Get well soon, Charlie Davies

Get well soon, Charlie Davies

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

BU Hatred Week: Part 1 - Dartmouth Review

In addition to gearing up for the ACCCG, it's also time to gear up for this weekend's top-10 clash between BC and BU. In order to help you prepare and build up the hatred, I'm going to share some of my favorite anti-BU rants from around the interwebs.

First up: The Dartmouth Review!

Freedmanizing Boston University
By James Mills | Wednesday, January 21, 1998

Boston University should offer one of the nation's richest college experiences. It is within walking distance of Boston's cultural downtown and has graduated such illustrious intellectuals as Howard Stern. Boston University also had a 90-year football tradition until last month when high officials at BU, led by University Chancellor John Silber, suggested to the Board of Trustees that the football program be struck from the budget. A vote was taken and the plug pulled.

On Oct. 25, the board's decision was announced to the football team following their loss to Northeastern, 28-7. Just four years ago, the football program was 12-1 and finished first in Division I-AA.

It came as a shock to many students and alumnae, who enjoyed the football games. BU officials argued that it was a business decision; the football team runs a budget deficit because ticket sales do not cover costs.

But how can a college with the average student paying 30,000 dollars a year be in fiscal strain over the reasonably-sized football program? The real problem is that they have some of the highest paid administrators and most bureaucratic administrative structures in private education. Silber is one of the highest paid college presidents in the nation, with a salary of over $400,000.

Another believable answer is that certain officials, particularly Silber, are waging a war against mainstream American culture. Since Silber arrived at BU in 1970, he has expressed a desire to eliminate the football program.

Silber is quoted by BU's Daily Free Press saying that 'University of Paris, University of Oxford, and University of Cambridge have gotten along remarkably well and never had football.' Armed with the Terriers' dismal recent record (2-18 over the last two seasons), Silber struck the final blow.

Instead the savings will be used to pay for high priority sports like women's soccer, field hockey, and crew. The last women's soccer game drew under 50 spectators. The last football game before the news broke, despite the team's poor record, drew 2,025 spectators. Silber wrongly believes that football and academics cannot co-exist. If academics and football cannot co-exist then why did the Ivy League schools invent college football?

Football has become the quintessential American sport. The fall in popularity of baseball has made it even more important to American culture.

Americans of all races watch football on TV during Thanksgiving and other holidays, and the Superbowl remains the most watched event on television.

Silber's basic lack of understanding is demonstrated by his ridiculous comments related to his promise to allow the football players to keep their scholarship.

Silber is quoted by the BU Daily Free Press as saying, ' Players never have to play football again, don't have to risk injury, and don't have to spend time at practice'. Apparently it has never occurred to him that some people enjoy the competition and physical activity. Football players are supposed to be grateful that he has allowed them to keep their scholarships. In essence, Silber breached a contract with these players . When they were admitted to BU and signed their scholarship deals, it was implicit that BU would have football in the next few years.

On Nov. 1, the team played at Connecticut without their jerseys in protest against the college policy. In the second week of November., the BU Terriers played their last game ever in their red jerseys, ending their 90-year football tradition.

In a driving rain at home, the Terriers blew out UMass 33-8 to win their first game of the season and showed heart before a crowd of 3,000. After time expired, the crowd rushed onto the field yelling, 'Silber sucks! Silber sucks!'. The football players joined in, laughing and cheering a bittersweet victory.

This attack on American culture is just another example of intellectualism gone awry. It is another example of a power hungry college president wanting to go to Harvard, but being trapped in an mediocre institution for almost 30 years.

If Silber wants to run a European-style University maybe he should get out of the American education system, but until then maybe he should realize that BU is an American college and by destroying the football team he has created a college where few well-rounded males will even consider attending.

Many of the football players are transferring to other schools to carry on with football and applications among student athletes will likely plummet as BU becomes a school not for the well-rounded, but for mediocre intellectuals.

