TO THE EDITOR:
A recent letter asked why we should cheer for underperforming sports teams when everyone is “wine and cheese” at other forms of entertainment.
The answer is because it makes a difference. Waiting to cheer when the team is strong is not fandom. Fandom is cheering until the team is strong. Fandom is cheering to make the team strong. Yelling yourself hoarse at a game not only challenges the opposing team, it also impresses recruits and begins to change our crowd’s reputation to match that of our team. Anyone who claims true Tar Heel fan status should take it upon themselves to help the team in any way possible, especially during the hard times.
If you want a high-level football program, fill the Tar Pit and do your part to make it so. Even better, support every athletic team until they are all championship level. Doing so in tough times not only earns you the right to celebrate the good times, it gives you a claim to have helped create those defining Tar Heel moments.
So yell on defense, jump around until the ball is tipped, wait the extra second to tell Duke where to go at the same time as the band, and don’t leave any game without doing your part to secure the victory.
Joe Petrizzi
Class of 2013
