March has finally arrived. Coming soon are warmer days, the first signs of spring, and, hopefully, an end to the near daily stories we must endure involving “The Shannon Miller Saga.”
The former coach is gay; we get that. But so what? Her dismissal had nothing to do with sexual orientation. It was about not filling seats, and that’s Economics 101 in a nutshell. And since the team’s current woes did not correlate well with having a leader at the highest of pay grades, it was adios for not contending - and nothing more.
State senators shouldn’t have weighed in, although it was probably a great diversion for them while trying to avoid actual, meaningful work as our paid representatives (“Senators want answers on contract dispute with UMD coach,” Feb. 24).
The LGBT community didn’t need to get up in arms over campus-friendly designation concerns.
And everyone needs to wipe the prejudicial fog off of their glasses and look at this matter clearly and realistically.
As for the other three assistants who also were terminated: They were crucial staff members, and so I would have been shocked had they not been given pink slips. In fact, the complete dismissal of a coaching alliance is actually very common in sports. It’s called “cleaning house,” and it’s done with regularity to help eliminate contempt toward and the potential undermining of any incoming regime and its efforts.
So Miller can get over herself and cease with her threats of lawsuits. Her team no longer resides within the upper echelons of women’s college hockey, making her expendable - just like any other coach.
She and her cohorts are not victims. They were let go simply as the end result of minimal current achievement, and that was all.
Keith M. Johnson
Port Townsend, Wash.
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