Why Rivalry Can End Badly

Let me disclaimer this by saying I am not a sports fan in any way. I've also lived in both Lawrence and Columbia, the homes of both schools.

Every sports franchise has a rival. I'm sure that the Cleveland Curling Cactuses really really hate the Pittsburgh Curling Camels as much as KU and MU hate each other.

But at what point does it become silly and offensive? Quite quickly.

KU and MU just had their traditional "Border Showdown" on November 28 (which KU lost), and with it came a disturbing amount of facebook messages from my former classmates and alumni, declaring their "hatred" for "those stupid Mizzou fans." People threw things, talked trash, swore at, and ridiculed the other side, simply for being a part of the other school. Accusations of low intelligence, inbreeding, snootiness, and every other kind of inequities were traded with astonishingly low regard for decency.

All because of a football game.

Seriously. You need to knock it off.

I get it. I'm not a sports fan, but I know about rivals. A team that, for whatever reason, represents a weird sort of enemy. Most of the time it's a fun change of pace for the season, adding a time where you can have a little more school spirit and root a little harder for your team.

But really? Calling people from Missouri stupid and inbred hicks? Calling Kansans snooty farmers or whatever? At what point, dear sports fans, does it become okay to just categorically slander an entire state because you want your team to win? It makes absolutely no sense.

Sure, you can shake your head all you want (I have a few heads in mind that I know will be doing this), but it's childish and silly, really.

I've confronted a good friend about this before, and he assured me many times it was just for fun. Right after he said this, however, he went on to say, each time I brought this up, that Missouri was just a stupid state, and it didn't matter anyway. A few times I lost my cool and told him to knock it off, but he went back to ridiculing Missouri in the same breath. This attitude, which I've noticed more and more, makes me think that people are actually convincing themselves that people from the other state are dumber than them.

It's a weird sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. By convincing yourself the other side is way worse than you, you become a nasty, hasty-acting fan, which the other side (having convinced itself you are stupid), notices and points to as proof of their beliefs. They become nasty, giving you the proof you need.

And round and round it goes.

What, oh sports fans, does this gain you? Do you feel better about yourself in the same way a schoolyard bully who happens to have three more hairs on his arm than the smaller boy he's beating up?

Rivalry is not always bad. Heck, the athletic departments of both school love it. Their revenue goes through the roof, both in ticket sales and merchandise (it took me three seconds to find that picture above).

But when rivalry ends with you believing that the other side is inherently stupid, it's not okay.

It's childish, it's not "all in good fun," and leads to deeper problems. Knock it off.

The KU Double Standard

Several University of Kansas football and basketball players were involved in two separate fights over girls on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, and someone even got pushed down some quite steep stairs behind Budig Hall by one of the Morris twins.

And all they got was a slap on the wrist.

Three basketball players (not included: the twins) issued a "formal apology" this morning, but the only punishment that we know about is that the basketball players had to start their "boot camp" two weeks early.

Herein lies the rant.

Are you serious, Bill Self? Two weeks of practice? That's your punishment for illegal activity? Pushing someone down stairs, especially the horrendously steep ones behind Budig, is a jail-able offense. And instead of getting arrested or getting kicked off the team (both of which should happen), they have to practice a little more.

Bull crap, I say.

There's a serious problem at KU. The basketball players, and even the football players to some degree, are invincible and worshiped. They can do no wrong, they are better people than the rest of the students, and they are given special treatment right and left.

Don't get me wrong, I'll still root for the Jayhawks during any game, no question about it. I'll still try to make it to a football game this season or a basketball game later.

But the treatment they get is sickening.

I lived in the Towers for two years, and all I saw of these guys was them thinking they were the big dogs on campus. They would throw parking tickets on the ground. They would have fights in the parking lot (yes, this has happened before). They would expect people to know who they were, and if they didn't, the players would be upset or even offended. I worked at the Towers, and the players were the worst residents. They would steal lockout keys for months on end. They would have parties with booze and pot every week. The Morris twins even shot someone with a BB gun.

And what's happened as a result of all this?

Nothing.

Extra laps, maybe.

But mostly, nothing.

They are made to be gods at KU, and if you try to punish them, you are accused of being anti-KU or something. I swear, it's like the McCarthy era.

I'm not anti-KU. But the only right thing to do at this point is to kick everyone involved off the team. No questions, no whining, no formal apologies. Let them know the consequences of acting like a bunch of thugs. If any other student had shot someone with a BB gun, they'd be expelled in a day. If any other student had pushed someone down the stairs in a fight, they'd be sent to jail and heavily punished.

What's the standard here, Bill and Mark? What will it take, Lew, to punish an athlete accordingly? What will it take? A death, maybe? Something you can't bury?

Let's not let Lew and his cronies bury this one, KU fans. Pester him, call him, wait outside his office. Demand action, and let them know we won't stand for these ridiculous double standards anymore.

Branding Myself

No, not with a cattle brand.

The journalist today is not just a reporter, not just a photographer, not just an editor. We're trained to be it all, to be able to take a camera out on a story and shoot some, or take a notebook to a shoot and be able to write a quick story about it.

Therefore, during my time at the journalism school at KU, I was trained to do all of the above. Photography was a hobby before, but now it's part of my personal portfolio.

Part of my personal brand, if you will.

So since I am currently looking for a job where I can practice all those things and get paid for it, I am getting my brand out there in case anyone sees it and likes what they see. It's not enough in today's world to just graduate college and find a job and work at that job for 40 years and then retire.

Although I wish I could.

I have to think differently, operate via the new version of social interaction.

That's why I started this blog, and that's why I'm selling some of my photos online. The more my name is out there on the web, the more likely someone will see it and pick it up.

So here is a list of my online content, surf and enjoy.

This blog: http://the-reactor.blogspot.com

Online Photo Store: http://ctsommerville.etsy.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/caleb.sommerville

Old Blog: http://calebsommerville.blogspot.com

Professional Portfolio: http://picasaweb.google.com/ctsommerville

Kansan Stories and Photos:http://www.kansan.com/staff/caleb_sommerville

The Reactor 1.0 (Kansan): http://www.kansan.com/blogs/reactor

My YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/rockchalk4815