Teams and Fans Must Remember Their Roots
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“Don’t forget where you came from” is the refrain that slinks around just about every college campus as graduation nears. For most seniors, particularly those heading for the bigger and better things that put stars in their relatives’ eyes, it’s just an updated version of that Uncle Bob quote of freshman-year yore: “These are the best years of your life.” For certain prominent members of the Georgetown men’s basketball team, the line represents the hope of any classmate that he won’t be disregarded amid the glitz of the NBA.
In the three and a half years that I’ve written this column, I’ve tried to stay true to the central tenet that sports are meant to be written about, that the drama they contain is something more literary than a 50-word graphic article in ESPN: The Magazine. In this regard, much of sportswriting is not fulfilling its promise: The shouting journalists on TV are entertaining, but they’re helping us forget that “the people we’re writing about in professional sports [are] suffering and living and dying and loving and trying to make their way through life just as the brick layers and politicians are,” as Red Smith said. Never in print should a trivia-amassing Schwab do what a real writer can do better.
With the NCAA tournament news cycle still relatively fresh and pro baseball, basketball and hockey heating up quickly, these days are maybe the best days all year for a sports fan. Nationals Park is so shiny and brand-spanking new that the ushers are still trying to check everyone’s tickets; Georgetown basketball’s fleeting run weeks ago so captivated the campus that even faculty members waxed poetic in our pages.
But along the way, in the heat of it all, too many have forgotten where they came from. Much like the Woody Paiges and Rick Reillys of the world, too many of this area’s sports stalwarts have recently and unceremoniously dumped their origins.
For the Washington Nationals, that means Montreal. A stroll around their ballpark is a lesson on D.C. baseball history that makes one wonder if the Expos ever existed. The sidewalk near the home-plate entrance is emblazoned with giant digits of great significance to District baseball fans, like the year the Washington Senators won the World Series. There are even plans to erect statues to Senators Walter Johnson and Frank Howard, and another to Josh Gibson, whose Homestead Grays played many of their games in Washington.
The problem is that none of those players have anything to do with the team that plays in Nationals Park. Johnson’s Senators moved to Minnesota and became the Twins; Howard’s same-named expansion team is now called the Texas Rangers. When Washington welcomed back baseball in 2005, it was the Expos’ history — of Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter, of a thriving but ultimately cursed 1994 season — that D.C. should have inherited. But the city rejected it in favor of a disingenuous, revisionist history.
Maybe the modern Nats share some of their predecessors’ fans, but it’s wrong to pretend that the ghost of Walter Johnson is somehow living within the Nationals franchise. Whereas team executives are more than sensitive to the plight of D.C. fans who have seen teams called “the Senators” leave them twice, they turn a cold shoulder to Montreal, a city that is feeling much of what Washington felt back in 1971.
Montreal has baseball fans, too. Their team retired the numbers of four great players. And rather than give them the simple respect of at least quietly keeping those numbers out of circulation — no outfield placards required — the club elected to dump Carter, Andre Dawson, Rusty Staub and Tim Raines so that Marlon Anderson, Brandon Harper and Mike Stanton could wear the digits they preferred.
The Washington Nationals are not alone in this sin, of course. Most Rangers fans have probably never heard Frank Howard’s name. Few in Minnesota likely know that baseball’s greatest pitcher once played for their team. All across baseball, in a sport where teams move but very few ever contract, this tendency should change. Because where do the tributes to Carter, Dawson, Staub and Raines live now? On a 6-by-14 banner in a hockey arena.
Sadly, forgetting one’s past and purpose is native to Georgetown, too. It thrives in Hoya Blue, an organization that has done a great deal of good,including giving me last-minute quotes for columns, in the last few years. Its members have been wonderful stewards of Hoya history, and they do much of the boring administrative work — managing ticket sales, making travel arrangements, showing up to women’s basketball games — that is often left to a school’s athletic department or simply left undone. Oh, and they’re not bad for school spirit, either.
But there’s a troubling streak developing behind their cheering. The group’s mission is “to support all Georgetown sports [as] Georgetown’s official student spirit organization,” and it wants all students to “be part of our group and share our love for Georgetown athletics,” a welcoming salvo if there ever was one. But somehow, somewhere along the way, innocent fandom has evolved into fandom for status. If you’re not in Hoya Blue, it seems, you’re just not a good enough fan.
