Very OT - Harvard-Dartmouth at Squash match
http://www.vnews.com/12052009/6216556.htm
Stumbled upon this story and thought it was just too crazy to believe. I understand that fans sometimes like to push the envelope a bit to rattle opponents - see chants at Yost, most of MSU's cheering sections, stories you hear about the SEC - but this seems more mean-spirited than anything else. Plus, it's squash people! As the NCAA commercials keep telling me, these players are going to go pro in something other than sports.
December 7th, 2009 at 3:52 PM ^
Don't mess with Keggy the Keg. They like to get crazy at Dartmouth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keggy_the_Keg
December 7th, 2009 at 3:59 PM ^
is the best revenge. And that's what Harvard did, defeating Dartmouth and the hecklers soundly. Poetic justice, karma . . . call it what you will; this was a fitting end to a strange story.
December 7th, 2009 at 4:10 PM ^
I've never heard of anyone using "bagel" as a reference to 0. Doughnut, Love, zip, nada, nathan, etc. yes. But not bagel.
The mere fact that they thought about which one to use suggests it was indeed intended to reference ethnicity.
December 7th, 2009 at 4:38 PM ^
These kids might have poor judgment, but they aren't stupid. That was definitely done with the kid's heritage in mind, though I imagine "bagel" is actually used for zero in some sports.
December 7th, 2009 at 4:11 PM ^
... will be the leaders and captains of industry in 10-20 years. Now I'm feeling better about the future.
That said, I believe them about the bagel comment. The rest of the stuff, though, pretty classless.
December 7th, 2009 at 4:35 PM ^
What the hell, am I having a flashback from the 70s right now? Antisemitism and homophobia at a squash match? Did I *literally* just drop acid?
December 7th, 2009 at 4:48 PM ^
Beyond its obnoxious fans, Dartmouth has seen far wider racial and ethnic turmoil on campus for many decades. The turmoil began to come to a head about 20 years ago. I thought things had changed. But it sounds like the campus still attracts some of the same types of students.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-1150943.html
http://www.vnews.com/12052009/6216556.htm
December 7th, 2009 at 5:13 PM ^
I'm a Dartmouth grad and I'm insulted at the comparison to OSU. Our band doesn't dress like an fascist youth brigade ... we stick with keg costumes.
In all seriousness, Dartmouth has had its share of racial/ethnic issues, but to categorize the school based on a few bad apples is false and ignorant at best. I never experienced any issues at school as an ethnic minority and none of the "turmoil" that you suggest. The Dartmouth Review is a conservative publication but you will find radical conservatives at any school, including U of M.
And as a squash player, I've heard the term "bagel" before, pretty often actually. Not to excuse what the students here did, which was absolutely terrible behavior, but it might not have had an anti-Semetic slant.
December 7th, 2009 at 7:13 PM ^
As I said, I thought that the problems at Dartmouth had been largely cleared up. I know that a concerted effort was made to address the problems. Your experience there as an ethnic minority is reassuring. I do believe you are correct that the problems are now, as you say, limited to a few "bad apples."
Also, Dartmouth is a great school academically--I am happy to have colleagues and proud to have former students there. Clearly, it would be ridiculous to compare Dartmouth to OSU academically. I am sure that the fans also are much more civil. Moreover, the bad apples at this squash match were not as bad as OSU fans, in the abstract.
Yet, in a relative sense,for Dartmouth students to behave like this at an Ivy League squash match seems as out-of-place as the behavior of some OSU fans at football games. The behavior of these Dartmouth fans reminded me of some people I knew at Dartmouth several decades ago, long before the problems there had been recognized and addressed. They were the kind of people described in the links I provided. I am unsure how atypical they were for Dartmouth students at that point in time.
In any case, I do apologize for distressing you by making the comparison to OSU. At the same time, though, I would ask you to think for a moment how that Harvard squash player and his family must have felt.
December 7th, 2009 at 7:37 PM ^
I didn't mean to imply that you were ignorant of the situation - I apologize if you took it that way, clearly you are familiar the school and its past.
The actions of the students were pretty terrible; the taunting of the parents was particularly bad. Some ribbing of the student-athletes is to be expected but spectator-family members shouldn't have to be attacked.
December 7th, 2009 at 4:58 PM ^
Totally slanted headlines, things taken out of context, etc. Looks like the Valley News is busting out all the stops to stay in business.
December 7th, 2009 at 5:58 PM ^
Keggy is the best mascot ever and it's disappointing to hear that he didn't make an appearance at such a crucial in-conference squash match, yet a man-parrot and a cartoon bear showed up to cheer on the team instead.
December 7th, 2009 at 7:27 PM ^
any ones that ever spent much time on an ivy campus shouldn't be too surprised by this. much more drinking, obsession with sports, and flat out prejudice than one might imagine.