I have been reading the “Daily Campus” almost every day since school started because its articles are very informative, entertaining, and interesting. However, among these articles I have noticed a certain one article, an editorial, written by a Daily Campus columnist in which the student body is criticized, twice in two different issues that I have observed, for not attending an SMU football game or a viewing of such for its entirety.
Quite frankly I was not amused and didn’t think that was necessary to put into a paper. I can see how hardcore football fans might think “They don’t care enough about the team if they don’t stay the whole game” but on the other hand who cares if that is the case? If you love football great, if you don’t, I think that’s ok too! The fact is some people have better things to do than watch a lost cause of a game or even an easy anticipated win. Sometimes people plan to attend events for a little while and choose to leave because they have something they need, or want to do but that doesn’t mean they love their team or the sport less.
I think most people are excited about June Jones and are optimistic about what he will turn the Mustangs into but Rome wasn’t built in a day, and people decide the opportunity cost, little economics there, everyday for the things they choose to do. I don’t mean to say by any means that people who do go to games for their entirety are wasting their time because they aren’t, that’s just how they are choosing so spend their time. Personally I think what keeps people in their seats is an exciting close game full of insult, injury, and great plays. Am I wrong? Seriously is it so bad to walk out on a game at halftime to beat the crowds, get some errands done, or study for that huge test the next week?
Being at the game for however short or long a time does constitute a display of support but I think if you watch the game from any medium and can talk about it with some degree of knowledge that that is also support. There’s enough stuff going on in life without having to worry about whether or not you were at your team’s football game faithfully cheering until you didn’t have a voice the next day. How would you react to being chastised for not attending a game either at all or for its duration?
2 comments:
I agree on many counts. The Daily Campus columnist--could you add a link to one of these columns in the on-line DC--should not scold the students for not attending the football games or staying for the duration. Why single out football? There are many other sports whose events are also under-attended. But I guess the columnist doesn't care about those sports because SMU didn't sink so much money and publicity into them. I'm sorry that June "Locked and Loaded" Jones wasn't the magic bullet SMU supporters thought they could buy with $10 million, but as you say, building up a team takes time. Maybe he will eventually prove to be worth his $2 mil per year, but right now, "June Cometh" on the billboards seems just plain embarrassing and pretentious.
I have been dealing with this problem for years now, ever since high school started, especially since this is a football state. For some odd reason a lot of people here think that unless you go to a football game and stay, you are not a true fan of your school, but all the other sports do not show they level of love for school. It is a mystery that will never be solved here in Texas. As for leaving the game early to either beat the crowd and terrible traffic; or to actually get something important or not done is a valid thing to do no matter what the situation. So to rap this up i feel your pain and agree with you completely.
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