Definatly Dutch: Tradition is Euthanized

[Lehigh Football Nation]

http://defiantlydutch.blogspot.com/2009/12/tradition-is-euthanized.html

Just a great, great piece about what happened at Hofstra.


“I think we’re so proud of Marques and Wayne Chrebet and all those people and all they did for us,” Rabinowitz said. “But when you hear those names, what I hear, whether it’s explicit or not explicit, is ‘Wow, isn’t that shocking. Little Hofstra, these players made the NFL.’”

But what, precisely, is wrong with people identifying Hofstra with the ability of the underdog to make something better of himself? Isn’t that what college is all about? Grabbing hold of an opportunity, making a fresh start in a new place and reshaping your life? How many thousands of students arrived at Hofstra and pulled a Chrebet or a Colston of their own? I can tell you I sure did.

Read the whole thing. It makes the other 20,000 foot views of the carnage seem cold and distant in comparison. Nothing beats this personal account.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Uh Huh. Ryan Fitzpatrick plays quarterback for the Buffalo Bills. Isn't cute that he went to Harvard.

The only thing I disagree with is the notion that the football program should have been put "on notice," giving the alumni and students a chance to support/save it. That would not bode well for recruiting.

[IaaScribe]

Good piece. I'm admittedly biased though since the author is a friend of mine.

[RichH2]

Let us all hope that we're not going to be reading like articles about our own programsxthumbsupx

[93henfan]

The uproar over the demise of Flying Dutchmen football reminds me of when I get mad at my wife for deleting a year-old show on TIVO.

Her: “You were never going to watch it!”

Me: “Yeah but I liked having it there.”

Bingo.

Of course, as the author mentioned, this does not apply to the 172 loyal season ticket holders. The problem is, there were only 172 of them. (Is that number real, btw? If so, that was dreadful.)

[RichH2]

From what I read the # is real. Newsday ran some articles about low turnouts last yr. HU ran ads for season tickets over the summer . If thats the best they could get. No wonder program dead

[Uncle Buck]

Great job and a great writeup. Again, this is what Rabinowitz wanted and this is what he ultimately got.

Let's not lose sight that a two year study was conducted on the entire athletic program, which as a whole lags in student support. It could have been marketed as an initiative to get students excited about Hofstra athletics as a whole. Rabinowitz wanted no part of it and he wanted the program dead.