Spring Break
MU teams lack MAC wins, titles
Ben Garbarek
Issue date: 9/25/07 Section: Sports
"You play to win the game."
You've probably seen or heard the clip of former New York Jets Head Coach Herm Edwards explaining why he thinks sports are so great, or at least you've heard one of your obnoxious friends poorly imitate this YouTube classic.
While this sound bite has made Edwards the butt of many jokes, he is absolutely right. No one likes losing and no one plays to lose. You do, in fact, play to win the game.
That might be one reason why it was a rough year for the Red and White last year.
At the last board of trustees meeting, Athletic Director Brad Bates was clearly not happy about the level of competition from Miami teams last year. He pointed out that Miami did not have a single regular season conference championship, and if it wasn't for Doug Penno's prayer three-pointer in the MAC Tournament championship game, Miami would have ended the year without a single conference championship period.
Not exactly the kind of play that bolsters the "Culture of Champions" the Athletic Department is striving for.
I'm not saying that all of Miami's sports teams are bad. That's clearly not the case. Look no farther than the women's synchronized skating team that finished second in the world last year, or the ice hockey team that continues to rise up the ranks of college hockey's most elite teams.
The men's basketball team showed the heart of a champion by defying the odds to win the MAC Tournament and give Oregon a run for its money in the Big Dance.
Yet these shining spots cannot overcome all the other disappointments RedHawk fans have endured of late. Miami needs more results like these squads to really create a culture of champions.
Miami students have been criticized for a lack of school spirit and poor attendance at sporting events for a long time. Go uptown on a Saturday afternoon and take a look around. You'll see a lot more scarlet and gray than red and white. You won't see too many fans watching Miami road football games intently, but you'll see Buckeye Nation in full force, despite being two hours removed from Columbus.
You've probably seen or heard the clip of former New York Jets Head Coach Herm Edwards explaining why he thinks sports are so great, or at least you've heard one of your obnoxious friends poorly imitate this YouTube classic.
While this sound bite has made Edwards the butt of many jokes, he is absolutely right. No one likes losing and no one plays to lose. You do, in fact, play to win the game.
That might be one reason why it was a rough year for the Red and White last year.
At the last board of trustees meeting, Athletic Director Brad Bates was clearly not happy about the level of competition from Miami teams last year. He pointed out that Miami did not have a single regular season conference championship, and if it wasn't for Doug Penno's prayer three-pointer in the MAC Tournament championship game, Miami would have ended the year without a single conference championship period.
Not exactly the kind of play that bolsters the "Culture of Champions" the Athletic Department is striving for.
I'm not saying that all of Miami's sports teams are bad. That's clearly not the case. Look no farther than the women's synchronized skating team that finished second in the world last year, or the ice hockey team that continues to rise up the ranks of college hockey's most elite teams.
The men's basketball team showed the heart of a champion by defying the odds to win the MAC Tournament and give Oregon a run for its money in the Big Dance.
Yet these shining spots cannot overcome all the other disappointments RedHawk fans have endured of late. Miami needs more results like these squads to really create a culture of champions.
Miami students have been criticized for a lack of school spirit and poor attendance at sporting events for a long time. Go uptown on a Saturday afternoon and take a look around. You'll see a lot more scarlet and gray than red and white. You won't see too many fans watching Miami road football games intently, but you'll see Buckeye Nation in full force, despite being two hours removed from Columbus.
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