Fans should foster positive attitudes
I am writing in response to the editorial “Foster lets
down team, fans, university,“ (Daily Bruin, Nov. 9) for
the board’s jumping on the “attack-DeShaun
Foster” bandwagon and patronizing him for his violation of
the NCAA extra-benefits regulation.
Yes, I am disappointed in Foster’s alleged
“gift-receiving.” Foster is constantly in the
limelight, and therefore the public assumes that he is
ethical and responsible 100 percent of the time. But just
because he is one of the biggest college football standouts in the
nation does not by any means strip him of his human right to make
mistakes.
People make mistakes, even Foster. If our school let up a
bit on the hero worshiping of athletes, this scrutiny would never
exist. We set these super stars up as demi-gods; we give them
whatever they want, and in the end, we are solely responsible for
their rise and fall. If you were given such special treatment,
wouldn’t you too believe your invincibility would continue
untarnished?
Right now, Foster does not need the criticism from the people
who so wrongly put him up on a pedestal just to kick it out from
underneath his legs. The very last thing he needs is a bunch
of unloyal smarty pants scrutinizing him for his lack of ethics,
while these so-called “fans” ignore their own lack of
dignity and respect.
It is hard to watch the almost-perfect Heisman trophy candidate
throw away his chance of the ultimate college football dream for
himself, his team and the fans, but we need to slap ourselves in
the face and remember that UCLA football does not solely
encapsulate Foster. We have players like Robert Thomas, Nate Fikse,
Kenyon Coleman, Brian Poli-Dixon and a slew of others who have
collectively contributed to UCLA’s wild and crazy
season. These players are still standing, and right now they
are in dire need of our support.
I know there is no chance for a National Championship and we
probably won’t end our season as the leader of the
Pac-10 ““ but when you are a true fan, those things
don’t matter. It’s nice to get a few trophies now
and then, but it is even sweeter to feel complete solidarity
reeking from each and every fan, regardless of Bowl Championship
Series ranking.
Give Foster a break, support these boys for the remainder of the
season, and practice the real joy of being a true, loyal fan,
through both the highs and lows. Go Bruins!
Sarah Diebel Third-year Anthropology
Family friend: Find fair facts on Foster
I just want to start off this letter by stating a couple facts
about myself. I am a second-year at the University of
Redlands. I grew up in Tustin, Calif. alongside
DeShaun. I have known him now for about 13 years. My older
brother was born within one day of DeShaun, and they played little
league and high school sports together. My family is extremely
close to the Foster family, and I talk to Cheryl (DeShaun’s
mom) nearly every week. Now I don’t know if Diamond
Leung has ever even had one conversation with DeShaun in his entire
life, but I feel that his comments were extremely unprofessional
(“Though
changed, life can go on without DeShaun,” Daily Bruin,
Sports, Nov. 9).
Without stating any concrete facts or details about the
situation, Leung proceeds to make personal, rude comments about
DeShaun in his column. In the past few days, my family and I
have been hearing all the news about this so-called
“scandal,” and I feel that his job as part of the
school newspaper would be to look for the details that most people
don’t already know.
I realize that Leung has his opinion and is guaranteed the right
to voice that opinion, but he should take notice and understand
that his words may effect more than he thinks.
I would just like to say a couple more things to Leung: as a
journalist, you should be a little more responsible with the words
that you write. I feel that your column was extremely
unsubstantiated. Just keep in mind that you have written
horribly empty statements about someone who is not only an amazing
football player, but also someone who is a hard-working,
intelligent, and humble man. You should feel ashamed!
Elizabeth Horvath University of Redlands
College television networks provide needed
break
I am an undergraduate student at UCLA and feel compelled to
respond to Malena Mesarina’s views on television programming
in Ackerman Union (“Campus TVs
should promote education, not Britney Spears,“ Daily
Bruin, Nov. 2).
Every day I go to classes, labs and other activities. After a
few hours of lecture and studying, I like to take some time to
relax and have my lunch. Where do I go? I go to Ackerman Union
where I can relax, take a break from my routine and catch the
latest music videos. If we lived in Mesarina’s world, where
everywhere we turned was an outlet of intellectual growth, we would
probably all walk around like zombies.
UCLA is filled with multi-dimensional students who have other
interests besides watching the news or studying 24/7. UCLA is a
higher education institution that does promote intellectual growth.
We have one of the largest library systems in the nation, a
plethora of class offerings, and countless student organizations
and forums; however, every inch of this campus can not be relegated
to informational programming.
Mesarina, do you remember what it was like to be an
undergraduate student? Did you watch the news at every break that
you had? Even if you did, I can guarantee you that you are in the
minority.
We aren’t forced to sit in Ackerman and eat our lunch.
Many of us choose to sit there because it is fun to watch music
videos. As many of us are under a great deal of stress, taking a
break to watch some Britney Spears is a great way of relaxing. It
is not that we do not want to be intellectually stimulated, but we
do not want it pushed down our throats everywhere we turn. I for
one watch the news almost every morning before class, read the
paper on campus, and occasionally watch the evening news. Is that
not enough?
Mesarina, you do have the choice to decide what you watch while
you eat. No one is forcing you to eat in Ackerman. Grab the Los
Angeles Times and read up on what is going on while sitting at the
Kerckhoff Patio. Enjoy a packed lunch next to Janss Steps, or hang
out with some fellow colleagues at the Bombshelter.
You point out the importance of educating and keeping students
informed of world events. Well, we are in college and most of us
are aware of the state of our country and events in the world.
Every day the news reports on bombings in Afghanistan, and the
papers report on the latest anthrax scare, but how much more can we
take?
We don’t want to be bombarded with the latest death toll
during our breaks from class. The President urged us to go on with
our lives, and I feel the same. Take some time to enjoy the simple
things in life.
Amit Shah Third-year Psychobiology