College Kids Do Stupid Stuff
by mlmintampa on Jun 16, 2009 11:27 AM EDT
in Florida Football
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PrintThe Orlando Sentinel, believe it or not, has one of the Best Sports Sections in the country. For a city with only one pro franchise, that's a big deal. One of the reasons why the Sentinel has done so well is their Florida Gators coverage, led by Jeremy Fowler, who is easily the best Gator beat writer. His Swamp Things blog, which includes Andrea Adelson, should be the first read for every Gator fan.
Fowler and Adelson cover the Gators like the New York Times covers politics or the way ESPN covers Brett Favre; there is always news. When a South Florida Sun-Sentinel columnist noted Florida football's arrests, Adelson gave it a modest treatment. A few days later, Janoris Jenkins got hit with a little taze, and Fowler was giving you the blow-by-blow action. Since the Sun-Sentinel column was noted on May 28, the Sentinel has stuck with the story, pulling every last drop out of it. So much so that they managed to drag Urban Meyer out of his mancave to make a statement. From a database of arrests, to wondering if Florida's discipline savior should be an attorney or Tim Tebow, every angle has been looked at. There has been one angle missing, which Deadspin rightfully called the Sentinel out on;
I count nine cases that rise above garden-variety youthful delinquency. Three of those were tossed. One involved a guy sneaking into an impound to retrieve his girlfriend's towed car, which is downright noble. Nine cases since 2005, if you're counting generously. This a team "out of control"?
Any infraction a college athlete commits, beyond a violent crime, has to be first looked at as "College Kids Do Stupid Stuff". Maybe I'm still too close to college age, so I am more forgiving than Fowler and Adelson, but Fowler was only a few years ahead of me in school. Did he forget what Gainesville can do to the average man? (Actually, both Fowler and Adelson are UF grads, which is probably why they are so good at their jobs.)
I'm not trying to make excuses for UF. As athletes, they are held to a higher standard, and rightfully so. But if you go to school in Gainesville and you don't know productive students who have made mistakes with alcohol/drug use or punched someone in the face, you don't know anyone. (If I didn't carry out one of my female friends from the bar XS, she would have qualified for both.) It is the nature of any college student to act up.
That said, Fowler and Adelson's pursuit of the story is what any good reporter would do. In an age where newspapers are dying, it's nice to see a pair put so much effort into their job. They should also understand their subjects, rather than aiming for the most page views and blog comments. Is the number of arrests a problem? Of course it is. But Meyer removed the four players who were accused multiple times and followed UF policy the rest of the way. Meyer understands he is dealing with 18-22 year olds who are asked to be insane for 14 days a year and perfectly calm the other 351 days. Not to mention, the first time these guys are away from home. Those that cover the Gators do not have to agree with this, or even understand it. They do have to take into consideration that college kids do stupid stuff.
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From The Gainesville Sun...
• The arrest rate for Florida players is comparable to the rate for the entire student body. (… Gainesville police arrest 25 to 30 students each weekend. Based on the GPD sample, between 3.7 percent and 4.4 percent of Florida undergraduate students are arrested each year. … the average number of UF football players arrested per year is 4.2 percent.)
The Sun’s survey also revealed UF’s arrests are in line with those of its traditional rivals. Georgia football players have accumulated 30 arrests during the same four-year period. Tennessee has tallied 21 arrests"
"The mystic chords of fandom, stretching from every trade and signing to every active account and guest all over this broadband, will yet swell the chorus of union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature". ~ Abraham Lincoln-ish
"The tree of victory must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of quarterbacks and coaches". ~ Thomas Jefferson-ish
(In Lumbergh voice) Yeaah, Im going to have to go ahead and disagree with you on this one.
If your a gator fan, you should only be following Jeremy Fowler’s blog if you’re a masochist. Which is fine if you are, there’s nothing wrong with that, I dont judge. But you may as well follow gator coverage on a Tennessee fan site or an FSU fan site. As one commenter wrote:
“As I suspected, ESPN is crediting the Sentinel [with its coverage of UF’s arrests]….what a surprise! Nice work JF! I think the Sentinel has prepared you quite nicely for the bigtime…TMZ or Perez Hilton. What a proud accomplishment.”
Well over half of the stories he writes are negative coverage and in pursuit of having having national media outlets link to him. The gators are on top right now, and he’s trying to capitalize on that in the way that the above quote suggests. Its akin to watching FOX news, its designed to get you mad and riled. Laundry List of Blog titles:
"From one to 24: Florida Gators database on legal troubles"
"Former Gator says invincibility factor plays into recent arrests"
"Florida tops list of 12 most hated college football programs"
"Florida Gators haters find a home on Facebook"
"Updates on Janoris Jenkins situation, Ronnie Wilson (remember him?)"
"What’s next for Janoris Jenkins?"
"Tim Tebow gets Magic ticket from mom"
"BREAKING: Gators CB Janoris Jenkins arrested, Tased following fight (with update)"
"One columnist wonders: Where’s the outrage over all the Gator arrests?"
"Urban Meyer attempts to clarify comments. Perhaps he misremembered"
"Urban Meyer wants the criticism to stop. Why should fans listen?"
