I witnessed something at McArthur Court on Saturday that I thought I would never see.
Or maybe, it was something I hoped I would never see.
During the National Anthem of the women’s basketball game against Oregon State, a large chunk of fans at the game held up signs protesting the possible war with Iraq. I’m not going to say what the phrases said, for the main reason that I don’t want to give these people press.
Suffice it to say, though, everyone who was holding up something was looking for “Peace” in the Middle East.
Does anybody else see something wrong with the picture I just painted here?
The fact that a sporting contest featuring college-aged athletes was turned into a semi-protest is a disturbing thought. And the fact that some people held these signs up for most of the game disappoints me even more.
Why buy a ticket for $5 just to protest something on the other side of the world that has nothing to do with women’s college basketball in Eugene?
So, yeah, OK, it was the 70th Civil War between the two teams. I’m not going to lie and say that I love that title for any sport. I grew up in the Bay Area, watching games between Stanford and California denoted the “Big Game,” probably a more appropriate title for collegiate contests.
But “Civil War” still doesn’t conjure up anything more than a game between Oregon and Oregon State. Why there are those who think that it denotes anything more is beyond me.
Of course, I can see where the protesters were coming from. Protesting the Civil War is innovative, don’t get me wrong, but something that is way out of line. Where were these people in the 1980s when the term became useful for Oregon women’s basketball?
So Oregon is a liberal university. I can see that, and for that reason, I know why the protests started at games here. That’s not a surprise.
And I don’t know what’s happening at other places around the country. But if it’s happening here, that’s all I care about.
If I was a fan at that game, and for whatever reason had a sign placed in front of me that protested the war, I would’ve been upset. I was at press row and especially didn’t like what I saw from that vantage point.
Personally, though, I don’t see this as a problem for the fans. It’s the athletes who shouldn’t be subjected to this.
The main problem I see is that it places too much on the athletes themselves. Protesting professional games shouldn’t matter. When you’re making $10 million to shoot a ball into the basket, what happens on the sideline shouldn’t be any kind of distraction.
But when you’re on scholarship — and some aren’t — and are trying to fight through the rigors of practice and mid-terms, what happens can matter.
And to put anything more on these athletes, whether or not they pay attention, is unfair, and quite honestly, absurd.
Besides, would they be able to do anything about the war anyway? I hardly doubt anyone in the stands could make the ultimate decision either.
I can see it now. Republicans and Democrats duking it out as usual, but not in the confines of their home or even in the streets of downtown Eugene. Oh no, now they’ve decided to go indoors to sporting events.
Please let that just be a
nightmare.
If you think I’m a little out of range on this, you should’ve been there. Seeing signs protesting the war at a sporting event is a surreal experience, and one that I hope to never see again.
But I wouldn’t be surprised
if I did.