Uni misbehavior or STM hypocrisy?
The girls played an excellent game Monday night against Judah Christian in the St. Thomas More regional, but a specific incident that occurred in the crowd continues to bother me.
During the second half, several Uni boys including myself wrote the letters "GO UNI!" on our chests and stood in the stands with our chests and stomachs exposed. After a few minutes, Uni Athletic Director Sally Walker was told this had to stop, and the behavior was supposedly not "Christian." Sally had to comply and informed us we had to cover up.
To Sally's credit, she told us after the game that she supported the enthusiasm but we had to comply with St. Thomas More's rules because it is their gym.
I find the notion that our behavior was un-Christian to be hypocritical. When Uni plays St. Thomas More, their fans are much more obnoxious than the Uni fans at Monday's game. In fact, I have heard racially targeted jokes shouted from their student section in the past. Is this Christian behavior?
The fact that their fans will shout and play their cell phone ringtones during free throws isn't a big deal, but shouting things like "Thank you, come again" and "Go eat some rice" at our students of Indian and East Asian heritage, respectively, is not Christian behavior.
They have much bigger problems to worry about at St. Thomas More than a few Uni kids with their chests painted. Enthusiasm should not be punished; this was a clear case of hypocrisy.
David L. Boyle
Comments
It is also a case of imposing Christian behavior on the fans. If someone doesn’t practice Christianity, can they still paint their chests?
Posted by: Sarah Pfander | February 8, 2006 3:26 PM