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Tuesday, September 14, 2010
The Daily Cougar
opinion THE DAILY COUGAR
EDITOR Andrew Taylor E-MAIL opinion@thedailycougar.com ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/opinion
FOOTBALL RANKINGS by Dick Hite Jr.
EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR IN CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR NEWS EDITORS SPORTS EDITORS LIFE
& ARTS EDITOR
OPINION EDITOR
Matthew Keever Newton Liu Hiba Adi, Jose Aguilar John Brannen, Christopher Losee Travis Hensley Andrew Taylor
STAFF EDITORIAL
This could be Houston’s year in sports
I
t’s no secret that Houston sports teams are known for breaking fans’ hearts, but this year could be the season for us to shine, our football teams especially. On Sunday, the Texans conquered the Indianapolis Colts 34-24 in their season opener, and just two days before that, your Cougars stomped Texas-El Paso with a 54-24 win, earning their way back into the Associated Press Top 25. We’ve heard all the naysayers who claim that beating the Colts twice in 17 meetings is hardly reason to celebrate. There are also those who claim that the Cougars are overrated, will lose at least one game sometime soon and fall from the rankings and the national spotlight. We disagree. This could very well be the dawn of a new era of Houston sports and, as always, the fans will have to play a large role. Through both good and bad seasons, we need to keep Robertson Stadium packed. And while the Texans don’t seem to have much trouble packing Reliant Stadium, we hope that this victory over Peyton Manning and the Colts will bring about a brand new hope in our team, which we truly believe could make it to the playoffs this year (even if you think we’re crazy). So we’ll keep dreaming, hoping and attending games, and we hope you will join us, but even if you don’t, we’ll continue supporting Houston’s talented athletes. And don’t think that football is the only sport in Houston worth watching either, because there are plenty of other sports with talented athletes to be watched and supported. Even if football isn’t your cup of tea, it will help shed light on our city and the University, which is good for our economy and our morale. And don’t tell her we told you, but Casey Goodwin came to UH's game against UTEP … and she had a good time! We just can’t jinx the possibility of a great football seasons, which we hope we didn’t do in this article. If we did … well, we’re sorry. We won’t do it next season.
E D I TO R I A L P O L I C I E S STAFF EDITORIAL The Staff Editorial reflects the opinions of The Daily Cougar Editorial Board (the members of which are listed above the editorial). All other opinions, commentaries and cartoons reflect only the opinion of the author. Opinions expressed in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Houston or the students as a whole. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Daily Cougar welcomes letters to the editor from any member of the UH community. Letters should be no more than 250 words and signed, including the author’s full name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major. Anonymous letters will not be published. Deliver letters to Room 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to letters@thedailycougar.com; send them via campus mail to STP 4015; or fax them to (713) 743-5384. Letters are subject to editing. ADVERTISEMENTS Advertisements published in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the University or the students as a whole. GUEST COMMENTARY Submissions are accepted from any member of the UH community and must be signed with the author’s name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major. Commentary should be kept to less than 500 words. Guest commentaries should not be written as replies to material already printed in the Cougar, but rather should present independent points of view. Rebuttals should be sent as letters. Deliver submissions to Room 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to letters@thedailycougar.com; or fax them to (713) 743-5384. All submissions are subject to editing.
Cougar football dominates sports
L
ast week, the first football game of the season had a sell-out crowd of 32, 119 people. The UH Cougars hosted the Texas State Bobcats and dominated, as pretty much everyone to set foot on the UH campus this week has heard. The cheers of “GO COOGS” could be heard in every corner of the university, from Moody Towers to the M.D. Anderson Library. Everybody and their friends seemed to show up, even some from out of town. That same evening though, at another sports venue, less than half a mile from Robertson Stadium, the volleyball team hosted its first invitational of the season. They played at least 10 sets collectively against three different teams from Tennessee, Oklahoma and Florida. Every time the Cougars scored, the scattered yells of “POINT HOUSTON” barely made it out of the Athletic Alumni Center’s lobby. The audience looked to be no more than 300 people, mostly consisting of bored-looking family members and guys interested in the wonders of spandex shorts. Why is there such a vast difference in interest? The reasons might have their origins rooted in culture, or maybe it’s just another matter of not enough marketing. It is interesting that students know
the name of their star quarterback, Case Keenum, without ever hearing the name Lucy Charuk. Her performance on the UH volleyball team merited a selection to the Houston Invitational all-tournament team for the second time in a row. This shows some facts that are obvious and glaring: volleyball just doesn’t get the same love and support as football at UH. The seeming lack of interest in volleyball doesn’t seem to be from lack of understanding game rules either. At the football games, there are plenty female students that still don’t know what a “first down” means or the difference between a “tackle” and a “sack.” But still, girls and guys alike, young and old, flock to the stadium. They tailgate in the parking lot hours before, discuss the players and swelter in the heat. Then they paint their faces, heckle the opposing team and spend long minutes waiting in line to buy some nachos and a Coke. In volleyball games though, terms such as “dig” or “kill” are used, and the crowd could care less what they mean. It cannot be that students do not want to pay admission, either. It is free, and it is being paid for with student fees, just like the football games. In fact, it will be guaranteed easier seating with better views closer to the actual players.
Honestly, it’s possible to go ahead and give the volleyball players a high-five as they run by on their way to the court. There is one fact, though, that has not been mentioned yet — the elephant in the room, so to speak. The UH volleyball team is exclusively female. The football team is all male. Maybe it really is just this chick-flick mentality that keeps the stadium packed and the court less than full. Football is an AllAmerican sport that both guys and girls can enjoy, while women’s volleyball is still working on its reputation. It is not as if there is a need for sellout crowds at the next volleyball game. All that is needed is an awareness that the game is actually going on and that it might actually be enjoyable to watch once or twice. UH is not just about football, believe it or not. While football is what makes us proud and increases our reputation as an outstanding school, it is the minor sports that solidify us as truly diverse. In the end, we will always be made up of a collection of talented athletes excelling in multiple sports with the same amount of Cougar pride. Bethel Glumac is a communications sophomore and maay be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com
Dining services essential for flagship status
O
ne of the most frustrating parts of campus life is the inept operation of the UH Dining Services apparatus. When you go to the Einstein Brothers Bagels kiosk, and you can’t get a cup of black coffee, something is really wrong. Or when you go to the new highly-touted Fresh Food company expecting finally to be able to eat a meal that is suited toward your culinary tastes (carb-less), and they say you can’t have the grilled chicken for your salad because it is strictly for the Panini sandwiches. The hype stated that students would be able to have their meal anyway that wanted it — after all it is freshly prepared before your eyes. Or
when you go to Taco Bell in the UC-Satellite and are unable to effectively communicate with the staff because they don’t speak English. Perhaps when you go to the Starbucks kiosk in the UC-Satellite, and they tell you they can’t accept cash because they do not have any change. Three hours later, you get the same story. Then there is the instance when you go to the convenience store in the UC-Satellite for an item you buy daily, and it is not there, so you ask the clerk for assistance, and they tell you that the girl who orders their merchandise is out and no one processed the order. I mean, get real. This is a major, urban University with a lot of lofty hype regarding
flagship status, and we can’t even rely on our dining services operation to run efficiently. Oh, and least I forget the most ingenious of all the dining services faux pas: the week of finals this summer, they closed the UCSatellite. The week of finals, the week during which everyone is extremely stressed and counting on the services that we support and pay for in tuition to be available to us. Now, this is most ignorant of all, I would say. Put the students under more stress by requiring them to walk all the way over to the UC to find something to eat. What an ingenious idea for a major university. Trace R. Williams is an economics junior.