This has surely never been the group’s intention, but it has come about as a result of some irritating practices. For one, there’s its monopoly on good seats at Verizon Center. Anyone who gets to the game early should have the right to its best seats, but just about every civilian has seen what happens when you try to park yourself in the first few rows — you’re told, by one of maybe 10 people, that all 40 of those seats are being saved for Hoya Blue. Since the group knows it’s not legally entitled to those seats, the implication is that each of those 10 people is saving a few seats for his own friends. Whatever. When I hear “Hoya Blue, Party of 40!” at Bangkok Bistro, I’ll believe that the exclusion is really a result of pure friendship.
Then there’s the caste-like stratification within the organization itself. While I’m sure the “Volunteer Rating Index” (a formula that assigns “dedication” points to various volunteers) laughs at itself for its similarity to Ratings Percentage Index, it is followed very, very seriously because of the rewards at stake: among them, discounted road-trip tickets and “early entry [that] guarantee[s] front row seats at the Verizon Center.” (I told you so!) Once you multiply your points by 100, divide that by the total points, and scale the result to your seniority, you can once and for all quantify all 40 officers’ value to the Georgetown community.
Nothing about membership in Hoya Blue, or one’s rank within it, should justify special privileges. This includes some members’ comparatively easy access to NCAA tickets, as well as their exemption from the “lottery” that was supposed to decide which fans got those limited-edition, Hoya-themed Nike shoes. (As a friend of a number of sneaker enthusiasts, I found this slight particularly insulting.)
We are all Georgetown fans, whether we’re in the group or not. Once the right to fandom is stratified, once the self-proclaimed stewards of fandom start taking themselves too seriously, the fans stop being real fans. And Hoya Blue stops being the open-arms fan group it’s supposed to be.
It’s done a lot of good, and the same could be said of the forefathers of the Washington Nationals and the pioneers of sports-talk TV. But it should never lose sight of the reason it was created. Like the prodigal student, it should make Uncle Bob proud to come home every once in a while.
Alex Fumelli is a senior in the College and a former features and sports editor for THE HOYA. He can be reached at fumelli@thehoya.com. THE MENDOZA LINE appears every other Tuesday in HOYA SPORTS.
Apr 15 2008 at 7:53 p.m.
I'm not in Hoya Blue, but the criticisms of it seem to make much about little. Forgetting one's past is "thriving" in Hoya Blue? Really? "Caste-like stratification"? "Self-proclaimed stewards of fandom"? Being a little dramatic, aren't we?
I don't know the details of Hoya Blue's practices, and maybe the article is noting some things that need to be monitored. But: the Georgetown community owes some debt of gratitude to Hoya Blue for the transformation over the last several years of student participation and spirit. It looks so easy (and the success of the basketball team has made it easier), but it involves a lot of tedious work to accomplish the sorts of things Hoya Blue has done.
Yes, maybe it is true that "we are all Georgetown fans", but some have made a commitment to do the extra work -- the flyering, organizing road trips (always risky), attending the unpopular sports events, etc.. Those "guys" have made it possible for the rest of us to just show up and shout.
Apr 15 2008 at 11:41 p.m.
I don't know that Hoya Blue has necessarily increased attendance at non-basketball sporting events. Unless there was someway to prove this I think that is as much speculation as you say his claims are. Hoya Blue does a few good things, but at times it seems more talk than anything. It's one thing to send out an email saying there is a softball game and something completely different to actually show up at that game. There is more to being a Georgetown fan than photocopying pieces of paper.
Hoya Blue needs to make sure that it does not start alienating the same fans that it is supposed to be leading
Apr 16 2008 at 2:15 a.m.
This article has a few key factual errors.
For full disclosure, I am a (non-board) member of Hoya Blue, but I speak for myself and not for the club as a whole.
1. Hoya Blue does NOT reserve seats for itself at the Verizon Center. For each game 5 or so HB members are given staff passes. Those students go a couple hours early and set out flyers, help the AD people put out promo stuff, set up and staff the Hoya Blue table, and so on. Since they're the first in the building, they usually take front row seats. If any other Hoya Blue members are up front, it's because they were at the front of the line outside the Verizon Center.
2. The VRI is a simple organizational tool, not the foundation of Hoya Blue. It's used to decide who gets staff passes, and who gets small (usually about $10) discounts on road trips. It doesn't determine your worth in the club. I was abroad first semester this year, so my VRI was virtually nil, but nobody in the club treated me any differently. For the record, I've looked at the VRI maybe twice in the past 3 years.
3. No Hoya Blue members got any easier access to NCAA tickets this year. I got my tickets the exact same way everybody else did - by standing in line and going to the ticket booth at the designated time (and skipping class to do it). There was no priority whatsoever given to Hoya Blue people.
