What really set me off was the lead of a Feb.,After four long, hard years at Emerson College, a lot has gotten under my skin. Recently, the anti-sports stereotypes pegged on Emerson students have annoyed and frustrated not only myself, but many others as well.
What really set me off was the lead of a Feb. 9 Beacon article, “With no Patriots, ads dominate Super Bowl XL.”
The article about Super Bowl ads began like this: “If you’re reading this, you are an Emerson student and thus, have minimal to no interest in sports.”
This is untrue. In fact, a lot of Emerson students do like sports and are more interested in them than film, poetry and marketing.
I love sports, as do many of my friends and even a number of my professors.
To classify all Emerson students under the broad generalization of having no interest in sports is pathetic and unintelligent.
The joke just isn’t funny.
My issue is not with the article itself but with the students who hate on sports without justification and those who dismiss sports as an unimportant or trivial part of the college experience.
I know it’s hard to believe, but many Emersonians participate in basketball, lacrosse, volleyball, golf, baseball, softball and cross-country.
In case you didn’t know, Emerson College is an NCAA Division III school and is part of the GNAC (Great Northeast Athletic Conference).
I realize that most Emerson students are very artsy and probably hate the conformist unity of team sports.
They were probably picked last in high school gym and most don’t have an athletic bone in their body.
It’s one thing not to understand sports or not follow them, but to denounce sports in general, offend fellow classmates and propagate a condescending stereotype is disappointing at a college that prides itself on accepting many different types of people.
Student athletes work hard in and out of the classroom and should be given more respect for it. While they are a minority at Emerson, student athletes are a vital part of the college.
We have a brand-new gym and fitness facility (and dorm) being built on Boylston Street, and, with Rotch Field finally complete, Emerson is now more active in recruiting athletes.
While these additions might seem like a bad makeover for the college, the new facilities and athletic arenas will promote sports, make it easier for students to attend games, players to practice and for Emerson to make more money.
I know it hurts your indie hearts, but money conquers all.
No longer is Emerson College just where all the weird outcasts from high school go to study film and make it in the entertainment industry.
Emerson is slowly becoming a well-rounded college that can appeal to everyone.
I applaud the administration and Athletics Department for all their hard work to get the program to where it is now.
I would have loved to have played sports at Emerson and been able to see the opening of the new building.
While students here may not like the direction that this college is going, there is no reason to bad mouth sports and look at the hobby as inferior or below you.
Sports may not interest you, but maybe seeing your peers succeed should.
Instead of segregating yourself in the darkroom, editing suite or on stage, go out and see a game, cheer for your college and support fellow students who really deserve it.