Nathalie Moreno
It’s the end of the game. The fans are roaring, despite the Mocs being on the losing side. What better way to enjoy the game to the fullest than to cool off with a bucket full of ice-cold beer?
That is the same thing most of Florida Southern’s fan section thinks, particularly the students. Since hockey season has started, FSC students have been getting extremely drunk at the games. In doing so, they not only make a fool out of themselves but out of the college they represent.
Having a beer or two is never an issue, especially not when it comes to watching sports. The problem lies in students yelling profanities and insults at the players of the opposing teams. The drunk students yell at them repeatedly, loud enough for the whole arena to hear. It goes from funny to embarrassing in the blink of an eye.
The behavior shown by these students is the epitome of everything Florida Southern is against. Attending FSC means being a representative of the college. The actions of FSC students reflect on the teachings of the institution, and by the looks of the intoxicated students at the hockey games, those teachings seem questionable.
Now don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with having fun at a sports game, and there is nothing wrong with having a few drinks while you’re at it. However, these students make it a point to be as obnoxious and disrespectful as possible despite attending a school that preaches about integrity and holding high moral ground. I have yet to see a group from opposing schools act as reckless as some groups from FSC, bordering on the line of sloppiness.
This is not to mention that getting completely wasted at the games is not safe, especially not if these students are driving there and planning on driving back. When students get too drunk to drive back to campus, it creates more of a struggle for the FSC shuttles that have to accept responsibility for those students.
As I said before, I do not think there is a problem with drinking at the games, but if students are going to drink to the point where they cannot control themselves, they should plan ahead regarding their safety–and do so without representing Florida Southern.