"I hate sports!"

[AdminAssistant]

If you're not aware, the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament has been going on for a few weeks. Tonight was the Final Four; the Championship game is Monday night. My school, by a series of miracles and some last-minute stupidity, won their game. As soon as the game was over, this town ERUPTED. Fireworks, car horns, yelling, screaming, revving engines, the works, as students walked from the stadium (where they showed the game on the jumbotron) and their dorms/apartments to the downtown bars.

At the same time, my FB feed erupted. Mostly it was people cheering and generally being excited. But a few of my (grad student) colleagues have done nothing but bitch and moan throughout the tourney and tonight especially about the noise. First of all, if you live near a college in a college town, there's going to be noise. If your college goes to a National Championship there's going to be A LOT of noise. You chose to live there, deal with the consequences. I live on the edge of the student ghetto, so it's not bad, but I accept the fact that fireworks may wake me up at 3 am. I slept in this morning for a reason. Plan ahead, people.

Also, do you not realize that this is a good thing? After our last championship win, our enrollment reached a record high. It's incredibly stupid that students would choose a university based on their sports, but it happens. More enrollment means more money and more TA positions.

Trust me, I get frustrated, too. It sucks that my department had to change the times on a few performances of a play to accommodate the game. It sucks that you can't park on campus AT ALL during a home game. It sucks that, despite the Chancellor's insistence that class be held on Tuesday, most students won't show up. BUT if you don't realize the good that comes out of these things, then you're being willfully ignorant.*

Besides, I honestly don't care how loud those kids get, as long as they all stay safe and don't light the town on fire.

* This only really holds true for the top sports programs in the nation. If you're Baylor, the basketball team is an investment. If you're North Dakota Community College, not so much.

[Gravekeeper]

I live on the edge of the student ghetto, so it's not bad, but I accept the fact that fireworks may wake me up at 3 am. I slept in this morning for a reason. Plan ahead, people.

Sorry, but if you wake me up at 3am, I *am* going to hate you and all that you love and care about. Also, how the hell do you "plan ahead" for being kept awake at 3am? I don't know about you, but my workplace would be decidedly unsympathic to that weak of an excuse for me being late or absence the following day. ;p

[AdminAssistant]

Don't live in the student ghetto, for one. Plenty of cheap housing on the east side of town, or, if you happen to be wealthy, the west side of town, where it would be much quieter. You can also put in earplugs or just stay with a friend in a quiet part of town that night. Like I said, these are all grad students like me, and we don't have work on Sunday. Personally, I stayed up late Friday night, slept in on Saturday, knowing that I would be kept up late last night. Woke up moderately early this morning, to get my sleep schedule back to normal, so I'm about to go out for a coffee.

Something I forgot to mention in the OP are the people who have to announce to the world that they aren't watching the game, would never watch a game, and couldn't care less about such frivolity. Seeing as how we all benefit financially from a win, yeah, you should at least care.

[Andara Bledin]

Sorry, but if you wake me up at 3am, I *am* going to hate you and all that you love and care about. Also, how the hell do you "plan ahead" for being kept awake at 3am?

If you're in sports-fan territory and the local team is in the playoffs, you should know that should they win, there will be partying. Particularly if they're not in that position very often. It's not like this had some random trigger; it's a "couple of weeks but only some years" sort of happening.

^-.-^

[anakhouri]

Hmm, I suspect your college is going up against my alma mater tomorrow night. Was anyone setting couches on fire in your town, as is the trend in my old college town?

I don't particularly care about sports, just as I don't particularly care about knitting or TV shows, but I am glad people have hobbies they enjoy. People probably think I'm nuts for dressing up in superhero costumes at SF/fantasy conventions too.

[AdminAssistant]

Nope. Kentucky supposedly had problems with rioting, but here things were relatively calm. (I think I've revealed my university before.) I heard rumors that some people tried to get a bonfire going, but the police put a fast stop to it. Since we won in 2008, the police already have good policies in place to keep peace. The celebration did go on into the wee hours of the morning; I woke up at nearly 4 am and could still hear it. What was really funny...heading out to get breakfast at 9:30 this morning and seeing a line of bedraggled college students walking on the sidewalk, still partying, cars still honking, the works. I wasn't here for the 2008 win, but I've been told that it won't settle down until after the coming home parade, which would be...Wednesday, I imagine.

Rock Chalk! *

*Which reminds me, next person who pulls the cutsie, "What does Rock Chalk even mean? hurr durr" nonsense gets the Cat Facts treatment. JFGI and don't be a smartass.

ETA: Article in the local paper

Comments section full of bitching, but I liked one reply: "You should move to Columbia, Missouri. I hear they never celebrate Final Four appearances or National Championships there."

[anakhouri]

Yeah, my friends still in Lexington said there was couch-firing (apparently a time-honored tradition since I recall this happening last time UK won the tournament, back when I was a freshman there, so 14-15 years ago), and much pepper spray and possibly tear gas. UK students tend to be idiots.

[AdminAssistant]

That really sucks, ana. Lawrence tends to be pretty chill anyway, but the fact that there were ~ 200 cops walking around couldn't have hurt. I've heard that they tend to just let the kids do whatever, as long as they aren't putting themselves in danger (i.e. climbing on rooftops/electrical poles), being aggressive, stuff like that. Now, a few geniuses that parked their cars downtown got barricaded in, and their cars are now totaled. Sucks for them, but really, if you'd rub your brain cells together once in a while, you'd realize that was a bad idea.