If you want to pay for a school with Ivy League pretensions but community college atmosphere, then Boston University just might be the place for you.

2 comments:

BF said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
BF said...

that wasn't too harsh.

i expect worse by friday.

check your uscho rep

The Trophy Case: BC's honors during my years at school

  • Men's Basketball
  • 2006 - Commonwealth Classic Winner
  • 2008 - Commonwealth Classic Winner
  • Women's Basketball
  • 2008 - Caribbean Challenge Winners
  • 2008 - Blue Sky Classic Winners
  • Sailing:
  • 2008 - ICSA Women's National Champions
  • 2008 - ICSA Co-Ed National Champions
  • Football:
  • 2006 - Meineke Car Care Bowl Winner
  • 2007 - Ireland Trophy
  • 2007 - ACC Atlantic Division Champions
  • 2007 - Champs Sports Bowl Winner
  • 2008 - Ireland Trophy
  • 2008 - ACC Atlantic Division Champions
  • Men's Soccer:
  • 2007 - ACC Regular Season Champions
  • 2007 - ACC Tournament Champions
  • Women's Soccer:
  • 2006 - Sweet Sixteen
  • 2008 - Sweet Sixteen
  • Women's Hockey:
  • 2007 - Beanpot Champions
  • 2007 - Frozen Four
  • 2009 - Beanpot Champions
  • Men's Hockey:
  • 2007 - Hockey East Tournament Champions
  • 2007 - Frozen Four
  • 2007 - Mariucci Classic Champions
  • 2008 - Beanpot Champions
  • 2008 - Hockey East Tournament Champions
  • 2008 - Frozen Four
  • 2008 - National Champions

Games I Attended in '07-'08

  • Overall: 51-30-11 + 12 non BC + spring football = 105 games
  • Home: 40-25-6 + spring game
  • Away: 4-5-5
  • Neutral: 7-0
  • Non-BC NCAA Games: 12
  • Men's Hockey: 13-6-5
  • Women's BBall: 8-2
  • Football: 6-1 + spring game
  • Baseball: 5-1
  • Softball: 4-0
  • Men's BBall: 6-4
  • Women's Hockey: 8-11-5
  • Men's Soccer: 1-2-1
  • Field Hockey: 0-1
  • Women's Soccer: 0-1

Stadiums/Fields Seen 07-08

  • Total: 20
  • Conte Forum [BC] - (49)
  • Alumni Stadium [BC] - (8)
  • TD Banknorth Garden - (7)
  • Shea Field, Baseball [BC] - (6)
  • Newton Soccer Field [BC] - (6)
  • Walter Brown Arena [BU] - (4)
  • Shea Field, Softball [BC] - (4)
  • Matthews Arena [NU] - (3)
  • DCU Center [Worcester] - (3)
  • Schneider Arena [PC] - (2)
  • Ridder Arena [Minnesota] - (2)
  • UConn Hockey Arena [Conn] - (2)
  • Agganis Arena [BU] - (2)
  • Tsongas Arena [UML] - (1)
  • Whittemore Center [UNH] - (1)
  • Mariucci Arena [Minnesota] - (1)
  • Bright Arena [Harvard] - (1)
  • Harvard Stadium [Harvard] - (1)
  • Newton Field Hockey [BC] - (1)
  • Houston Field House [RPI] - (1)

Games I attended in 06-07

  • OVERALL 67-27-3 = 97 games
  • Football 6-0
  • M Hockey 17-6-1
  • M Basketball 14-4
  • W Hockey 13-6-2
  • W Basketball 6-3
  • Softball 3-1
  • W Soccer 3-1
  • M Soccer 3-1
  • Baseball 2-4
  • W Lax 0-1

