I like having the alcohol we are NOT supposed to have in the stadium rain down on my dress shirts. Nothing brings me greater joy.
I also enjoy hearing visiting students tell me that they never have students arrested in their respective student sections. Temper tantrums that result in full cups of various beverages being heaved toward the field bring prideful tears to my eyes.
And to put the icing on the cake, let’s have a person streak across the field. (However, it’s vital to note that said individual may have not been a student of the university, therefore attributing his actions to the student body is unfair.)
Let me be clear: I am in no way condemning the entire student section; frankly, I believe such sweeping generalizations are iniquitous. However, I do think it’s time for certain students to show some maturity.
I’m all for yelling the Hotty Toddy chant after a touchdown. I absolutely love slapping hands and embracing complete strangers after a big play. Heck, I live for those moments. But I struggle to understand the satisfaction one gets from tossing up a full drink on fellow students below or above him.
Some would argue that it’s tradition, and maybe I am being too “uptight” in my criticism. Honestly, I beg to differ. The beer shower after home runs at baseball games is tradition. The football team walking down the Walk of Champions two hours before the game time is tradition. I would never challenge those long-standing traditions, as they are engrained in the collective Ole Miss experience. Throwing up alcohol at football games is not a tradition – it is tomfoolery.
Obviously clothes can be easily washed (well, some cannot), but that’s not the point. It’s the principle of the matter. People should not have to put up with being showered in beer. Period.
I can speculate some would say that if I don’t like what goes on in the student section, I should sit elsewhere. OK, when did the actions of a few insubordinate people dictate where people who follow the rules sit? I would feel differently about the issue if it were an accepted norm. But I do not think it is.
I honestly do not feel as though students who share the sentiments I have expressed should be forced to move because a few people wish to act belligerently. On the contrary, I think the students responsible for this behavior should modify their actions accordingly.
Although the bulk of this column is negative, I refuse to end it with a despondent attitude. I’m confident that our fans will consider my advice and actively try to make our game day experience a pleasant one.
Tim Abram is a public policy junior from Horn Lake. Follow him on Twitter @Tim_Abram.
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