THERE is one home football game left. Many of you are now thinking about one important question, namely, "who cares?" A wise response, dear reader, a wise response. There are, however, those students who take college football seriously and some who will lament not having the opportunity to drink and sway with thousands of fellow students on Saturday afternoons while shouting homophobic slogans. This is only natural. At any university there will be many who care deeply about the athletic teams and others who are not sure if a field goal happens in soccer or football. Although this balance is inevitable, some people seem to think that the football team deserves an excessive amount of support from the University, and their view can be seen in places such as these hallowed pages. This viewpoint is entirely wrong, though, and it is a waste of editorial space.
So far The Cavalier Daily has had a section in the lead editorial of every issue coming out on the Fridays before home football games entitled "Make Some Noise." The first one was harmless enough, encouraging fans to come out and fill the new stadium with enthusiasm. As the weeks went on, and the fan support apparently did not live up to expectations, the editorial turned to pleading, then to criticizing, then to sarcastic criticizing. These pieces attack the student body for not living up to what the editorial board must consider a necessary level of commitment for fans.
The editorial on Oct. 6 told the fans, "You are all hopelessly ingrained with the traditions of students long graduated. Football fans have shown a complete inability to get excited over the biggest athletic events of the school year." You may want to stop right there and give a rousing "So what? Why do we have to get excited over athletic events anyway?" but look at the conclusion of the piece, "We would like to apologize to Coach Welsh and the entire football team. Apparently you won't be good enough until you win seven consecutive national championships, go undefeated for a decade and end world hunger."
While the hyperbolic sarcasm is amusing, the underlying sentiment is ridiculous. The coach and football team deserve an apology? Please. Students don't sign a contract saying that they will go scream their lungs out on Saturdays for some middling football team. The football team should be grateful for every fan who does come out there to cheer.
In addition, there are plenty of other worthy sports teams who get next to no support here at the University. I don't see any editorials lamenting the lack of supporters at soccer games, cross country meets or any sporting event besides football. Other athletic teams surely deserve the support of University students just as much as the big money sports teams do. The football team and its supporters simply need a healthy dose of perspective.
There are many things students at the University could be doing besides watching athletic events. Three to four hours is a long time to commit to anything and there are much worthier causes than football anyway. A Saturday can be spent going to a Habitat for Humanity building site, playing frisbee on the Lawn, hanging out with a close friend, or getting some studying done. Anyone who expects students to go to all home football games and expects all those who do go to be insanely vocal is just deluded.
There is nothing wrong with going to a football game just to hang out with friends - although there are surely easier and more interesting ways to do that. Those who criticize these so-called "social fans" should be glad they are even at the games, at least making our shiny $80 million Carl Smith Center look full. If students go to a football game to hang out with friends and then leave at halftime because they need to do something else, who can blame them? The Cavalier Daily can: "We'll forgive the people who left at halftime of the BYU game, our team was cruising. We'll forget the people who left at halftime of the Richmond game, as our team was once again, cruising" (Sept. 22). It is okay to try to increase support for the football team, but does this stuff really deserve lead editorial coverage?
We are University students. Although being a loud and dedicated football fan can certainly be a part of that, it is definitely not a requirement. Whining by the team or by daily newspapers about fan support should be duly ignored. The last home football game is coming up, and the only advice I can give about what to do is simple: whatever you want.
(Luke Godwin is a Cavalier Daily viewpoint writer.)
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