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The Daily Wildcat

The Daily Wildcat

 

    It’s all fun and games until someone takes it too seriously

    Everyone has heard of the Dougie, the Stanky Leg, and the Cat Daddy, but recently a new dance has caught a hold of the nation: the Bernie. Inspired by the movie “Weekend At Bernie’s II,” the Bernie is a dance in which a person allows their arms to dangle behind them as they bob around, as if no longer in control of their bodily movements, just like the film’s deceased character Bernie, who comes to life whenever a certain musical tune is played.

    Even some athletes are taking up the newly popularized dance, with Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens performing the Bernie after a touchdown. Recently, after pulling off an upset in a high school soccer game, the Perry Hall High School varsity soccer team in Maryland decided to celebrate the same way that its beloved Baltimore Ravens celebrated, by doing the Bernie. Fans and parents of the opposing team were outraged. They thought it lacked sportsmanship, and that it was “sexually suggestive.” The principal of Perry Hall, upon receiving the complaints, knew that he had to take action for the team’s complete disregard for its opponent’s feelings. Thus, he decided to end the team’s season.

    First, let me begin by saying that the Bernie is in no way sexually offensive, and anyone who thinks so clearly needs to revisit his or her sexual education courses. Second, while the Bernie may not have been the classiest reaction to the victory, it was simply that: a reaction. The team, excited about pulling off an upset, decided to have a little fun and do a dance.

    On Oct. 20, we watched a fight break out in Arizona Stadium while our Wildcats were routing the University of California, Los Angeles. While the ZonaZoo was enjoying every second of it, I could not help but be disgusted. Fighting may be extremely entertaining, but it doesn’t belong on the football field or in the stands. So often we get so emotionally invested in the game that we forget what the purpose of the game is: to have fun.

    The scariest thing is that, had a fight broken out at the high school soccer game, the team probably would have finished the season. The players who were involved in the fight would have been suspended and the rest would be able to carry on with business. Instead, because the team performed a victory dance, some players finished their last games in high school.

    Now everyone understands how emotions can get the better of us during sporting events. It’s just competitive. While nobody likes losing, the real problems arise when people don’t handle losing well. That’s what we’re dealing with here. Honestly, the parents of the opposing team were more upset that their little cherubs lost than that the victors did the Bernie. The same is true of UCLA. Players were clearly upset that they were being routed not about a little pushing and shoving. Sometimes in the midst of the loss, we have to take the time to breathe and remember that it is just a game.

    On Nov. 4, the principal of Perry Hill reversed his decision to end the season, but the point remains the same. It is extremely important to remember that sports are there for fun and when we forget it, we are only betraying the game. So if our football team somehow miraculously upsets Arizona State University, I fully expect a Bernie just to show that sports can still be fun.

    — Dan Desrochers is a chemistry freshman. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.

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