4. The sneaker deal was (badly) organized 100% by Nike. They chose the people they were giving the shoes to, and nobody could figure out how they did it. About half the people who got to jump the line were Hoya Blue people. Hoya Blue had absolutely zero say in how that was run. I think if we'd run it it would have been a lot more egalitarian.
5. Some people were allowed to skip the line for Big East Tournament tickets, but that came through open raffles at womens' basketball games that were publicly announced at mens' basketball games. There was no preference whatsoever given to Hoya Blue members, but they ended up winning most of the spots because they're the only people who show up for womens' games.
These may seem like small factual errors and the innocent results of sloppy reporting that my journalism teacher would frown upon (why didn't the columnist bother to get a quote from a Hoya Blue member on this, and why didn't they check their facts instead of relying upon rumors?). But these falsehoods add up. There's nothing wrong with criticizing Hoya Blue, but if you're going to do it make sure you base your criticism on facts, not false rumors.
Finally, I have to point out that membership in Hoya Blue is open to every single Georgetown student and is 100% free. All you have to do is sign in at events and show up at our open meetings on Tuesdays at 9:00 on the first floor of ICC (that info's been available on our website since the start of the year). We love it when there are new faces at meetings - it means more members, more volunteers, and more ideas. It really bothers me when people say "I'm just as good of a fan as Hoya Blue, so why do they get all the benefits?" If you're just as good of a fan, then why aren't you a member, when it's so easy to join?
I'll be glad to respond to anybody who wants to discuss this.
Apr 16 2008 at 3:06 a.m.
I can’t attest to the accuracy of the allegations against Hoya Blue regarding special privileges, but I think the article has a lot of merit with regards to Hoya Blue’s monopoly on fandom at Georgetown. The last sentence in the above comment that says “If you're just as good of a fan, then why aren't you a member, when it's so easy to join,” is precisely what the article is addressing. There seems to be a sense of entitlement in Hoya Blue that all school spirit must go through their group. I think the article is saying that someone who is not in Hoya Blue—but has just as much school spirit as those who are in it—should have just as many perks as those who are in the upper-echelon of Hoya Blue (and I don’t think we can deny that those individuals get perks). The sports teams belong to all Georgetown students first, not to Hoya Blue first. Hoya Blue’s role as a group to mobilize fans is thankless and often under-appreciated, but that doesn’t mean they should be entitled to things that the rest of us are not. So as to the question “why aren’t you a member, when it’s so easy to join,” I say: because I am just as much a member of the Georgetown community and I choose not to join.
Apr 16 2008 at 3:17 a.m.
Almost every student group on this campus provides benefits and privileges to its members. Corpies get a discount on Holiday Gala and a 10 percent discount on everything at all Corp shops. SFS Academic Council people don't have to wait in line for Dip Ball tickets. Participants in Rangila get a few tickets to give to their friends. GUGS people get free burgers. Lecture Fund people get automatic tickets to speaker events that the rest of the school has to use the lottery for. I could go on...
I'd also like to point out that it is ridiculous to claim that Hoya Blue shouldn't give slight discounts to its members on road trips that THEY PAY FOR. These road trips wouldn't even EXIST if Hoya Blue didn't pay for/subsidize them.
The fact that students often save seats for their friends is not a Hoya Blue problem. Hoya Blue instituted a policy this year that if you had a staff pass and wanted to save a seat for your friend, you were NOT allowed to do so in the first three rows. Seat-saving is a problem at games, but this is something that Hoya Blue has actually worked to prevent. If the writer had bothered to interview us/check his facts, he would know that. Additionally, many Hoya Blue members themselves (who wait in line like everyone else) are also prevented from taking seats that other people are saving. Seat-saving is a universal problem.
As for the Nike shoes promotion, that was handled by Nike and the Athletic Department. Hoya Blue had no control over who got those shoes. Nike asked the AD for a list of the "100 best basketball fans," and the AD compiled a list based on season ticket holders, attendance on road trips/NCAA tournament games, and also allocated some to the pep band, the cheerleaders, student employees of the AD, etc. The rest was given out in the lottery. This was NOT Hoya Blue's system.
I agree that Hoya Blue can sometimes be seen as elitist and cliquish, but this is something we are working, and will continue to work, on changing. Currently we are planning on sponsoring events with many other organizations on campus in order to be more inclusive and welcoming.
I don't have a problem with people criticizing Hoya Blue, but I at least wish the writer would check his facts before publishing an article with so many inaccuracies.
Apr 16 2008 at 3:52 a.m.
