph, but delving into my own history and values to expand upon the points the post makes.  Mike McDaniel, who blogs at State McDaniel Manor, has written one of those posts.  (Full disclosure:  Mike very kindly links to me in his post, but that’s not why I like what he’s written.)

Mike, who is a former police officer, a current teacher, and a lifetime athlete, looks at the unhealthy culture that too many American high schools, colleges and universities have built around athletics.  Both Carlyle and Lord Acton would have understood that, by giving successful coaches demigod status, we have encouraged an environment in which even the sea-green incorruptible cannot withstand the pressure to become absolutely corrupt.