Alcohol dims Red Pride at games

October 1, 2007 —

There are few better examples of Cardinal pride than a Saturday morning at an SVSU home football game. Stands full of rowdy, red-shirted students screaming our team to victory is quite the sight, and provides a major drive for our team. I went to the game against Ferris the other weekend, and it was so much fun to be part of the screaming reds for a nail-biting game.

It was also great to see so many kids from family weekend in the student section with their siblings. What a great way to entertain and show them what it means to be a proud Cardinal. I only wish that a few bad apples hadn't put a damper on the whole game.

Apparently, a football game isn't fun enough for some without alcohol thrown into the mix. I personally don't mind if someone comes to a game with a few drinks under their belt, as long as they can keep themselves under control. But when drinking leads to cheers that are less-than-tasteful and loud comments about the opposing team's ability to play football, the line has been crossed.

Forget that there were a bunch of kids in the student section, along with some of their parents. Forget that we're in a public place, where certain things shouldn't be said, no matter what the crowd. It's just awkward to sit next to someone shouting expletives and racy remarks. I, for one, don't want to hear it.

What kind of image are we presenting to the community that comes to the game? How about showing a little bit of the classy side of the University? Don't let the actions of a few ruin an image that has been built by many good people. Let's support our team and help build them up, instead of putting all of our energy into tearing the other team down.

But for every bad apple there's a bushel of good ones, and one in particular stood out at the game. I have to commend SVSU's athletic director Mike Watson, who went the extra mile to ensure that SVSU's students were supporting their team.

Throughout the game, Watson walked through the student section and encouraged the students to cheer for the team and tried to keep the derogatory cheers to a minimum. He also asked the students to cheer for the whole game and not leave at half time (where more drinks were surely drunk). It was good to see a staff member interacting so closely with the student section and helping to keep the spirit high.

When Watson printed an article in the Vanguard asking for a clean, fun season in the stands, I was impressed with his honesty and willingness to work with the students, instead of working to keep them down. His actions at the game once again let out this message that he was here to support our team right alongside the students, as long as we were willing to keep it relatively clean.

The vast majority of the fans in the student section also deserve a collective recognition for tastefully supporting the football team and never giving up (to those who didn't leave after the first half).

Saturday mornings are a great time to come together as a school and show our red pride. Kudos to all the good apples that make the games what they are. And of course, kudos to the football team for their work both on and off the field.

Let's work together to show the community what the Cardinals are capable of, both on the fields and in the stands. Got some Red Pride? Bring it to a game, and let it loose.