Sports Illustrated unclear about our pride

It is just too easy to go to University of Miami and become a "football fan." Feels good to say that you are a Lakers fan today or a Celtics fan during the 50s and 60s.

The truth is that many fans become fans after their team won the championship. Those so-called fans did not go through the struggles and tears that a real fan did.

Unlike many schools around the country, SIU has a reputation to preserve, the reputation of fighters and believers that our school is going to reach the top one day.

This reputation sort of became reality when I saw the basketball team reach the Sweet 16, leaving behind many schools that claimed to be "good sports schools."

What Sports Illustrated wrote about SIU was not wrong if you look at their point of view. They are Sports "Illustrated," therefore they only illustrate sports.

Type up the word "illustrate" on Word and see what the synonyms are: exemplify, demonstrate, show, point up, did not see anything like experience or lived through.

So we can't blame them! They only write about what they think exemplifies our school, but they clearly don't have an idea what it is to be a Saluki fan.

Before an SIU athlete steps in the field, court, track or swim pool, he or she already overcome many barriers like the party school reputation or the worst sports town or simply the fact that we are a mid-major school.

But when that athlete steps out of the game, match or race, he or she not only proved that those things only made his or her victory more glorious or lost more honorable.

Saluki fans should be very proud of their athletes. Like any intercollegiate athlete, the Salukis have to perform, study and sometimes work, but our competitive advantage comes when the "Dawgs" have to party!

I mean, we are the party school, right? So if an athlete graduates from SIUC, his or her degree should be worth a lot more than the one from the boring Northwestern University. As an employer, I would think 'WOW' this person was an athlete, he worked to pay the bills and had a life! Great time management skills! You're hired!

Danilo Luna, MBA Student

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