Wednesday, January 22, 1997
SPORTS:
Fair-weather fans can only get excited when team winsBy
Elizabeth Scandizzo
No, sir, I for one have had enough.
Every time I look around, someone has another opinion, another
diagnosis about our basketball team. However, maybe that is one of
the problems.
While everyone sits around complaining, they forget that people
might actually be listening. We have destroyed our own school
spirit with contempt for players and coaches. No one seems to be
standing up for them.
I will.
Part of the success of the team comes from those who support
them. Take a look at the Big Ten teams that fill their arenas with
students screaming and cheering. It is no coincidence that they are
so successful. But our school seems to be infected with a case of
self-destruction. What team of players would want to play for a
school that cannot maximize attendance at a game or simply cheer
when points are scored?
At every turn, they are criticized. They are supposedly immature
and ill-tempered. They have no unity and are selfish. They are
lower in academic standards and therefore stupid. They are lazy and
cannot take the initiative to find a leader among themselves. They
aren’t as good as the team they were in the ’94-’95 season when
they won the NCAA championship.
But, hey, that’s true: They aren’t the team they were two years
ago, not since four players graduated (including three starters) as
well as suffering the loss of one assistant coach and the transfer
of other players. They have new, bright faces and a totally
different outlook. Moreover, they have a new coach. To think that
they should have no problems after losing their father figure and
backbone is, to say the least, ridiculous.
Good job, Steve Lavin, for stepping up the challenge of leading
this talented group of men and for doing it at an awkward and
difficult time.
But above all, good job UCLA men’s basketball for not only
overcoming the loss of their beloved coach, but for rising above
their own fair-weather fans.
No one dared to criticize them during that unforgettable and
stellar season. However, it has become too unforgettable, because
every loss and down moment is compared to the season that they were
champions.
Guess what: They are still champions. Their wins against
difficult teams like Cal and Arizona show just what they can do.
Their defense is incredible and finely crafted, as shown by the low
scores of their opponents. They balance school work and rigorous
practices, then pour their hearts out when they hit the court
during the games. They work harder than the average student.
Let’s finally give them the credit they deserve. Even a good
team has to endure a loss here and there, but that doesn’t prove
them to be a failure, no matter what anyone says. They are an
excellent team with a great record, new coach or not.
It’s about time that everyone stops whining and gets behind our
team. As an extension of our university, we have an obligation to
support them. As the hard workers and talented players they are,
they have earned respect. Let’s show them some.