Socrates and the Football Genius, Belichick In the history of mankind, various people have left behind trademark qualities that distinguish them for ages. One such character is Socrates. Even though much of what is known about Socrates is mostly through the accounts of Plato and Aristotle, Socrates still remains a well-known personality. It is because of Socrates that we often stumble upon the approach known as the Socratic method to answer some of our most intriguing questions, questions that require a certain logical method, and an aptitude of intellectual depth and wisdom to answer. Socrates was known as the man with copious amounts of wisdom and knowledge. Another defining trait of Socrates was his humbleness, the fact that he knew what he did not know and accepted that. Socrates was also a truthful person because he would always think before he spoke and think of what the Greek gods would say if he lied. There were however negative flaws in Socrates’ character, as the case with anyone. One of his flaws was his use of ironic language, which left many around him with a vague and often misunderstood meaning of his views. In today’s contemporary world there are several personalities that are similar to Socrates, but the one that seems to stand out as the most akin to Socrates is that of Bill Belichick’s. Bill Belichick is currently the head coach of he New England Patriots and has been for the past twelve years. He is arguably the best coach in the league today, with five Super Bowl appearances over the past twelve and three Super Bowl rings. But what makes Bill Belichick so similar to Socrates is his complex personality. Bill Belichick seems to be rather a boring person when you first see him, but after thoroughly analyzing him and his methods one could see the stark comparisons between him and Socrates. Belichick, like Socrates, is rather wise and knowledgeable, truthful, and as well as shrewd in his methods to uncover the truth. Socrates had to endure tough circumstances when he was convicted of “corrupting the young” during his trial. It was during this tough time that Socrates’ traits could be seen rather vividly. For instance, when Socrates was asked to make his defense he stated that: “I do not know, men of Athens, how my accusers affected you; as for me, I was almost carried away in spite of myself, so persuasively did they speak” (Apology 20-1). Socrates is being rather truthful in saying that his accusers did make a good argument on their part and almost moved him from his stance, but he is being rather sarcastic at the same time. Socrates does not mean to say that about his accusers, what he actually means to say is that what they have said about him is such a big lie that it almost seems too true. There are instances throughout the trial where Socrates uses his method of breaking down arguments systematically to make his defense. For instance, at one point he tells the jury that he would not beg in front of them and ask for mercy, for if he did it would be contradicting his own ideals. The above is one statement that moves a lot of people but it is also one that is often misunderstood. One way of interpreting its meaning is: “I am better than you therefore I will beg in front of you for my life.” This shows the level of pride and courage that Socrates has in his ideals and also displays his loyalty his ideals and teachings. He makes a rather convincing argument in his defense but because he never explicitly states that his accusers are lying and only infers it through his ironic language, he rather confuses his audience, which is what eventually leads to his downfall or in this case, his death.
Bill Belichick exhibits a similar trait of using manipulative language in his interview with CBS on April 12, 2008 about the Spy-gate Scandal. When asked about the comments that the former Patriots video taper, Matt Walsh, had made about the Patriots illegally recording the opponent’s signals, Bill Belichick
