NCAA Basketball: Gonzaga Coach Mark Few falls victim to misrepresentation

In response to (the first two minutes of) a recently posted video of Stadium’s Jeff Goodman and Gonzaga Head Coach Mark Few, Twitter warriors have made it their mission to smear an otherwise impeccable reputation.

Sometimes trying to be as apolitical as possible in answering a naturally politically charged question is impossible. Gonzaga Head Coach Mark Few must be learning this message as his response to a question about California’s Fair Pay to Play Act has been greeted with incredibly mixed reactions.

On one hand, the individuals who watched the entire video and took it for what it was, the thoughts of a non-politician with a deep understanding of the college sports environment, were able to agree or disagree with every modicum of respect. Those who reacted merely to the Twitter caption, without bothering to listen to and analyze the response, have entered into a Trump Derangement Syndrome fueled rage that was unexpected for a Monday night.

Now would probably be a good time to note that I am a Liberal and have been my entire life. I voted for Gavin Newsom, and I actually support the bill in question. That said the position Coach Few is taking isn’t outrageous to me, and I can understand his concerns. That is why it is great that California is essentially giving the NCAA three years to make this approach a standard across all institutions.

What has been lost by the media and Few’s critics is his belief that players like Rui Hachimura should be compensated. His issue isn’t with that argument, he just believes that the solution should come from the NCAA to preserve what little equity is left. Unfortunately this message was lost, because most of the ignorant individuals on Twitter only read headlines and don’t bother to think on any critical level.

Am I going to stand here and argue that Few is the greatest orator of all time? Of course not, he has never been one for precision, and has always spoken his mind.

Am I going to assert that his comments were the most well thought out? Probably not.

However, I can understand the struggles of a coach, who is not a politician in any way, being put on the spot and made to relate college sports to politics. And I believe Mark Few maintained an apolitical answer, while still trying to bring the two worlds together.

Let’s take a look at the comments that have started the controversy:

“[The NIL debate is] an incredibly complex issue. It is like health care in America.”

This comment immediately makes it obvious that Coach Few is speaking from the point of view of a non-politician trying to relate his comments to politicians. There is little doubt right now that the debate over paying players is the most complex issue facing college sports today. In order to explain the complexity, Few is trying to use an example in modern politics, and health care is probably the easiest one to put forth. He doesn’t give his opinion on the matter, he just recognizes it as complex.

“What I find totally disappointing and disgusting is that the Governor is wasting his time grandstanding around something that he really doesn’t understand. Where .00001% of his constituents are going to be impacted by this.”

This is where I can see the most valid criticism coming from, all centered on Few’s lack of political experience. This bill passed both houses of the California legislature with unanimous votes, making it an easy bill for Gavin Newsom to sign. That said, it isn’t a secret that Newsom and other politicians are exploiting this bill as a sign of progress. It also isn’t really arguable that the NCAA would be better equipped to address fairness and athletes’ pay simultaneously.

“He should probably stay in his lane, like I tell my players. Figure out homelessness. He’s got state that borders Mexico. Get that mess figured out. The budget.”

This is the comment that has created the most controversy, and I don’t really understand why. It is quite obvious that Few is just putting out a laundry list of what the public pretty much unanimously agrees are issues that the government is best equipped to tackle.

The people calling Few a “MAGA bro” or “racist” are not actually analyzing his argument, they are just trying to latch on to any reason to hate him. But his words don’t give away his position. Does he believe homelessness should be tackled through welfare or private organizations? Does he believe states on the USA-Mexico border should work with or against ICE? Does he believe the budget should be higher or lower?

None of these questions are answerable because FEW ISN’T BEING POLITICAL!

It has become quite clear over the past decade that the United States is in a very delicate place politically. It has caused people to make incredibly false, disingenuous and altogether ignorant accusations against a respected head coach for simply answering a question.

Instead of attacking Few for being a basketball coach and not a political savvy orator, people should be using him, along with Coach K, to fuel a fix that is much needed in the NCAA. I am not naïve enough to think that our reactionary society will ever fully stop to analyze a person’s message, but at least use that message for good instead of adding to a debate that is unnecessary at the moment.

The headlines should read “Mark Few supports a move for the NCAA to allow athletes to be paid.” Unfortunately, we as a community have made it a petty rush to fuel our outrage culture, and it is time to end this cycle.