Quotes from reddit thread on Justice for Jordan rally.
The players don’t get to determine how and what I support. Football should be abolished, so they can shove their sport up their ass for all I care. That’s not going to change the way I feel about UMD’s role in Jordan McNair’s death.
In other words, **** their game.
and
I’m not sure, but going to their games isn’t the answer. This may take a university wide role to actually do something to make them feel like they’re a part of the community again. The issue I see with doing that through "going to the games" is that people that do, tend to also buy things at the stadium, participate in events there, and actively take a role in whatever the owners of the team feel "benefits" the team. We should not want to in any way support the stadium, the football events, or the institution that set these events in motion through their action / inaction. We need to separate the players from the game, and if you truly care about them, that’s what everyone should strive to do.
You CAN and SHOULD support the team outside the stadium (which is my point), and ethically, you should find ways to. If the only thing you can come up with is "I’ll just go to the games", you’re either being a passive part of the problem, or just are cognitively lazy, or want to be morally self righteous while still participating in something that has ended in the death of someone. There aren’t too many other options. Someone literally died, and if your best guess for showing support for their teammates is continuing to go to games at the stadium he died in, you might need to reevaluate where these ideas came from.
and
Lot’s of students don’t care about it. University’s are places to share, gain and further knowledge. I don’t understand why this sports-capitalism combo platter even exists. What does this pretty much profesional football team have to do with school?
And
I saw that in my email inbox, there was yet another UMD based spam email. This one from our "student government association".
Long story short, a portion of the email implied the following: not supporting our sports programs is equivalent to not honoring Jordan Mcnair.
This is ridiculous, insulting, and oppressive to individual thinking. Justice for Jordan, and supporting the sports program, have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with each other. Supporting sports or anything else is a personal preference, and it is not our student body’s job to tell others what their opinions should be.
and
They didn’t worded that way, they were basically guilt tripping. It was worse at the rally, they weren’t saying "we encourage you to support the players however you can, and we’ll be giving tickets for the game," they straight up said "if you support our student athletes you’ll go to the game." It was grossly disrespectful, and commercializing the stupid ****ing game
and
They are wrong. Football is a vile sport that cases lifelong brain damage to it’s players. Asking me to support the players by attending a football game is like asking me to support an abused spouse by attending a vow renewal ceremony. **** football. Maybe UMD should get the message from the low game attendance and prioritize academics over televised sports.
AND
I read that **** and it was the most bull**** thing I have ever gotten. They trying to use the death as a reason to promote football game attendance. That’s just sick.
AND
Don’t act like the point of holding a game on campus isn’t merchandise and concessions sales and TV revenue.
I think far more students would feel comfortable supporting the football team if they played on engineering field or frat row with no cameras.
So the football players can be upset but it’s not about the football team. It’s about coaches abusing and killing a fellow Terp and the millions of dollars ge got paid to do so.