Poor Education And Poor Fans
Joseph N. Abraham, M.D.
Everywhere in American colleges, local boosters exert great effort to welcome opponents' players and fans, inviting them to share food and drink with them, to show them the sort of hospitality that the finest people-- with the finest educations-- always show. Likewise, the hosting college budgets large amounts of money to market sporting event, to entice other schools and their fans to visit. This augments game attendance, which brings in funds for the sports program which it also enhances support for all of an initituion's programs.
In tandem, the city, county and state governments sink a lot of money, attention, and effort to improve local colleges, at least partially so that tourists- which in this case means the opponents- will visit and put money into local coffers and the tax base.
Supporters and alumni of each institution invest much money and love into the school, so that it might be a source of pride for the community and students, and a role model for other schools.
And after everyone has put forth so much effort, when the opponents arrive, some fans and students will offend these people. Hurl obscenities at them. Even make vulgar gestures at them.
And they "Boo" these visitors that everyone has struggled to bring to campus. Everyone has put forth so much effort, trying to market the college and the town, working to illustrate what college education is supposed to be about, and trying to prove how educated and hospitable the college and community are, when visitors vist the tailgaters, and when the visiting teams enter the arena-- the students and fans boo them.
These are your best students? These are your graduates? These are the brightest and finest of your community? These are your leaders? This is what a college education produces?
Somewhere, people need to learn that "big time" and "low class" are not synonyms.
But every week, it takes place all across the US. Everyone sees it; but absolutely no one addresses it.
It is an outrage. College administrators, elected student governments, alumni associations, players, coaches and athletics officers need to step up. They need to demand that supporters do what is expected of them, without even thinking about it:
Produce alumni and students who know better.
Joseph N. Abraham is the President and Founder of the Acadiana Educational Endowment and booksXYZ.com the http://booksXYZ.com/ nonprofit bookstore listing over 2,000,000 http://booksXYZ.com/ books.
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