What has happened to showing pride and respect for your university? Sure, Grambling State has its flaws, but as its representative you still have a responsibility to uphold its name and legacy.
Where is this coming from? You might ask. This past Saturday, the men’s basketball team was handed another loss to close out the season. Of course they were disappointed, but that does not excuse the tackiness of walking off the court while the Alma Mater is playing. This not only demonstrates a lack of school pride, but very poor sportsmanship.
My initial thought was to blame the coaches for allowing this inexcusable behavior, but then my cousin brought it to my attention that none of the coaches are from Grambling thus explaining their lack of concern for the players’ pre mature exit.
This brings me to my next point, if students, athletes, or even staff members don’t show respect for the university they represent then who will. No longer can we depend on the Grambling State University legends and alumni to carry the torch, the current generation must rise up and show more gumption for their school.
It amazes me how much complaining I hear about dear ole’ Grambling, but one must realize you get what you pay for. If you want an Ivy League looking campus then I suggest you transfer to Princeton. Face it; this is Grambling, the heart of the country. Don’t focus on all the things that Grambling doesn’t come equipped with, instead focus on all the things it does have like a small student to teacher ratio, or the great nursing program, or just the good ole southern hospitality.
So men of the Tigers basketball team, I hope you realize how out of line you were for walking off the court during the Alma Mater just because you lost, after all your chances of making the SWAC Tournament were long dispelled. The least you could have done was end the night off right by holding up that index finger with pride during the Alma Mater. By the way, better luck next year.
Editor’s note: A video of this incident is available on TheGramblinite.com.