Its safe to say that Vince Lombardi most likely would have had a philosophical difference or two with West Virginia Universitys Dr. Sharon Ryan.
After all, hes the Green Bay Packer coaching legend who coined that axiom about winning being theonly thing.And shes the WVU Department of Philosophy chair who has spent the past several weeks getting a host of Mountaineer marquee athletes and coaches to really consider (in the best philosophical sense) that whole concept ofwinningand how it might go beyond numbers on the scoreboard.
Its all part of a deep-thinking exercise she fronted two years ago called THE QUESTION , and you can read about in the Jan. 22 Sports Illustrated, which is on newsstands now.
SI writer Steve Rushin caught up with Ryan and her colleagues after THE QUESTION went on the road to Jacksonville and the Gator Bowl, the site of WVU s thrilling 38-35 comeback over Georgia Tech on New Years Day.
Armed with acamcorder and curiosity,as she puts it, Ryan asked those players and coaches to consider (then, reconsider) the question,Is winning everything?Everyone from football coach Rich Rodriguez to womens basketball star Meg Bulger got into the act, and you can view their responses athttp://thequestion.blogs.wvu.edu.
Most of the respondents took a Socratic track, and one answer, by long-snapper Zach Flynt, is sure to make OlVince himself smile down from the pristine fields of Football Heaven.
As for Ryan, well, shes smiling, because THE QUESTION is accomplishing everything she hoped it would.
Well, its obviously a thrill to be in Sports Illustrated, of all places,said Ryan, a Long Island, N.Y., native who faithfully went to New York Mets home games as a little girl and played college basketball on her way to earning her doctorate.
I couldnt be happier,she said.THE QUESTION is going beyond its borders, and that was the whole idea.
The department chair came up with the idea as way to introduce critical thinking and reasoningthe two bedrocks of her professionto area youngsters, between the ages of 5 and 12.
No softball-questions, here. Ryans budding philosophers to date have bumped up against such brow-wrinklers as,Does God exist?When is war OK?andIs the death penalty wrong?
Youll find those responses at the above site as well. Be they from scholarship athletes or school kids looking forward recess, Ryan said every single answer has beenamazingly insightfulin proving her point that philosophy is interwoven with the fabric of our lifewhether we realize it or not.
Its all aboutwrestling with the big philosophical questions,she said, that range from religion to going to war to how people are treated.
Unfortunately, many people wrestle alone,she said.Unfortunately, many people do not wrestle and they accept simple answers. I just want people to really wonder, think, listen, share and respectfully evaluate their ideas openly. Thats what philosophy is all about and thats what THE QUESTION is all about.
Ryan has been philosophy chair since July 2004. Under her leadership, majors in the department have more than doubled. The department is part of WVU s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.