Sure, I could get on my soapbox for one last joyride in Herald ink. I’d be much obliged to rip all the UW athletes and coaches whose personalities could teach even Mike Tyson a thing or two about being abrasive. All the pent up apathy I have for spending so many precious hours toiling away at “Grainger High” could be temporarily released through a nice rant on my college education.
Nah, not this time, just doesn’t feel quite right. No purpose in rebuilding bridges that were nuked with fiery napalm since moving to this fair city in 1998.
All told, stuff is looking pretty gosh darn lovely these days. Covering Wisconsin sports for the last four years has been akin to being a stagehand for an above-average prime-time soap opera. All that jubilation, deceit, ecstasy, back-stabbing, amazement, scandal; oh great gossip, in the name of Heather Locklear, it was enough to make both journalists and sensationalists — if there really is any difference — pump their fists and exclaim, “Hallelujah!”
If you are a fan of the provocative, the juicy and the downright mystifying, Madison has been the place to be since 1998. In the past four years, few programs can match Wisconsin’s success on the field of play, yet no other school can even fill a tub with volume of transgressions with the NCAA and the law. But you know what, it would be out-and-out boring, almost a crime against good old-fashioned entertainment, not to have one without the other. Winning with pure class is crass, cheating and getting a beating is not even worth the time.
What would all the exhilaration of Jamar Fletcher’s prowess and ability to light up receivers and the spirits of fans be without his tendency to light up Steve Schmidt’s magical cash register? What fun would four NCAA tournaments and a Final Four be without a 32-point display and a botched coaching search? With all the success of Badger women’s sports, it was still good to know that the girl’s soccer team will employ the mob mentality with any uncompromising dissenter.
Touchdowns and stolen televisions, body checks and bar brawls, Badgerball and bottles of booze, it was all succulent fodder readily available for the public to devour. The aura of all those banners mixes eerily well with the wide array of NCAA violations, an honor that Wisconsin stakes a shares of national lead of during the last five years.
Embarrassing for the athletic department? One would hope. Some black eyes inflicted on the good name of the university? They’ve got a couple good shiners. But was it entertaining for the students, journalists and the rest of the collective sports following public of this fine state? You betcha, buddy!
I’ll never forget that sweltering August evening when the Shoe Box suspensions were abruptly announced in a packed and fervent interview room at the Kohl Center. I had seen ESPN College Gameday on campus, been to two Rose Bowls, covered a Final Four team, but this was the first instance I really felt like Wisconsin actually had their name on the guest list. Breaking news, scandals, NFL prospects and a team with national championship aspirations. The ensuing weeks of media and paparazzi blitzes, outbursts from disgruntled coaches, hype and hoopla was a swirl of unmitigated fascination. Such bizarre circus atmospheres only happened at Miami, Florida State and to the Dallas Cowboys. Covering and following teams that win is enjoyable; adding a little scandal into the equation makes it downright cool.
It may seem cliché, but as all of Wisconsin sports have proved over the last four years, sometimes you’ve got to spit in the face of the devil to know you’re alive. The Badgers have sure done it and lived to tell about it.
In finale, what the rest of the outgoing seniors and myself have witnessed with Wisconsin sports has been a renaissance of an athletic program, and a slight glimpse of the potential that lies with Badger athletics. We are different than the alumni that came before us. No longer is Wisconsin the overachieving team that finds a way to win. Badger won’t settle anymore for 6-5, one and done or merely an appearance in the Final Five, and that is good. Fans and media should expect as much out of their teams as the teams do of themselves.
I’m sure going to miss the smell of practice and post-game interviews. I’ll never fail to remember the scatterbrain ramblings of Dick Bennett, the mind-numbing nature of an interview with Ron Dayne or the comedy that Tom Burke could provide. The memories of a jubilant Travon Davis, a confident Dany Heatley and being referred to as a “clown” by Barry Alvarez will remain some of the most salient details of my magnificent college experience.
For all those who have read my articles throughout the past four years, either with fondness or disdain, thank you so much. It has been everything I hoped for and nothing I expected.
