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Learning to Love the Hateful Bob Knight

Feb 19, 2009, 4:30 PM UTC

This piece by Will Leitch appears in the latest issue of Sporting News Magazine.

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â†µEvery kid needs a villain, whetherâ†µit’s the bully down the street, theâ†µsnotty rich girl from homeroom orâ†µthe gym teacher who makes youâ†µwear hideous yellow uniforms whileâ†µrunning laps. Mine was Bob Knight. Iâ†µhad my dad to thank for that.â†µ

â†µWe were Illini fans, and Bob Knightâ†µrepresented Indiana basketball lessâ†µthan he represented boorishness,â†µprofanity and unadulterated fury.â†µThe first book I ever read with anâ†µobscenity in it was our own Johnâ†µFeinstein’s A Season On the Brink. Itâ†µwasn’t really appropriate for aâ†µ14-year-old, but my dad let me readâ†µit because hating Bob Knight was aâ†µsacred bond. It’s hard for dads andâ†µteenagers to find common ground.â†µBob Knight served that purpose,â†µsplendidly. We watched every Illiniâ†µgame, but Indiana games were events.â†µThey allowed the Leitches to scream atâ†µthe television together for two hours,â†µletting the General stand in for all weâ†µfound wrong with the world.â†µ

â†µâ†µAs I got older, though, I noticedâ†µsomething about Bob Knight: He wasâ†µa lot like my dad. They both wereâ†µmilitary men, they both insisted onâ†µdiscipline and hard work, and theyâ†µboth had a problem with their facesâ†µgetting really red when they wereâ†µreally mad. As I segued into adulthood,â†µwhen Knight finally was wearing outâ†µhis welcome in Bloomington (that is toâ†µsay: not winning as much as he usedâ†µto), I found myself having sympathy forâ†µhim. This guy was part of my youth.â†µIt was like watching teenagers taunt aâ†µchained old dog. And now that he’s onâ†µESPN and flirting with returning toâ†µcoaching (again), I should probably justâ†µadmit it: I love Bob Knight.â†µ

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â†µIt’s not just that he’s particularlyâ†µskilled on ESPN, though that helps.â†µ(He’s not exactly camera-ready, yet he’sâ†µsmart, blunt and unsparing -- thingsâ†µyou can’t say about many others on thatâ†µnetwork.) It’s mostly that Bob Knightâ†µhas remained, resolutely, Bob Knightâ†µthroughout the years.â†µ

â†µâ†µThat never happens. We are a nationâ†µthat loves reinvention, second chances,â†µpublic relations. No matter what you’veâ†µdone, if you look sorry enough in anâ†µinterview with Barbara Walters (orâ†µBob Ley), we tend to say, “Oh, he looksâ†µsorry” and move along.â†µ

â†µâ†µKnight has never done this. Theâ†µman lives by a set of core values, and ifâ†µthose values happen to clash with theâ†µculture at large, well, sorry, culture atâ†µlarge. How Knight acted in the ’60sâ†µdidn’t fly in the ’90s, which is whyâ†µKnight is so “controversial.” But that’sâ†µnot Knight’s problem; that’s yours. As aâ†µkid, I thought Bob Knight was a brute.â†µNow that I’m older? Well, you know,â†µthere are some kids who could useâ†µsome whipping into shape. Hundredsâ†µof players have spoken about howâ†µKnight changed their lives, preparedâ†µthem for the world. I’m not sure that’sâ†µsomething you gauge by your rank onâ†µthe Scout.com recruiting lists.â†µ

â†µâ†µAll told, I’ve completely comeâ†µaround. If I had a son, I’d be honoredâ†µto have him coached by Bob Knight.â†µAnd, if you really pressed him on it,â†µI bet my dad would say the same thing.â†µ

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