Football killed tailgate

After this weekend's win against Miami, Duke football was ranked No. 25 in the country in the AP Poll and No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Saturday’s win against Miami does more than just make us relevant in the football world. Our winning streak may mean Duke football is becoming a thing.

After Tailgate, Duke's administration worked hard to make football a central aspect of the new tailgating experience. It turns out, however, that all we needed to make that happen was a good football team. As the sport becomes more relevant on campus, and as more people go to games, it will have larger implications for Duke culture.

Until three years ago, Saturdays were consumed with Tailgate. Current seniors are the last to have experienced Tailgate, and many shared a sad sentiment with its loss. Tailgate was a way for students to take a break on a Saturday. It was a way to see friends, build traditions and have fun. Tailgate culture had these positives, but its benefits paled in comparison to the toxic and harmful environment that Tailgate created. For so long, Tailgate negatively influenced Duke social culture, and eliminating it was a healthy step forward for the University.

This season we have taken another step—students are actually going to the games. This is the first year many seniors’ enjoyment of the football program is unconditioned by tailgating. Spending a Saturday at a game builds community in a way that drinking in a small parking lot never could. Unlike basketball, football is not a whistle-to-whistle, action-filled sport. We can talk to our friends, grab a corndog and soak in the 70-degree November North Carolina weather. The best part is that we do not even have to sleep outside to get in—there are plenty of seats to go around.

With another major sport culture emerging at Duke, we need to consider the potential tradeoffs it creates. When we have an undergraduate culture that emphasizes sports, does it take away from building a deeper intellectual climate?

Having strong football in the Fall and strong basketball in the Spring will shape the expectations of incoming Duke students. If applicants only choose Duke for its sports culture, the makeup of the student body—as well as its values and priorities—may begin to shift away from the intellectually driven culture Duke seems to be working hard to promote. Sports in an academic setting can be valuable for creating community, but when sports become the focus they may detract from Duke’s mission as an institution of higher learning. The question is: what kind of University do we want Duke to be?

Having an up-and-coming football team is exciting. Who knows, football may become a huge part of the Duke identity. Eventually, fewer people may go abroad in the Fall because they will not want to miss out on a killer football season. But let us not get ahead of ourselves. If you think that there are benefits to a great football program, continue to support the team. If not, focus on other pursuits. Sports and academics are not mutually exclusive, but we need to work hard to maintain a healthy balance between the two.

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