To the Editor:
Saturday was the Yale-Dartmouth football game. It also happened to be Parents' Weekend at Yale. Many of my friends' little brothers and sisters were there. One boy was having his eighth birthday at the bowl. I saw grandparents and parents, many of whom had never had the opportunity to visit Yale previously. There were some who were there for which it was a serious financial sacrifice to participate in the weekend.
There were many parents who approached me and asked me how they could complain about the Dartmouth show. On behalf of all of them, I want to say how seriously disgusted I was with the Dartmouth band's opener and half-time show. Not only did the band show a complete lack of maturity and originality in denigrating Yale and the New Haven community, it offended all sense of decency by focusing on sex. If your five year-old sister asked you what a G-spot was, how would you answer?
I noticed that the Yale band said nothing disparaging about Dartmouth. Does your school have no pride? Your band represents your school. Do you want to be known as a school which cannot think up anything more clever than attacking the obvious? Yes, New Haven has a high crime rate. Yes, Yale isn't the most safe place in the world. But what about the Broadway shows that open here? What about concerts like the one with Izthak Perlman a few weeks back? What about the multicultural community of New Haven? Are these things that you can find in Hanover?
This is all besides the point. Those parents of school-age children will think twice about sending their children to your institution based on your tasteless display. It was not only the band which was at fault. The players themselves drew two personal penalties. I watched in horror as our 150 pound punter was tackled by a 300 pound lineman. It was not a matter of unstoppable momentum, but of pure unsportsman-like conduct. There is no reason to purposely hurt our players. That is not part of the game of football.
Your band asked why we continue to play football at all. Our football team has won the most games in college football history. We had the first two Heismann trophy winners, back-to-back. The players go on to be Rhodes scholars, lawyers, doctors, coaches, fathers. What they learn on the field is integrity and perseverance. That is why we continue to play. To quit in the midst of adversity is only for the weak-willed.
I was embarrassed today not only because of the base nature of your school's performance, but because it reflected so negatively on the whole Ivy League. It saddened me to no extent to learn that the league which is supposedly the one with the most class, has members who are tactless and rude.