See best Irish team in action
Brian Churney
On the Hot Corner
I'm sorry!
Before anything else in my column, I feel its necessary to address an issue that's become way too prevalent in the news this week. Then, I hope we can sweep it under the rug.
Perhaps it was the hours of soaking up the early morning air in anticipation of the Connec-ticut game.
Perhaps it was a mob mentality coercing normally classy fans to get caught up in the fervor of the game.
Perhaps it was a little payback to the verbal abuse Troy Murphy took at Rutgers or the physical beating he takes from every team.
Perhaps it was immaturity.
The explanation for the events doesn't matter. It was inappropriate and I apologize.
I apologize to the Notre Dame family that the student section represented it unfavorably.
I'm sorry to the team that we diverted any attention from its spectacular win.
I'm sorry to any young children that heard the comments.
I'm sorry to Khalid El-Amin that Notre Dame students held him responsible for his actions in a classless way.
I'm even sorry to Jim Calhoun for attempting to get "inside his players' heads" in the same classless way he attempts to "get inside the referees' heads" by whining after every play.
To insinuate that it doesn't happen elsewhere as the South Bend Tribune's David Haugh did is naive and uninformed.
But the behavior of Domers can't be thought of in relative terms. I take pride in our class, and our behavior should reflect that pride.
That being said, could we please get on with our lives?
We can't take back what has already occurred. We can only apologize and vow to stop it from happening in the future.
Contrary to popular belief, Troy Murphy isn't the only All-American basketball player on campus and neither David Graves nor Matt Carroll are Notre Dame's best 3-point shooters on campus.
Irish fans' hopes for playing in March don't rest solely on the final five regular-season games of the men's basketball team's schedule or the Big East tournament.
The best hope that Irish fans have for cutting down the nets in early March is, in fact, wallowing in obscurity. With the exception of Ruth Riley, who has perhaps the most recognizable face on campus, they are relatively unknown.
They are the fifth-ranked women's basketball team in the country yet they are faceless, nameless point-scorers delivering victory after victory.
Have you ever seen Alicia Ratay? Can you name the team's five starters?
Can you name five players?
The answer from a majority of Domers would be a resounding shrug of the shoulders or, from some of the male members of our family, a chauvinistic comment about the merits of women's basketball.
It's odd to think that such a successful team could be such an enigma but such is life for these women.
While their success has filled the usual sea of empty, the student section remains empty.
Don't get me wrong, fans are beginning to take notice.
Most of these newfound fans, though, are either elderly couples reminiscing of days when basketball was played below the rim and improvisation was never part of a set play or young girls hoping to someday play on the same court in front of the same empty seats.
The students stay at home.
It's not just the lack of student attendance, though, that causes the women's team to continue to wallow in obscurity.
There are institutional problems too.
Consider that the junior varsity cheerleaders and the JV leprechaun cheer the women's team on. While the JV squad is certainly as capable as the varsity squad, the message that's sent is that the women's team is a "second-class" sport undeserving of the same luxuries as first-class sports like football and men's basketball.
Consider that television virtually ignores them or how much less frequently I see Ruth Riley than Troy Murphy.
Now consider that Riley was an integral part in helping her team win 18 in a row, more games than Murphy's helped his team win all year.
Readers of this column will note that I'm not attempting to demean the men's team in any way. I'm as avid of a supporter as possible.
It baffles me, though. Why don't we support the women's team more?
We're fortunate enough to have the opportunity to watch one of the best teams in the country and yet we often waste it.
Tuesday night's home game against Miami is your last chance to watch and support what currently ranks as the most successful basketball team in Notre Dame history.
Don't let this opportunity pass you by.
Let's face it, Ruth Riley's, Alicia Ratay's and top-five teams only come around once in a while.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Sports Stories for Thursday, February 17, 2000
