Monon Bell Edition: Sportsmanship

In spirit of the Monon Bell football game tomorrow, I thought I would comment about one of my favorite topics/hobbies/loves: sports. I have played sports since I can remember. My parents joke that my first word was “ball” and I wore a baseball cap for years until I realized I liked the idea of looking “cute”.

 Like most athletes (or former athlete, I’m not sure which category I fall under) if asked, I tell people that athletics molded who I am today from my physical appearance and interests to my moral character. I had phenomenal female role models in sports throughout my career who taught me the power of discipline, leading with compassion, and hard work. These mentors allowed me to be successful on and off the court. Unfortunately, there is a huge handful of athletes and fans that seem to have a confused moral compass when it comes to sports.

The Monon Bell game can definitely be a haven for lost sportsmanship; I’m thinking mostly about the fans here. For those readers who don’t know, the Monon Bell game is sometimes touted as the “Best College football rivalry”…ever? Not sure how that title came about, but it began in 1890 between DePauw University, and our enemies to the north, Wabash College, and Wabash leads the all-time series, 57-53-9.

In such a long-standing rivalry, fans on both sides have had less than glamorous moments of lackluster sportsmanship. For instance, my senior year at DePauw while walking through the main campus, I watched, mouth agape, as DePauw fraternity boys on one side of Hanna Street shouted boos and obscenities to kids on the other side of the street wearing Wabash sweatshirts. By kids I mean elementary or middle school age. But age doesn't seem to matter at Monon because my Junior year at Wabash, I witnessed similar aged boys with Wabash gear throwing walnuts at elderly DePauw fans until onlookers caught their tomfoolery.

There has to be accountability with moments like these in such an intense rivalry. Although I appreciate tasteful bantering and the occasional practical jokes, sports should not be an outlet for people to lose their character. Unleash that anger in social media if you absolutely have to. But like the athletes participating in the game, I encourage fans to act with a humane level of respect for the other team, no matter how difficult it seems. Find the moral high ground, hold yourself to a higher standard and represent your team the way you would like your team to represent you.