Ryan McNeil
In America, college football reigns supreme. It reaches into corners of the country not “big enough” for pro sports, becomes a generational bond for families, and turns everyday athletes and coaches into folk heroes. It is, quite simply, a way of life. Should we be surprised when people behave badly when their way of life comes under attack?
HAPPY VALLEY tells the tale of the scandal that rocked Penn State’s football program in November 2011. It was that winter that longtime defensive co-ordinator Jerry Sandusky was charged with more than forty counts of child sex abuse. Things went from bad to worse when legendary head coach Joe Paterno is implicated in covering up the scandal and not doing enough to report Sandusky to the proper authorities. By the time the dust settles, Sandusky is found guilty, Paterno (and three top administrators) are fired, and The NCAA sanctions the Penn State football program to the hilt. The whole situation is made worse as Paterno passes away suddenly after he is fired, meaning the complete truth can never be known.
To the casual observer, a situation like this seems cut-and-dried. A child molester is accused, tried and found guilty, and those who associated with him are affected by blowback. The problem grows deeper when the situation affects a part of life held in the same regard as family – as religion even (Paterno and Sandusky are likened to God and Christ to describe their place in the Penn State community). Besides the fact that passions run high, it’s a situation that The NCAA has allowed to swell into gigantic business. They have no problems getting rich off young adults in exchange for “free education”…but sully that devil’s bargain with scandal and they lock you in a stockade and invite the masses to lob rotten fruit.
HAPPY VALLEY is a cautionary tale about best intentions and blind passion.
It wants us to understand not just how Jerry Sandusky managed to commit the terrible deeds that he did, but also how it was facilitated and could have been facilitated so many other places in America. The film makes plain the fact that Joe Paterno and Penn State believed so deeply in what they’d built, that they didn’t want to risk its image being destroyed. On the surface, one can see that they thought they were preserving something greater by not taking the logical steps. It’s up to the viewer whether or not “preserving something greater” was the right thing to do. In the meantime, blind passion has taken a stranglehold of the Penn State community. They believe in their heroes, and don’t feel as though blame should trickle down. With their entire way of life under attack, should we be surprised when they counterattack?
After all, if Paterno is guilty for protecting The Penn State Legacy, what does that mean for those who wish to protect Paterno?
HAPPY VALLEY has finished its Hot Docs engagement.
Love that opening paragraph. I can vouch for all of it. Hailing from a part of America that had no pro sports, college football was and has always been where my passion lies. But I know I’m also guilty of the things you cite – the blind passion and turning people into folk heroes. It something I’ve wrestled with a lot, before Penn State but even more so after. Can’t wait to see this one.
It’s a complicated thing, because on the one hand people should be able to climb a ladder and enjoy notoriety. So if one can become quasi-famous for doing something that brings people joy, so be it. The problem comes when those around that person turn them into deities and don’t see them as fallible.
Ain’t nothing wrong with loving someone because they coach a team, so long as we remember what else they are capable of.