Pride

I am an Aberdeen Central High School Golden Eagle

I am a Northern State University Wolf

I am a Sun Devil.

I am a brother of Pi Kappa Phi

I am a South Dakotan.

I am an Arizonian.

And I am an American.

I have to be honest…when the Olympics come around I get a little excited.  One of the few things in this world that truly brings us together is Pride. The Olympics has this incredible ability to unite us, and remind us of the wonderful country we live in.  As Americans, I feel we truly take for granted the beauty associated with that red, white, and blue.

This lack of appreciation is evident in many places, especially in politics.  Everyone seems to be fixated on our economic slump, health care debate, or the newly elected President Obama.  Whether it be the high unemployment rate, or constant disagreement about health care plans, there is nowhere else I would rather been than in the United States.  Yes, I completely understand we are currently having a little trouble, but other countries have their problems as well. America seems to have started a vicious cycle of electing heroes to save the day, and then kicking them to the curb when the change doesn’t happen overnight. I am far from a political person, but it truly bothers me to see President Bush be disrespected the way he was, only to see our next President, Obama, be treated with the same blatant disrespect.  We made the choice, live with the decision.  Disrespect and hate will not solve our problems.

 It has been my dream to be at Arizona State University since I was a little kid. My grandma constantly bought clothing with some scary looking guy grinning with a pitch fork embroidered on it.   Eventually I took a tour and fell in love with the land of Sparky.  I came to my first football game proud in gold, but was later incredibly disappointed with the pride of others.  Our football team had somewhat of a rough season, and the student section voiced their angry opinion at every game.  If it wasn’t for the gold they were wearing, you would have thought Oregon, USC, or Cal brought a real big student section full of ASU haters.  Our fans constantly complained, especially about our quarterback.  This embarrassing lack of pride killed me, for many reasons.

I run track and lift side by side with the football guys…I know damn well how hard those guys work out in the weight room.  They are incredible athletes, who dedicate their lives to what they do, and to some extent…they do it for you.  What do they get in return?  Booed, hated, and disrespected on their home field.  It really is comical when I hear some overweight drunk guy in the stands yell “How did you not make that pass?” Could you do any better? Hey big guy…this isn’t Madden.

Trust me, I want our football team to do well just as much as the others.  Our athletic department’s budget relies heavily on the success of our major programs like football and basketball; I completely understand Track and Field doesn’t make the big bucks. By booing and hating, they are not helping the situation.  Have a little patience, and especially some pride, and eventually success will come our way.  In the meanwhile, how about you support the already successful athletic teams?  Like the 2008 Men’s and Women’s Track and Field National Indoor Champions, or the 2008 Women’s Softball National Champions, and the defending National Champions on our Women’s Golf Team?  

I will never forget where I came from, and every day I fully appreciate where I am. Whether it be your high school basketball team competing for a state title, or our US Olympic Team competing for gold, have a little pride.

Keep your head up like your nose is bleedin,

TJF