These days, college sports are littered with scandal and drama, even during the summer, when school isnít even in session. For example, there was the tragic murder of Baylor University basketball player Patrick Dennehy by his own teammate Carlton Dotson, according to police. Also, big news was 57-year-old ex-Alabama football coach Mike Priceís fondness for buying drinks for college girls and frequenting strip clubs. These incidents, just to name a few, lead me to believe that the meaning of college sports has been lost. All this is enough to disillusion even a die-hard sports lover like myself.
Fortunately, I am lucky enough to still go to a school where the athletes play to play, the same reason many of us played Little League and Pop Warner football when we were still snot-nosed kids.
True, UCSD may be Division II while our fellow UCs north of us are Division I powerhouses, with athletes that are household names and campus heroes. But, if you look at the standings, youíll clearly see that all Triton teams in the five fall sports currently in season are doing incredibly well. This is one of the best starts weíve ever had. The womenís volleyball team has earned its No. 1 ranking, our womenís soccer team is undefeated and ranked fourth. In addition, the menís water polo team earned its highest ranking ever, at No. 6. Not a bad feat considering the water polo men are up against the giant likes of Stanford, Cal and USC, who by the way, give out scholarships.
Our teams have always struggled to get fan support but now, theyíve proven themselves worthy of our time. Coming into UCSD, most of our athletes probably knew that any games at RIMAC, Canyonview and the baseball field donít even come close to filling the capacity. But, they came anyway because of the great education UCSD can give and to simply play.
With all the million dollar endorsements and flashy pro athletes trying to grace the silver screen, itís quite refreshing to come across people that play for love of the game. Our fall teams have certainly earned our support and if you just come out and watch, even for a little while, youíll realize itís worth your time. And you freshmen that have just moved in, pull yourself away from AIM, and ask one of your roommates to amble over to one of the games to see how well our teams have done while we havenít been in school.
We all know that fans create an impact, thatís why they call it home field advantage. I guarantee that your presence will make a difference. The teams will be so stoked youíre supporting them, they will play harder, just like how you swung the bat a little harder and ran a little faster when your friends and parents watched you.
Unlike other schools, our athletes donít receive special treatment. USC, for example, has a policy where each athlete is required to have a ìtutor.î Yeah okay, sounds pretty sketchy if you ask me. UCSD doesnít care how good you are; if you donít have the grades, you canít get in.
So you see, our athletes are just like you and me, worried about classes just as much as you are. Theyíre not celebrities and they donít try to be. Thatís got to be worth something. So why not give your schoolís athletes a chance. Besides, they gave UCSD one.
