I made the decision this year not to attend the Coe-Brown/Oyster River boys varsity basketball game, and I am glad I didn’t. I appreciate the rivalry and I love the intensity that the fans bring each time we play eachother, but at somepoint in the past four years this friendly, fun rivalry has become something else all together. After threatening eachother online for the few weeks prior to the game, students found it necessary to bring knives to the game. Luckily there were also more police present than ever before at a Coe-Brown event. A few fights broke out after the game (last season one of our students was allegedly mugged) and although one officer was forced to have her gun in hand, the post-game competition was not as fierce as expected. However, after a Coe-Brown senior was accused of using a racial slur during the game, there was a potential law suit brewing. Luckily the law suit never completely manifested and most students have forgotten all about the events of the night, although both schools expect an apology letter. I try not to rant too excessively about this issue, however, I am quite anti-hate. I find there is too much useless, unneccessary violence and reckless anger present in our society. I personally would appreciate a fun, friendly rival; rivalry, whether or not they have a story, which this particular one does not, is a great way to encourage school spirit and support a school’s athletic program. However, I think that when a particular rivalry becomes too over-the-top it has a poor effect on a students values. People, especially adolenscents often let themselves get carried away when angry. This particular atmosphere can lead to much bigger problems. By game day I knew that the night was not going to go well simply because the violence had started at least a week before on the internet. Students had been brewing anger for long enough that I knew it was dangerous.
The worst part of the entire thing is that Coe-Brown students not only started the online feud, but they also lose every single year to Oyster River’s team. I simply believe that if you say you are going to win, you better prove that that statement is true.
I have a tendency to start posts and not finish them (they sit, collecting dust forever in my drafts) so I decided as of a few minutes ago that I am going to post them whether or not they are really “done.”
Mike Cherim responds:
Posted: June 18th, 2008 at 9:08 am →
I wouldn’t have expected that from either school. How bizarre, and sad.