Boys Will Be Boys But Kansas Jayhawks Should Focus on Opponents, Not Each Other

[Editor's Note: I am proud to introduce MSF's newest writer, Kimberly Westphall.

Kimberly is a graduate of the University of Kansas, where she studied journalism and strategic communication. Among her many experiences at KU, Kimberly worked for KAKE TV (ABC) and also traveled to London, England to write about hotel and tourist venues for Adjourn Magazine. 

Here at MSF, Kimberly will be covering sports stories from her alma mater and will also be debuting a health & fitness column in the coming months. We are very happy to have her as part of the writing staff and think that you'll enjoy her first offering, a timely piece about the inability of the KU basketball and football teams to just get along.]

The University of Kansas Jayhawks have been making the headlines, but not for touchdowns or three-pointers.

Instead, they have found opponents in one another.

In case you have not noticed the stories being splashed about on various sports Web sites and publications, members of the KU football and basketball teams could not cage the rage...against each other. 

Now, typically you would imagine two high profile KU teams supporting one another, perhaps even cheering one another on in stands. This is not the happy picture painted during the last couple days.

KU basketball player Tyshawn Taylor was recently checked into Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Lawrence, KS due to a dislocated finger, according to a KU Police incident report. There were reportedly dozens of individuals outside the Burge Union on KU’s campus who witnessed the altercation between the football and basketball players. Taylor took to his Facebook page to share the news about his dislocated digit.

The KU Police received another call the next morning regarding another incident apparently involving football and basketball players, this one taking place near Wescoe Hall on KU’s campus.

Occurring a little before 10 AM on Sept. 23, several eyewitness reports indicate the gentlemen found themselves in another conflict. Eyewitnesses claim they saw one of the basketball players exchange some words with an unidentified football player and “throw” him down a flight of stairs.

KU’s school newspaper’s Web site, The University Daily Kansan, is exploding with uproars from the student body regarding the brawl among fellow athletes. Comments range from believing the involved athletes should be kicked off their respective teams to not believing it is a big deal whatsoever.

After all, fights occur among college guys (and gals) every weekend. How many bar fights occur on a Saturday night because someone’s had a little too much to drink?

However, this is different.

The fights happened on school property.

Collegiate athletes are young adults, just like everyone else attending the university. There is of course a slight difference: they are under constant surveillance from the student body and community members.

Whenever one of the basketball or football players walks by you on campus, you suddenly become very aware of their presence. They are, after all, mini-celebrities lurking the streets of Lawrence. As this imaginary spotlight is blazing on them, their every move is going to be scrutinized.

Now throw in two major KU sports and a couple fists thrown and you’ve got yourself front page news. The media attention is what is upsetting KU sports fans and fellow athletes.

“They are all extremely admired by the student body here and I feel like they do a really great job of upholding a good reputation for KU athletics,” KU golfer, Alyssa Rainbolt said. “I think this is just a slip up on their end; they’re young boys and are immature. I think they realize now they made a mistake and understand the consequences in letting this thing happen.”

As a former KU student, I have witnessed the close-knit ties of the Jayhawk athletic community. You can spot a KU athlete a mile away, as they are decked out in their Adidas gear. Taking Communications and Journalism classes with several of these athletes, I noticed a strong bond among sports.

The football players made it a point to attend the volleyball games and cheer on their fellow athletes and friends.

One has to wonder how the behavior of several athletes will reflect on the entire Jayhawk athletic community as a whole.  

“It’s a shame this has to be so public just because it is kind of a reflection of the athletic department,” Rainbolt said. “I also know some of those guys personally and I know that it’s not a reflection on the character of those teams.”

There is no doubt these athletes are under a microscope, but is it fair they are placed under one? Or does it simply go with the territory? There is a line of sensitivity when it comes to athletes getting preferential treatment. We won’t get into the issues that tick people off about athletes and special privileges.

The root of the question being: Is it fair to hold athletes to a higher standard?

“I think that they put themselves in that position and coming into this kind of university setting, they’re going to expect the kind of publicity they get,” Rainbolt said. “Along with playing big-time college basketball and football, they know what comes with it.”

All opinions aside, I think we can all agree that these Big 12 sports teams have a lot to focus on right now. Let’s put the fists down and take that testosterone out onto the field and court.

I mean come on; this only makes us look unstable and weak to our competitors.

I am sure Mizzou fans are just eating this debacle up. What kind of t-shirt will they make out of this?

Anyway, let’s focus on the positives. The Jayhawk basketball team is consistently ranked number one in preseason polls. KU fans should look to the season ahead and all the treasured memories they will spend in Allen Fieldhouse. And of course the football team has been on a roll for the past couple years with Orange Bowl and Insight Bowl championships.

Not to mention that the past two home games have been sold out. This upcoming Saturday, the stadium is sold out again as KU faces Southern Mississippi.

Let’s hope the events of yesterday do not repeat themselves in the future. You would think with the athletic department and KU Police getting involved that the boys will put down their fists.

If not, I am afraid KU will be a laughingstock and our confidence will be shaken. I hope KU fans will just get over it. We all make mistakes and perhaps we should attribute this scuffle to the saying “boys will be boys.”

The football and basketball programs are both staples of the Lawrence community and culture. The last thing Lawrence needs is a line divided between the two.

Let’s see if these boys can channel their rage into winning seasons.

Author’s Note: At the time of publication of this article, nothing has been released about filing legal charges regarding the brawls.

* – Tyshawn Taylor / Bill Self photo credit: Bring on the Cats