[Greenday]

If you're in sports-fan territory and the local team is in the playoffs, you should know that should they win, there will be partying. Particularly if they're not in that position very often. It's not like this had some random trigger; it's a "couple of weeks but only some years" sort of happening.

^-.-^

So...basically everywhere. I went to college an hour away from Philly. People rioted when Philly made the World Series in 2009. Not when they won but when they made it into the series.

Unless you move to Alaska or Hawaii, you are pretty screwed. Telling someone to move is just plain ridiculous. There should be a reasonable expectation of people not being jerks.

[BlaqueKatt]

Don't live in the student ghetto, for one. Plenty of cheap housing on the east side of town, or, if you happen to be wealthy, the west side of town, where it would be much quieter. You can also put in earplugs or just stay with a friend in a quiet part of town that night.

Telling someone to move is just plain ridiculous. There should be a reasonable expectation of people not being jerks.

Yup I live in the campus area because it's more affordable, and I have greater access to public transportation. I have access to over 30 bus routes, if I live anywhere else in the city that number drops to around 6, and what is currently a 30 minute bus ride to work(when I can't ride my bike), becomes over two hours.

I shouldn't have to wear earplugs to sleep in my own home, and not everyone has friends they can crash with, or friends at all(my only friends are online, and don't live anywhere near me).

Personally I don't think it's in any manner unreasonable for GROWN ADULTS(over the age of 18), to be RESPECTFUL OF OTHERS.

[AdminAssistant]

It's also not unreasonable for kids and adults to want to celebrate something rare. This was our 14th Final Four. Not only that, but our team is young. It was supposed to be a 'rebuilding' year. Nobody...NOBODY...expected to see us in the National Championship.

It's a handful of nights every great once in a while. KU is, honestly, the entire reason Lawrence exists. It's the largest employer, and over 20,000 students go to the main campus. That's money that supports the local economy. It's not that much for Lawrencians to give back to tolerate a few noisy nights.

As you said, there are benefits to living close to a college. There are drawbacks as well, and people who make the choice to live with students need to accept the drawbacks.

[mikoyan29]

If you're in sports-fan territory and the local team is in the playoffs, you should know that should they win, there will be partying. Particularly if they're not in that position very often. It's not like this had some random trigger; it's a "couple of weeks but only some years" sort of happening.

^-.-^

In some cases they will be noisier if they lose....

[Greenday]

It's also not unreasonable for kids and adults to want to celebrate something rare.

Blowing stuff up at 3am is unreasonable.

[BlaqueKatt]

It's also not unreasonable for kids and adults to want to celebrate something rare. <snip>It's a handful of nights every great once in a while. It's not that much for Lawrencians to give back to tolerate a few noisy nights.
As you said, there are benefits to living close to a college. There are drawbacks as well, and people who make the choice to live with students need to accept the drawbacks.

so it's ok to violate noise ordinances(break the law), because it's "only a couple nights". I do not accept that being labeled a student/sports fan gives ANYONE "special privileges", or puts them above being decent respectful human beings, even for 5 minutes. Also 'celebrate' does not mean you have the right to disrespect others, the Badger rose bowl victories did not by any means cause disruption or excessive celebration, as the students and fans were told to be respectful, and guess what they were. Given that UW Madison is one of the top ten drinking/party colleges, and the rose bowl is on NYD, you'd expect it, didn't happen though.

Heck our protests that made national news for MONTHS, were ordered by the police department to quiet down after 10pm due to noise violations.

Think about it over 100,000 ANGRY people, that were having their rights DESTROYED by our governor, were able to remain respectful, heck occupy wall street remained respectful of others, but "you can't expect sports fans/students to do so". Sports are not a life effecting event, for some of our protesters the pay cuts were a matter of life or death(can't afford healthcare/rent/food), and they were asked to and remained respectful, while a pastime is "too important to even consider being respectful in your celebrations"

those are some jacked priorities....

[AdminAssistant]

Maybe they are jacked priorities. But it's a fact of life here. You go to school at Kansas or Kentucky or Baylor or Duke or UNC....you're going to a basketball school. You're going to be inundated with sports-related crap. And a lot of it is incredibly annoying. Like I said, I HATE the fact that you can't park on campus during a basketball or football home game. I HATE the fact that the university pours thousands into legal fees and child support for some of our more....active.... athletes.

BUT I realize that our athletic program is a MAJOR draw. Enrollment, as I said, equals more funding. More students = more TAs to teach those students. To win a National Championship would be huge for the university and the town.

Besides, what happened last night was really awesome. Complete strangers, high fiving each other in the street, singing and cheering together....that's awesome. I'm actually really proud of the kids and the police, for keeping things so peaceful. We had the occasional firework and a few car horns. At least we didn't have a riot or burning couches. Last night wasn't even as loud as most 4th of July celebrations...actually, it was calmer and quieter than the 4th of July celebrations in KC. Honestly, I bet that if the game had an earlier tip-off time, that things would have settled down at a more reasonable hour.