Letter to the editor: Fights taint Image

Friday, September 25, 2009

It’s a crisp fall morning and instead of the rustle of leaves ushering in winter, all I can hear are shouts. It’s about 10 a.m. and the football and basketball players are at the peak of immaturity. Apparently round two has commenced after the previous night’s altercation that sent Tyshawn Taylor to the hospital with a dislocated thumb.

I’m slightly impressed — it takes me a few hours in the morning to rev up my gears enough to be anything more than placid. My overwhelming emotion, however, is embarrassment.

It seems that every media outlet has caught wind of how selfish and childish our athletic teams are acting. It’s a poor reflection of what this University actually represents — scholars.

The engineering department and the English department don’t brawl in front of Wescoe — though I admit it would be entertaining — and they are just as competitive as the aforementioned sports teams. Granted, they have a smaller visible fan base, but they are still comparative.

What we fail to realize is that all of the players on both teams are KU students. They attend classes, take tests and do homework. They are all representatives of the University and should behave accordingly.

Unfortunately, as it pertains to this incident, the national media places a spotlight on the athletics of the University. The players who represent the Athletics Department are delegates to the reputation of this institution. When representatives behave in such a classless manner, they damage that which they represent.

I’m not Lew Perkins, and I can’t tell him how to act, but punishment is necessary. We cannot let the nation think we accept this behavior from students at our university. Championships and victories be damned, there must be accountability for the actions of our scholars.

— Evan Mielke, Lawrence freshman

Comments

lenexamom (anonymous) says...

You are absolutely correct. The player-students responsible for this fiasco should (but won't) be treated the same as an "average" student and punished accordingly. If that means being expelled, so be it. The problem is these are the same "students" that bring big money to the institution. For that reason alone, they will be talked to and sent on their way. At the very least the coaches should have them do some sort of community service or other activity to burn off their excess energy. The KU students/alumni/staff need to make it known that they are ashamed of the behavior of these players and will not tolerate any further episodes.

September 25, 2009 at 8:25 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

beauj (anonymous) says...

Well said on all accounts. Excellent article. Coach Self, Coach Mangino, Mr. Perkins, and yes - Madam Chancellor...are you listening? What will you do?

September 25, 2009 at 8:48 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

oldishjhk (anonymous) says...

I couldn't agree more with the above comments. While I take great pride in the accomplishments of our atheletic teams, I am most proud of the academic and post-graduation accomplishments of my fellow Jayhawks. Even in years of not-so-much winning by our atheletics, I have always been proud of the kind of people our athletes were. I am ashamed and embarrassed by the behavior of the football and basketball teams. They have all been given a great gift- a free, top-notch, college education in exchange for playing a game they love. There are sooooo many who want to go to college, to learn and improve themselves, that simply will not be able to because they cannot afford it. So given this great opportunity, this is what these atheletes do with it?! I think whatever disciplinary measures are taken with these students should make it VERY clear that this type of behavior WILL NOT be tolerated. I'd rather see the Jayhawks lose games than fear for the safety of students on campus. If I had been the mother of one of the student atheletes Bill Self was out recruiting when this all happend, I would have thanked him kindly for his time and interest, and then shown him the door.

September 25, 2009 at 9:07 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

domoking (anonymous) says...

While they are getting paid to play sports, the majority of students are paying to attend classes. Everyone involved is still a student at this university, so the question I have is this. What is the official university policy on students fights on campus? The school should disregard any 'athlete' status and punish the guilty parties according to their own rules. Any special treatment should not be tolerated, and will not by this particular student.

September 25, 2009 at 1:37 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

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