Best Moments

  • Men's Hockey, 4/12/08 - National Champs.
  • Football, 10/26/07 - BC rallies with two touchdowns in the last 2:11 to win at Virginia Tech and maintain their #2 ranking. Students spill out of the dorms and have an impromptu celebration all over campus. What a night. WOW.
  • Men's Hockey, 3/30/08 - BC scores 3 goals in 1:58 to come from an 0-2 deficit to a 3-2 lead late in the 2nd against Miami in the NCAA regional final.
  • Men's Hockey, 3/30/08 - Joe Whitney's ridiculous diving goal sends BC to the Frozen Four, beating Miami 4-3 in OT.
  • Men's Hockey, 3/21/08 - Benn Ferriero's 3OT goal caps a comeback against UNH in the Hockey East semifinals at the Garden.
  • Men's Hockey, 2/11/08 - Nick Petrecki's OT goal wins the Beanpot for BC!
  • Football, 9/1/07 - BC scores a touchdown to tie the game at 21 right before half time against Wake. BC wins 38-28
  • Men's Hockey, 11/30/07 - BU goalie Karson Gillespie gets sent to the box by Benedetto for a swan dive... piss-your-pants laughter follows
  • Men's Hockey, 3/15/08 - Nate Gerbe's amazing penalty shot goal makes it 4-0 BC over PC in Game 2 of the HE QFs
  • Men's Hockey, 2/4/08 - Gerbe slays BU in overtime
  • Men's Hockey, 3/22/08 - BC cruises to another Hockey East title, beating UVM 4-0
  • Men's Hockey, 3/29/08 - BC gets past the Gophers 5-2 in the NCAA tournament.
  • Men's Hockey, 3/15/08 - BC sweeps the Friars with a pair of 5-1 wins in the HE QFs to advance to the TD Banknorth Garden.
  • Women's Hockey, 2/29/08 - Eagles top PC 4-2 in the season's penultimate game to keep their playoff hopes alive. Stack with the ENG to ice it with 4 seconds left.
  • Women's Hockey, 1/4/07 - BC kills off a 5-on-3, Lindsay Wright aka CANADA scores a sick goal, and BC upsets #4 SLU 5-2
  • Women's Basketball, 1/6/07 - BC stuns NC State with a thrilling 1 point come-from-behind victory
  • Men's Soccer, 11/9/07 - BC clinches ACC reg. season title with a win at home against VT.
  • Women's Hockey, 01/12/08 - MN native Allie Thunstrom's goal with 1:30 to go gives BC a tie @ #4 Minnesota
  • Men's Hockey, 3/14/08 - BC blitzes Providence early and often en route to 5-1 win in Game 1 of HE QFs at BC
  • Men's Basketball, 12/23/07 - Tyrese Rice knocks down a floater with less than 5 seconds to play to give BC the 57-55 win over Northeastern.
  • Men's Hockey, 1/19/08 - Carl Sneep's goal in the 3rd ties BU 2-2; pandemonium in the student section
  • Football, 11/24/07 - BC finally snaps the long losing streak against the U.
  • Women's Hockey, 2/10/08 - BC's Stack scores in the 2nd to tie UNH 1-1. We lost, but that was a great moment.
  • Women's Basketball, 12/31/07 - Picco nails back to back three pointers as BC wins a thriller against NU
  • Baseball, 5/13/08 - BC rallies from big early deficit to beat UConn.
  • Softball, 3/26/08 - Fence Girl crashes into the fence, Thunstrom scores winning run, BC downs HC 4-3
  • Women's Hockey, 11/29/07 - A clutch goal with under a minute remaining by Stack gives BC a much needed point @ UConn
  • Women's Hockey, 3/15/08 - UNH tops St. Lawrence 3-2 in OT to give Hockey East a representative in the Frozen Four.
  • Men's Hockey, 11/30/07 - BC explodes for a 3-0 1st period lead en route to a 6-2 win over BU
  • Football, 10/7/07 - BC scores 31 points in the 2nd quarter against Bowling Green and rolls to 55-24 win - up to #4 in the country!

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