What MLS Can Learn From Joe Paterno. Yes, That Joe Paterno.

Joe Paterno wasn’t one of us. He was a football coach, and damn good one a that, but an outsider to the world of soccer. He may have won 409 games with Penn State and made himself one of the most storied characters in the history of collegiate football, but he definitely wouldn’t have known Kyle Beckerman from David Beckham.

Yet, in the wake of his death, and with the MLS season inching closer, there’s a lot we can learn from his philosophy toward winning, even if it concerns a completely different ballgame. I offer the following quotes that Paterno gave in a 1968 Sports Illustrated profile:

“We’re trying to win football games, don’t misunderstand that,” said Paterno. “But I don’t want it to ruin our lives if we lose. I don’t want us ever to become the kind of place where an 8-2 season is a tragedy. Look at that day outside. It’s clear, it’s beautiful, the leaves are turning, the land is pretty, and it’s quiet. If losing a game made me miserable, I couldn’t enjoy such a day.

So Penn State players give their best for Paterno and listen for the cheers, and they really don’t worry about No. 1. “You know what happens when you’re Number 1?” says Paterno. “Nobody is happy until you’re Number 1 again, and that might be never.”

As much as rhetorical questions may be a huge journalistic faux pas, I’ve found myself able only to sit here and ask, “aren’t his words just freaking beautiful?” In today’s world, sports have evolved to become a matter of life or death where only victory matters. Soccer and Football may have their differences, but the players, managers, and manic fans of both sports share this savage drive for glory. That’s why characters like Paterno are so profound: they see the beauty in the game itself, win or lose. When modern athletes say that they love their sport, what they are often referring to is a sort of mindless, life-or-death dependence in victory, leaving the game itself to become little more than a vehicle to achieve that glory. Paterno’s breed profess love for their sport, but mean it in just the opposite way: they find the beauty in the simple act of playing the game itself. Victory is preferred, of course, but these people can just as easily savor the art that lies in the essence of the game during a loss. For them, athletics exist to enrich our lives and bring us joy. At the end of the day, they remind us , these sports over which we obsess are just games, and games exist as a way for us to have fun and challenge ourselves to achieve. Behind the million dollar contracts, the sponsorship deals, the national TV coverage, the manic fans, and the cult of untouchability that surrounds the players, professional soccer and football are the same sport we all played on the playground as kids. Paterno’s ultimate lesson was that the exponential difference in skill between collegiate athletics and playing ball at lunchtime shouldn’t cause athletes to approach their game any differently than they did as a kid: as a release, and as a way to have fun.

The need to keep Paterno’s creed in mind extends well into the world of American soccer. When describing why his series “The Office” needed to be radically changed for an American audience, Ricky Gervais said, “Americans are brought up to believe they can be the next president of the United States. Brits are told, ‘it won’t happen for you.’”. This is absolutely true; the 2012 MLS Season is only six weeks away, and all nineteen MLS teams are eyeing the MLS Cup, even the ones for whom that dream is clearly ludicrous. Any club that seems to have a chance at taking the Cup this year has long since articulated the desire clearly, telling reporters in preseason camps that their eyes are already on the prize, and managers of clubs who clearly have no chance at playoff glory spin the upcoming season a time for “rebuilding”, as if to say that 2012’s only function is to begin setting the foundation of future victory.

It goes without saying that this is hollow. When we concentrate only on W’s and hardware, we forget the fact that MLS, our fandom, and professional soccer as a whole are built on the world’s love of the Beautiful Game. And that’s where we’re letting JoePa down. He wouldn’t want us to look at Portland’s 11-9-14 record in 2011 as a failure; he would want us to see the beauty in a new-born side that continued MLS’s strong trend of expansion, consistently drew huge numbers of fans, and, most importantly, played dozens of legitimately exciting games. He would want us to look at the magic that Thierry Henry, Juan Agudelo, Joel Lindpere, and Luke Rodgers produced at Red Bull Arena, not at the team’s thoroughly disappointing finish. And with one look at Eric Hassli’s wonder-goal against Seattle, Paterno would surely be able to make light of Vancouver’s last place finish in the West. Even if we do still want our teams to finish strongly, we should all try to see the art of soccer as its played in each game, even if it’s a loss.

In all, then, it is our job to keep Joe’s vision alive by remembering his lessons. As professional sports become more of an industry, and as professional athletes are further raised on their pedestals as distant demigods, we can be sure that Paterno’s breed is a dying one. But in 2012, we should all approach the fresh season with a bit of Paterno in mind. Let’s try to remember that your team doesn’t have to finish the season with thirty wins and the MLS Cup to be successful. Let’s try to find the value in a great game of soccer, as long as both teams give it their all and put on a good show. Because, as cheesy as it sounds, this is ultimately what watching soccer games is about. The game.

Rest in peace, Joe.

Category: MLS