Lou,
My comment has to be taken in context. I was just talking about people who complain about the benefits Hoya Blue members get. If they are Georgetown sports fans (beyond just basketball), then why don't they just write their names down on the attendance sheet Hoya Blue passes around? It's that easy. If they just did that they'd be in line for all the benefits Hoya Blue members get. But instead, they sit there and complain about Hoya Blue.
If somebody wants to be a fan of Georgetown sports but not join Hoya Blue, that's great. But I think it's pretty silly of them to complain about the benefits Hoya Blue gives its members when the ONLY thing separating them from those benefits is writing their name down on a piece of paper every once in a while.
It's like if somebody's handing out free ice cream to everybody at the game. I'll walk over to the aisle to get the ice cream, since it's easy to do and I want the ice cream. If you don't want ice cream, that's perfectly fine. But it'd be pretty silly for somebody to not take the ice cream, then complain about other people having ice cream when it was freely available to him too.
Apr 16 2008 at 4:17 a.m.
As Hoya Blue's 21st Vice President in the Flyer Photocopying Department for the Northeast Campus Quadrant, I take offense at this article...
But seriously. You're proving the guy's point for him. Just because joining is easy doesn't mean people should have to do it. Hoya Blue isn't in charge of Georgetown basketball like GUGS is in charge of ITS OWN BURGERS.
It's like saying I have to join an "I Support America" group to be entitled to my tax refund. (Happy April 15, everyone!) As an American, I should get my tax refund anyway. As a Georgetown student, I shouldn't need to join Hoya Blue to get privileges to see a team Hoya Blue isn't in charge of.
Apr 16 2008 at 4:43 a.m.
Sam, if Hoya Blue were indeed restricting Georgetown students' access to the basketball team then we should be thrown into the Potomac.
But I just don't see it happening. Like I said in my initial reply to the article, a lot of the rumors about what Hoya Blue does are simply false. We don't get preferential access to NCAA or Big East Tournament tickets, we don't get front row seats reserved for us (outside of the staff pass people), we're not allowed to save prime seats for our friends, and we offer spots on our road trips to everybody.
The only perks are the staff passes (6 per game, I think) and small road trip discounts. I don't see how either of those restrict the rest of the student body's access to the basketball team.
Apr 16 2008 at 4:49 a.m.
We may not be in charge of the basketball team, but we are in charge of our road trips.
If you don't want to use the advantage on going on subsidized road trip, have fun paying through the nose for transportation, lodging, and ticket. Getting to go on a trip like the Syracuse one earlier this year for only 80 dollars is an amazing deal, and it wouldn't be possible without Hoya Blue's support. Believe it or not, Hoya Blue actually organizes these trips to give as many people as possible the opportunity to travel to to see a game. Almost 200 people went on that road trip - they were certainly not all members.
Apr 16 2008 at 5:10 a.m.
Finally, the fact that Hoya Blue is seen by many is cliquish and elitist is something that does concern us. We want to be open and receptive to as many students as possible. Anyone is welcome to join our organization, be as involved as they want to be, etc. And we don't restrict what we offer to only members - like I said, non-members have an equal chance to buy spots on our subsidized road trips, and to participate in other events we do.
I certainly don't think that Hoya Blue members are "better fans" than other people on this campus - indeed, trying to create a hierarchy of fandom is silly, and I'm sorry that Hoya Blue is often perceived that way. It's just that, our members work very hard and volunteer a lot of time, and we try to reward them in small ways. Hoya Blue members do NOT get priority access to NCAA tournament tickets like the article claimed, nor do we have the ability to take up the first 40 seats in each section. There aren't even that many of us.
I hope that Hoya Blue will continue to work hard on changing its image to not be perceived in this elitist way, and I also hope that students will offer us constructive criticism when needed (and not criticism based on pure speculation/rumor).
Apr 16 2008 at 6:23 a.m.
I've pointed out in my comments on previous articles in the Hoya, about completely unrelated topics, the intense feudalism that pervades Georgetown's campus, especially when it comes to student organizations. Every group criticizes every other group, every group perceives every other group as believing that they're the most important group. This article and the reaction to it prove the point once more. Hoya Blue is just one more example of it (as is the Hoya, as I've pointed out in the past).
I'm not disagreeing with the criticisms of Mr. Fumelli, I'm just saying that this should be understood in the sense of the general tone of student life on campus, that people in the Hoya, InterHall, GUSA, Hoya Blue, the College Dems, and even GUGS all think of their groups as the most important groups on campus -- and criticize all other groups for thinking so, too.
Everyone knows that the most important group at Georgetown is the Seventeenth Society of the Stewards (or whatever number they're on) -- the only secret society in the US so lame that it almost IS a "secret" society.