Salt in the wound.
One Ohio State administrator sent out an email to students reminding then to watch the Final Four games responsibly, about 16 hours after the Buckeyes were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament.
“Our men’s basketball team is playing in the Final Four, and I encourage you to root for them loudly and celebrate responsibly,” wrote Javaune Adams-Gaston (Dr. J), Vice President for Student Life, in an email to many students Sunday.
The basketball team was already on its way back to Columbus at this point.
While I firmly believe the email was an error in the OSU email system, the message was a harsh reminder of the abrupt ending to the Buckeyes’ season Saturday night.
The day after a big sports loss is a campus-wide recognized day of mourning. Fans wear their basketball jersey in honor of the season. They try to avoid thinking about the game the night before and attempt to coddle the possible loss-induced hangover.
And then a cheery email, clearly intended to be sent before the game, gave everyone checking their email a stern reminder of the terrible conclusion to last night’s National Semifinal Game against the Kansas Jayhawks.
“What an exciting time to be a Buckeye!”
Too soon, Dr. J.
I’ve heard of OSU fans avoiding ESPN, newspapers, sports radio and avoiding reading anything about any game that seems to put campus into a state of depression.
It’s natural to want to avoid reality. OSU had not been that close to a National Championship in a major sport since football’s loss to Louisiana State in early 2008, and any built-up energy from the years of waiting was deflated as the clock hit zero on Saturday.
Dave Isaacs, Student Life communications manager, said the email was supposed to be sent Friday at 6 p.m., but said there must have been a glitch in the system.
While the email did not get sent to every student Sunday, it was clear that the system had some issues.
“Enjoy the game, cheer loud and proud, and GO BUCKS!”
Stop it, now you’re just rubbing it in.
