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Football posters

This past weekend, the Columbia football team lost 56-0 to Dartmouth. Per the real sports reporters at Spec, this is “the third time this season the Lions have surrendered 50-plus points.” To be fair, it’s not as bad as last year’s 69-0 loss to Hahvahd. Actually that doesn’t make us feel much better.

We’ve heard that at other schools rooting for football teams brings people together and builds a sort of community. Thus far, we haven’t seen Columbia football help to foster community. We don’t deny that they put in a lot of time to the sport, and it can’t be easy to be an Ivy League student and a varsity athlete, but we’re not the only ones getting bummed out by the last 6 months in Columbia football history. That can’t be good for student wellness.

So until they give us a reason to smile, Bwog is suspending our (already so comprehensive!) coverage of the Columbia football team, and instead paying greater attention to our other sports teams that are actually accomplishing amazing things.

It’s not just because they’ve lost every game this season–Mets fans surely understand standing by your man even in dire times. First, there was that thing that happened last May, and then that other thing, and then that lack of remorse following both those things. It was soul-crushingly disappointing to realize that some of our classmates can act, publicly, like that. A player on the team told Bwog that in punishment the team had to participate in an Under1Roof-type program late this summer. According to this player, however, most team members just laughed through it. This week, players on another sports team mentioned that the football team has a bad attitude–they don’t take the sport seriously, and that’s why they’re not winning.

But let’s get past this anecdotal stuff. It’s undeniable that Columbia Athletics spends a lot of money and a huge amount of that goes to the football team. This year, they got new uniforms–and a new promo video to go along with ’em. A few weeks ago, we found them filming another promo video. These videos cost money. And these videos are just a part of the promotional efforts Athletics has been putting into the team, from training OLs to not joke about the team to sending them to the Today Show and some weird trip around NYC to various tech companies, to efforts to make #turnitblue a thing. They’re really trying to make us and the world care about the football team, and this is just a small sampling of the money that goes into the team.

Why aren’t they doing the same for, say, any other sports team? Ok we get it–there’s the origin of the term “Ivy League” to pay attention to. But isn’t Columbia all about questioning history and challenging norms?

Since Athletics won’t, Bwog has decided to reallocate our resources. Rather than spend our time recounting how the football team does, we’re going to focus on other teams that deserve much more championing than Columbia Athletics is providing them. This fall, the men’s soccer team has been crushing it. Beverly Leon on the women’s soccer team is having an exemplary season. Last week, the women’s tennis team dominated the finals of the ITA Northeast Regional Championships, while Winston Lin on the men’s team became the new Northeast Regional ITA Singles Champion.

The rowers worked their asses off to compete admirably at the Princeton Chase this past weekend. The men’s golf team had a record-setting fall season and finished third at the Ivy League Match Play Championship. Anna Scipioni scored an OT goal in field hockey in a tough match against Colgate. Football couldn’t do it, but the volleyball team beat Dartmouth. Lilette Mocio on the golf team had her career-best round in September, while Rachel Shi and Michelle Piyapattra were also having incredible seasons.

And don’t even get us started on our history-making, number 8 in the nation men’s cross country team–or the women’s team, which won the Metropolitan Championships for the 16th straight year. 16th!

So goodbye, Columbia football, you’ve had your turn at the top of our attention.

Update, 10:50 pm An anonymous tipster wants you to know: “The NCAA DI Northeast Regionals Cross Country meet is at Van Cortlandt Park on November 15th with the men’s race going off at 11:45 am. Our men’s team is ranked 10th in the nation and looks to make Nationals for the third year in a row (and 3rd time in school history).”