a sense of joy and then a panic

I'm talking about their authority just in relation to the team. In relation to the fans and their boss and whoever else, it gets more complicated. But it's not as if professors don't have bosses, or if they teach badly, they won't get fired (even as a result of student reviews), or they don't have a mindset that they're really a small part of helping students approach the world more critically, all in service of the Good, without personal ambition. I'm just talking about how it relates to how well they're 'liked' and how much devotion they receive. The authority I'm talking about derives from their position (coach). It doesn't really matter how illusory it is, until the illusion is broken. But do players have more authority over Pelini than the other way around? The people, well...that's a weird relationship, because it's not as if he's their coach. Obviously he has some sort of power over them insofar as they care about football, but that's a different thing. So I think I'm disagreeing with you on that point.