The Arrogance of Power
(Harrisburg) – In a college tournament predominately dominated by men, Carol likes to say that she put the “Bra” in Bracketology. But an exhaustive, three day undercover investigation by senior Henderson NCAA Tournament officials suggests much more is happening than meets the eye.
Fans first met Carol as the original installment in our Meet & Greet segment. She was portrayed as hardworking, loyal to her teams and extremely prepared. But spurred by a troubling videotape clip anonymously sent to Tournament headquarters, officials initiated a probe to determine the extent of problems in what can only be regarded as a regime run amok.
Co-workers describe a supervisor obsessed with the minutia of the tournament. Most spoke only on the condition of anonymity, fearing the wrath of another tirade – or worse – from their obsessive-compulsive boss. But the sentiment was universal: “This has to stop.”
“She’s running a massive campaign – a year-round machine solely devoted to winning the Tournament,” said Chris, who asked that his last name be withheld for fear of reprisal. Witnesses describe being ordered to track individual teams and conferences and preparing daily summaries and power-point presentations. Others were given menial tasks such as windexing her computer monitor, reading the newspaper to her, or operating the remote control.
Those who ran afoul of Carol were assigned to scout so-called undesirable leagues, such as the Mountain West or WAC conferences. Their anger is apparent. “Do you know what time a Hawaii home game ends?” said one employee sarcastically.
Among the allegations substantiated in the investigation:
- An employee was fired for referring to her beloved Arizona head coach as “Lute” instead of “Coach Olsen”
- Mandatory 7 AM staff meetings. Employees were often berated while reviewing the previous night’s games
- Staffers forced to drop – and then clean up – confetti over Carol’s desk after each correct tournament pick
- Failure to recycle empty beer bottles and cans
Tournament officials promised to take “swift and appropriate” measures to address the allegations.