"Florida Gators walk-on Marquis Hannah arrested"
"Did Percy Harvin fail drug tests at UF? Bianchi discusses the speculation"
"Percy Harvin’s failed drug test should be official after Fox report"
"Percy Harvin, character issues and the NFL draft: Join the discussion"
“Will Tim Tebow help prevent future arrests?”
“Meet Huntley Johnson…the Florida Gators’ defensive MVP”
“Welcome to Fowlers’ blog. Hey, whats up with the leather mask Fowler? And what are those chains and ropes hanging from the ceiling for?”
I understand Fowler doesnt wear orange and blue glasses, but c’mon. At the end of the last story where Fowler sought out UF’s lawyer, he filed it under “fans/boosters” in what was a pretty obvious attempt to get people to pick up the story. When one reader comments on the post after “picking up what Fowler was putting down”, Fowler responds in the comment section by saying:
“In some cases [Huntley’s representing Florida football players] could be an NCAA violation…If the lawyer has a history of doing pro-bono work, which many lawyers occasionally do anyways to save face, then the NCAA might allow it.”
Really Fowler? Remind me what the safe-word was again because we’re done here. To be fair, Fowler sprinkles in 30% positive coverage, but he’s been particularly negative on the football team which is what everyone is paying attention to anyways. I appreciate ejruiz above pointing out the arrest rate, because in one article Andrea Adelson wrote that UF football players are arrested at a higher rate than the national average, with total disregard for the fact that people under 25 are arrested at a higher rate. Or that men are arrested at a higher rate. So maybe, if one were looking at just those 2 cross-sections, you might realize that UF football players are arrested at a lower rate than your average male under-25. Even when you include the football player who was arrested for “assault with a sandwich at a Jimmy Johns” (h/t Adam Silver).
But like I said, by all means bookmark Fowler’s blog. Just make sure you bring your gag-ball and leather with you, you masochist you. Here’s hoping that Fowler reads this and gets his act together. Your like an abusive ex Fowler, why cant we quit you?
by RobertZimmerman on Jun 16, 2009 4:34 PM EDT reply actions
If you look at those stories (Harvin character issues, arrests, Urban being pissy), the Sentinel expanded on stories that started in other media outlets. That is what you are taught to do as a journalist. My problem wasn’t with the reporting, it was the tone towards the players. Like I said, the players are held to a higher standard, but they are still college kids.
As for negativity, I was burying Gator Basketball this season. I think it is impossible to have legit coverage of a team if you only focus on the positive.
mlmintampa
UF C/O 06
Good work as usual mimi, but let me make a countering point
I’m fairly close to college age and I completely agree with you that college kids do stupid stuff. Lord knows I was on the stupid end of the stupid stick many nights during my time in Athens. My problem is this rationalization process that so many Florida fans are going through right now, circling the wagons, and pretty much yelling “bring it on” to any member of an opposing fanbase that has called to public attention the arrests.
Last year I bet Florida fans were eating up the seemingly weekly headlines of Georgia players being arrested, rubbing it in their Georgia friends’ faces, and the like. If you look closer at the total arrests only one was for a serious crime, Michael Lemon assaulted another person and broke this person’s orbital bone. Lemon was subsequently kicked off the team the week following his arrest. The rest of the Georgia arrests were for things like drunkenly urinating on the side of the building, underage drinking, trying to flag down a cop because you were too drunk to realize it wasn’t a cab, etc. Most of these can fall under the “college kids do stupid stuff” moniker.
I only point this out not to vilify you, but for many Florida fans, that they need to realize they can’t have it both ways. You can’t rationalize the arrest situation anymore when it happens to you when you took so much pride and joy in Georgia’s misfortunes with the Athens-Clarke County Poilice Department last year. Anyways, just my two cents. The arrest situation sucks either way, but it is amusing from someone that saw my team go through it last year to see the rationalization and excuse-making eminating from Gator Nation.
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I know I didn’t call out UGA’s arrests, because I didn’t remember Lemon. The first thing I can think of is when I made fun of FSU players being involved in a melee at the FSU Student Union, but that was more because it was at the Student Union. I even took the side of the FSU player.
Also, when I started following the FSU cheating scandal in 2007, I tried to aim at the FSU administration. The kids who cheated were just doing as they were told. Plus, FSU gets more Hate from me because at actually like the SEC schools, in terms of being institutions. FSU is a hellscape.
As for Tennessee and UGA (our two other blood rivals), I think the only problems I mentioned were Lane Kiffin being crazy. But if you see something else, call me out on it.
There is a fine line between “College kids doing stupid stuff” and a serious crime. But for the most part, the actions are just stupid. Breaking a guy’s face or abusing a girl is a serious crime.
mlmintampa
UF C/O 06
I wasn't singling you out
I was just speaking in general that there seems to be a bunch of excuse making and rationalization of the process from within the Gator Nation. These things go away after time, but when you’re on top of the world the tough questions are going to get asked. Mark Richt had to face these questions last year as Urbay Meyer will this year.
http://hobnailboot.wordpress.com/
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