Last year, I wrote a "Letter to the Editor" to the UDK about the actions of students during the national anthem. While I do believe that they have the right to act how they want, I found the total lack of respect upsetting. People were walking around during the anthem, hats were on, people were talking as loud as they could; for me, it was not a pleasant moment. Oh, and they yelled Chiefs instead of brave at the end, a continuing form of annoyance to me.
Fast forward to this year. Saturday night the Jayhawks took on the Sooners. The anthem came up, the stands got much, much quieter, and hats came off. Some people sang, some talked, but it wasn't that bad. KU Athletics released a bald eagle during the anthem that soared across the football field. At the end of the song, a few, but not many, yelled Chiefs. Maybe its because the Chiefs are 2-3, maybe they're growing up and realizing it's somewhat of a ridiculous tradition, even in Kansas City. Regardless, the national anthem was much more pleasant than in the past.
The game progressed into halftime. The Jayhawks were only down 10 points; they were holding their own against the 3rd ranked team in the nation. I was feeling good as were the friends I was with. Then it happened. The point where we became disgusted by our fans.
It's been said over and over again. KU has some of the worst fans, outside basketball, that a team could ask for. Only down 10 points to a nationally ranked team, and the students started heading home or to the bars. By the end of the 3rd quarter, over half of the stands were gone, and by mid-4th quarter, there was maybe a quarter of what had been there, and most of those fans were from Oklahoma.
As I looked around and saw people leaving and how the sight had to look from the field, I became as disgusted as the buddy standing next to me. I'll admit, I wanted to leave. It was a late game and I was tired. I stayed, though. I felt like I owed it to our team to stay and watch. When we intercepted in the late 4th quarter, I cheered as loud as I would at any other point. When the game was over, and Bob Stoops refused to down the ball, I was as angry as I would be during any other classless play call.
Fans, if they can be called that, wonder why our football team doesn't win games. After the 2007 Orange Bowl victory, KU has gained some sense of entitlement that is something from a fairy tale. One great season, and all of them are supposed to be like that. We have never had a consistent program, and that's because, to be perfectly honest, we as KU students/alumni/faculty do not deserve a consistently good football team.
Robert Kennedy once said, "We develop the kind of citizens we deserve." While he meant this for the children of our nation, it is true of KU. Our non-basketball sports aren't that great because we don't give them the support they need. They need the cheers, they need people in the stands. If we aren't willing to sit/stand through a bad season, or several, then we sure the hell don't deserve to see a winning season. We only get back what we put in.
So...is it basketball season, yet? No, it's not. Sit down and watch some football.
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