Over the past year, I have become appalled at the way the Duke community has been treating its varsity football team. From condescending Chronicle articles to everyday pessimistic cracks around campus, it's becoming ridiculous. The basketball players are revered as gods on this campus, yet those unlucky enough to be talented at football are seen as comic relief and easy targets for offhand remarks. This dedicated group of student-athletes is the only one who can withstand the amount of pressure placed upon it, physically as well as academically, while constantly being told by their own peers they've failed.
Without the support of the student body, it's amazing how these players are still so dedicated after daily five-hour practices, no weekends and the academic demands some of them have as engineers, economics majors and pre-professional students (no, they're not all sociology majors). This team deserves support and respect from the student body, regardless of the outcomes of their games. I'm not asking that everyone become a fan, but the next time you're about to have a laugh at the expense of the football team, consider if you could handle the same.
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