Claire Oliver
Last week, a student board at the University of Oregon decided to end the Ultimate Frisbee team’s season early after complaints were lodged because the members of the men’s team played naked during a match at Oregon State University.
On April 27, the team unsuccessfully appealed to have the ruling overturned. As the team was ranked third in the nation, the decision was undeniably upsetting to its members and fans.
This does not mean, however, that the suspension was undeserved.
For one thing, the clothing-optional incident came after the team was placed on probation for repeated incidents of drinking — once before a fundraising event.
That the team received a bundle of speeding tickets on its way to a match last season is just the icing on its cake of misbehavior.
The Oregonian quoted the team’s captain as saying, “Speeding, drinking, nudity – they’re not bad things. They’re things a big portion of the community doesn’t think are wrong.”
Call me a spoil-sport, but I don’t buy this. I think they’ve run out of second chances.
To me, the team’s behavior raises several questions, not the least of which concerns personal taste. More importantly, it makes me admire club sport participants here at Linfield all the more.
It doesn’t matter if the team is a part of the NCAA or not. The team is ranked third in the nation, and its status calls for a certain degree of professionalism.
When a sports team is in season, its players interact with students from other universities and, therefore, play a role in forming the reputation of the school as a whole; a big part, actually, when you consider how publicized athletics are.
This goes for football or Frisbee.
As we saw in the feature story a few weeks ago, club sports at Linfield take themselves seriously. This is a good thing.
Of course, not all sports teams are the same, and not all universities are the same, but forget for a minute the differences between Linfield and the University of Oregon.
The Oregonian quoted another team member as saying, “To run around naked is just kind of a hippie, ultimate thing. We didn’t think there was anything wrong at the time.”
People who run around naked on a college campus know they are going to be seen no matter where they are.
I’m sure that as athletes they take pride in what they do, why not show it? It’s a shame that the team has to be embarrassed in this way and miss out on a potential national title because of its inability to keep its pants on.
For all the hours that were invested in training and practice, it seems an anticlimactic end.
So thanks, Linfield club sports, for keeping it classy and for keeping it clothed — it’ll pay off in the end.