Marginalizing Certain Sports

From the Women's cross country team (and on behalf of the other 30 intercollegiate sports that do not get any mention in your illustrious paper) to the Crimson sports staff: We think you suck.

I ran to my door on Monday morning to read proudly of my team's accomplishments at the Ivy League Championships over the weekend. I flipped to the Sports Page and scoured the headlines: "Gridders Grind to Halt," "Effort Just Isn't Enough," "Stickwomen Hit Rock Bottom Against Green," "Restic Makes Adjustments in Offense," "Dance the Night Away."

Wait just one minute. Where is it? Where is the news of our surprise second-place finish? Where is the praise? Where is the glory?

Obviously, for the cross country team and for the vast majority of varsity sports at Harvard, the praise and the glory are not to be found among the headlines and the bylines of The Crimson.

We wonder, "Did they read the schedule wrong? Did they forget? Do they think that cross country is raced on skis in the middle of the Berkshires? All of the above?"

Perhaps it is just that the Crimson sports staff does not care one whit about us. Even though we have the best record of all fall sports teams (9-1-1). Even though we might have provided one bright spot in an otherwise dismal sports weekend at Harvard. This school has more varsity sports (40) than any other university in the country, and it is a shame that we only hear about 10 of them. Per year.

You know, I faced this problem in high school. No coverage. No knowledge. Nothing. Nada. Nil. Zippo.

I thought it would all change when I got to college. Too bad I was wrong. Megan K. Fritschel '94