Let’s say you’re a UNC fan. Your Tar Heels have had a rough year, are near the bottom of the ACC, and might not even make the tournament. The season’s been almost a total loss. What’s worse, you’ve got one last game, and you’re headed down Tobacco Road so undefeated Duke can humiliate you.
Your body temperature rises at the mention of the name. Just 13 miles away, those Duke kids are sitting in their dorms, knowing their team is better than yours, knowing they already destroyed you in your house and actually believing that they are smarter, better all-around people.
So what happens? Tar Heels fans nationwide watch as Duke’s final shot clanks off the back of the rim, silencing those “crazies” in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke’s undefeated season and number one ranking, gone. And a Carolina season that would soon be forgotten has suddenly become a stunning success.
That’s what a college rivalry is about. And that is what Georgetown so desperately lacks.
How does one of the oldest schools in the country, with one of the best basketball traditions, not have the kind of rivalry that is engraved in every fan’s heart for life? The first reason may be that very same basketball tradition, or rather a lack of other traditions around it. Since our football team can’t play at the same level, there’s no one school that keeps reappearing on our schedules from fall to winter to spring. While pure hoops rivalries like Duke-UNC and Louisville-Kentucky have developed, they’re far rarer than both the “all-around” rivalry and the football rivalry.
Knowing that the rivalry would have to grow around basketball, there’s also no geographic rival. American’s team will never stack up, and with GWU in a different conference, there’s just not enough exposure to foster any strong feelings.
The advent of the Big East conference may have been the deciding factor. When the original seven schools banded together in 1979, there was no need for a rival: every game was so bruising, so brutal and so important that they all had the passion and intensity of a rivalry. Georgetown was consistently playing the premiere teams in the NCAA.
Now the Big East has changed. With 16 teams in the conference, it’s inevitable that some are going to be bad. It’s impossible for fans to feel the same intensity for a game against South Florida that they would for any original Big East game. What’s more, the behemoth league limits each team’s exposure to every other team, while the original Big East guaranteed a home game against every team, every year.
So with Georgetown back on the rise, it’s time to find a rival, and honestly we need not look too hard. There is one team, an in-conference foe with a strong basketball tradition, relatively close in the northeast corridor, with a history of some epic games against the Hoyas.
Villanova? No way. One lousy upset does not a rivalry make.
How about a team that Georgetown has battled since the Big East opened? One that beat us last year by the length of Brandon Bowman’s big toe. One stung by the elder John Thompson’s declaration that “Manley Field House is officially closed.”
Syracuse, we’re coming to get you.
they back the wrong horse.
And what’s more, their claims that Owens’ punishment is too severe and could damage his career are completely unfounded. Owens will play professional football again. As much trouble as he is, he is one of the greatest, if not the greatest receiver in the league today. And as for any financial hardships….please. He probably made enough on the infamous “Nicolette Sheriden in a towel” gimmick alone to keep him fat and happy for years. Factor in product endorsements, and T.O. will be A.O.K.
Furthermore, doesn’t a team have the right to dismiss a player for reasons other than engaging in illegal activities? A sportsman has certain obligations to a team other than showing up and playing. Loyalty has to count for something. I think the Eagles should be applauded for what they’ve done: They’ve validated the idea that football is still not a game completely dominated by talent. There’s still more to it than that. The Eagles have sent the message loud and clear: Attitude and character still mean something in the NFL.
I have no clue why Jackson and Nader decided to side with Owens, or to get involved in this, at all. However, this move seems to stand about as much chance of success as their respective presidential campaigns. It is not readily apparent that they have any credibility or authority or even relevance on this issue. I think the question on everyone’s mind is, “What the hell are these guys doing here?” I think they might be asking themselves that question before the end.
