At Emory: No Football, No Problem

By Jenna KingsleySpecial Sections/Social Media Editor

After three years of higher education, my best friend finally convinced me to attend my first ever college football game. It happened three weeks ago. I understand that this is not a shocking thing to say at Emory, but I'm pretty sure it is in my hometown, in the South and in general #Murica.

If it makes things any better, it wasn't my first-ever run-in with football – I do have a general sense of the game from friends and family, as well as my time in high school. But there was a clear difference between rooting on the Martin County High School (Fla.) Tigers and sitting in Doak Campbell Stadium at Florida State University (FSU).

As expected, the game was more fun and more exciting than those I attended in high school. The stakes seemed higher (millions of dollars higher) and, overall, the experience was much more intense.

There was also better food, which pretty much ensured that I'd enjoy the game. And I did. But in the weeks following the game, there's been one thought running through my mind: Thank God Emory doesn't have a football team.

Again, let me reiterate. I had a fantastic time. It will go down as one of my favorite weekends in college, largely because of the game. I got to tailgate and watch football and be with friends from home. FSU was even playing Boston College (BC), and a kid from our high school was on BC's team. I didn't say hi to him (for senior superlatives, he won "Best All Around," and I won "Most Studious" ... our paths didn't really cross), but it was exciting to "know" someone on the field. Everyone seemed happy and nice (and a little bit drunk), and I genuinely felt welcomed into the stadium by the Noles. When they won, I felt like I'd won, too.

So, it's not that I hate football. And it's not that I can't enjoy the game in a college setting. It's just that I've confirmed a suspicion I'd had for a while: I, personally, really haven't missed out by going to a college without a football team. The "football mentality" many schools have is not the right fit for me, and I'm glad it's not something we have here at Emory.

I loosely define the "football mentality" as a mindset in which football is seen as a largely important aspect of a school for its students.

Schools with this mentality see football as one of the most important, if not the most important, element of school spirit.

There doesn't have to be anything wrong with that. If you really love football, or you really love tailgating, or you really love band or cheerleading or some aspect of the game, that kind of atmosphere probably fits really well. It's all in the spirit of the game.

But there are a few aspects of "the spirit of the game" that I find problematic. The narrow-minded (and sometimes dangerous) turn that rivalries can take, the God complexes thrust upon sometimes morally questionable athletes – I feel these hurt some schools rather than help them. These attitudes don't have to be part of supporting a football team, but they undeniably are.

We'll take the University of Florida (UF) and FSU rivalry as an example. I wasn't at the UF-FSU game last Saturday, but I was on campus two Saturdays ago for the BC game, which marked the beginning of what a friend called "Hate Week," a week dedicated to the rivalry between UF and FSU.

My friends were already riled up about UF before the BC game even started, and I'd gauge that about 95 percent of all Yik Yak posts on the Saturday before the UF game were Hate Week related.

Things like Hate Week? I get that teams love to hate each other. It's fun. And if you can get a George Orwell reference in there, power to you.It was what I saw after Hate Week, and after the game, that actually bothered me.

If you haven't heard, UF lost the game. Most of my FSU friends kept it classy and focused on the game (or their 28th straight win) in their Yik Yak posts. Most of my friends from UF also kept it classy. One friend who was at the game posted, "Heartbreak after heartbreak but leaving this place with dignity." Graceful. Relevant. Another friend made a jab at FSU's quarterback and 2013 Heisman trophy winner, Jameis Winston, who has been accused of sexual assault and was caught on camera shoplifting crab legs from Publix. Also seems relevant.

But posting about how you're so happy you got into your top choice, UF, and looking down on all other FSU students for not being smart enough to go to UF? Saying, "At least we can go home and study at our library in peace," while the FSU community is recovering from a school shooting in their library? These are both things I saw on my Facebook timeline that simply do not seem relevant. What does being pretentious about academics and mocking tragedies have to do with football?

I won't pretend to understand. I'm just thankful this isn't something I have to deal with on a yearly basis at my own school. (Except for the alleged WashU rivalry, which I'm pretty sure no one understands and/or even knows about.)

Another thing I'm glad I don't have to deal with at Emory is the pedestal many football players are placed on. I get it, they're phenomenal athletes – but do they deserve the special treatment they receive? I don't think so, and I'm aware that many people disagree with me.

But it's an argument I don't have to worry about at Emory. Some students are varsity athletes. Some students are involved with the paper or Feminists in Action or SGA. Some students literally just watch Netflix after they finish their homework. We all have our own shit to do, and we do it, and nobody's better than anyone else for it.I do understand that students and alumni oftentimes want a hero to root for, and that role is usually filled by a football player.

It's the ends-means justification that I have trouble with. And as for athletes that commit serious crimes and still get to play "hero," I think that's just as reflective of the football mentality as it is reflective of the players themselves.

I'm glad Emory doesn't need a hero to root for. Our student body is doing the work that we all rally behind.

We care about athletics, yes, but we also care about being ethically engaged and academically challenged and environmentally sustainable and a list of other buzzwords that we (or at least I) actually believe in.

For me, Emory is about finding your passion and pursuing it to positively impact the community. I'm not saying other schools with football teams lack this ideology. I'm just saying that it's our focus at Emory. Not football. And I like that.

– Contact Jenna Kingsley, Special Sections/Social Media Editor

 

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