MARK KIESLING: Board of ed best left off the seat of knowledge

Normally I don't enter into the world of sports, that being the bailiwick of other reporters who know a lot more than I do about the subject.

That being said, it's difficult to stay out of the fracas that began at Penn State and now threatens to expand and take down any number of college football programs.

I'm talking, of course, about the scandals in which coaches allegedly molested student-athletes, then used their position or the profitability of the school's athletic program to cover it up.

I can't think of a time when molestation of young people has ever been acceptable, but I do know there was a culture out there that in effect degrades young people in athletic programs through different ways.

It happened around here when I was in high school in the 1970s. When someone I am going to identify only as Coach Mike took great pleasure in applying the board of education to the seat of knowledge (yes, I know, you've heard that one before).

Outside his office in the locker room, there was a scale upon which one could weigh himself after a workout to see if he was making any progress.

"WEIGH YOURSELF," the sign on the high school scale invited. Under those words, in much smaller letters, were the words, "Price: One Swat."

Coach Mike would grin when a newbie would come in and weigh himself. "Boy, come into the office and bend over," he'd say.

When the newbie questioned Coach Mike, the coach would carefully point out the price of the use of the scale. Then he'd pull out the old faithful paddle and give the newbie a good whacking across the rump.

Needless to say, those of us who already had been whacked somewhere along the line would never dream of warning the newbie: It was a rite of passage.

Now, no one ever got seriously injured. Coach Mike was not out to hurt anyone, he was just out to get a laugh out of the veterans of the sore buttock club and perhaps amuse himself in some way I'd rather not consider.

But it's this kind of mentality, the kind that says you've got to take it to be one of the guys, that leads to much more serious things like what allegedly happened at Penn State, Syracuse and most likely a lot of other programs.

I asked my boys about it when they went to the same high school, and neither had ever heard of such a thing. In fact, they were a bit taken aback.

Maybe we are making progress at the high school level. Would that it makes it to the advanced halls of knowledge.

Because there are some things that are best left unknown.

The opinions are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at mark.kiesling@nwi.com or (219) 933-4170.