I would like to offer an alternative perspective to Susannah Kroeber's '11 column ("Why the athletics department is bad for Brown," Dec. 1). It is understandable why she would have such a negative view of sports, as her feeble attempt to list the benefits of athletics is dismal. Her reasons for playing sports, "to earn the respect of (her) classmates" and to learn "how to fit in" could be a direct correlation to why her athletic career in college did not last, as well as why she seems so critical of the invaluable experiences and lessons that come from athletics.
I feel that it is unnecessary to promote athletics. Most athletes here at Brown who are still currently playing know why they play, know the benefits that come from playing. You represent your school; you demonstrate your love for your university and your teammates, and you are on a mission to be the best player and team you can possibly be in four years. The most significant point that needs to be addressed is the warped reasoning in her question, "It is all centered on warfare… isn't this something our administration stands against in its refusal to allow ROTC on campus?"
I have no need to deny that pregame rituals involve a hype and intensity that can be compared to "warfare." But I also feel no reason to justify this mode of getting in the zone and prepared to play your best. For some people, this "gearing up for battle" is a way to get their adrenaline pumping and ready. The huge point that she does not seem to get is that, in the end, it is just a game. Sure, I hate, maybe loathe, Princeton, but this lust for competition in no way extends to feelings beyond the athletic field or to actions that could affect the Brown community or the Brown philosophy.
Further, what she so drastically misses is that the athletes' experience on the playing field is, in fact, the best preparation we can get in our future professional lives. What area of life rejects or does not participate in this kind of competition and intense mentality? Professional work in marketing, political campaigns and legal cases all require the skills developed in competitive sports. Attacking sports teams at Brown for engaging in "abhorrent" behavior that is common and promoted in every day life is unfair and unjust.
In a way, Kroeber has engaged in warfare on every varsity sports team that exists at Brown. As an opinions columnist, it would be wise to have some (or any) substantial evidence about the horrific "pressure(s) exerted by coaches to keep their athletes playing," before making such sweeping and dramatic generalizations. Most of what she says is based on her own singular experience or anecdotal evidence. When she claims that "no other extracurricular at Brown absorbs as much money as athletics does," she fails to take into account that the athletics department is one of the largest groups of students at Brown, and that most of their funding comes from alums and donors.
Like Kroeber, I can only speak from personal experience, and I have not done exhaustive research on the attitudes of athletes at Brown. But, as a current member of the Brown athletic community, I am certain that my love for Brown's athletic department and the experiences I have had here is shared and appreciated by most of the student athletes at Brown.
Finally, I am sorry that Kroeber has felt betrayed or inhibited by Brown athletics. Her generalizations of coaches and programs are severe and need to be re-evaluated before she puts them into print. But what is worse, she has taken what seems to be a personal trauma, either quitting her own team or being upset by a friend that refused to quit, and extended those emotions to attack the whole athletics department. People who quit their sports teams at Brown do not need any of the justifications that she is promoting. It is their own personal decision, as teams are very capable of functioning and succeeding without them. But for her to transition from the point that people who quit "should be allowed to leave an activity without losing the respect of their teammates" to "here's a little secret: Sports, especially at Brown, are not that big of a deal, nor are they anything to sacrifice a friendship over" is a purely emotional argument that requires no justification or response. She has a right to her opinion, but it would be appreciated that she not make such unfounded, emotional and unintelligent generalizations about a group of people who, according to the Brown University Athletics website, have "the nation's fourth largest collegiate athletic program (and the first largest program for women), with 900 athletes competing on 37 sports teams." That's a big deal.
Alexa Caldwell '11 is a member of the women's lacrosse team. She can be contacted at alexa_caldwell@brown.edu
