To some people, sports are a part of life. For me, sports are a necessary part of life. Growing up in Boston and frequently watching the soon-to-be World Champion Boston Red Sox, the future Stanley Cup winner the Boston Bruins, the next Super Bowl champions the New England Patriots and the upcoming World Champion Boston Celtics, I grew up with an acquired competitiveness most people do not have. I often find myself every night usually doing my homework which eventually turns into yelling at my television during the Bruins game, falling asleep to SportsCenter and dreaming of playing my favorite intramural sports, broomball and softball.
To my great disappointment, I recently became aware that softball is no longer offered as an intramural sport at Northeastern. The reason behind striking softball off the list of spring intramural sports is due to the recent semester conversion. Playing softball in the “spring” semester would mean that games would have to be played during the harsh New England month of February, which can sometimes resemble the barren tundra of the Antarctic. The organizers of Northeastern’s intramural sports must feel that the students who wish to play softball are not tough nor brave enough to fight off the bone-chilling New England winter weather to play one of the sports they love so much.
After having my goal of attaining a spot in the broomball play-offs “deflected wide,” I felt playing with my heart and soul on the ice of Matthews Arena each and every Wednesday night for the past eight weeks trying to secure a spot in the play-offs really taught me a very valuable lesson. I had worked hard, but now, I had to work even harder. Softball was going to be my chance to try and prove to myself, not as an athlete, because I am far from that, but it was going to be my chance to prove that I am a hard worker who wants nothing but the best from myself at everything I do.
Now that softball has been taken away from me, and also from the many other students who desired to have a little fun this spring, being able to fill the time set aside for intramural sports is going to be difficult. Sure, filling all that spare time by getting a job, studying more or even playing another intramural sport would be easy. But, being as excited about those activities as I was (and I am sure many other students were too) about playing softball, will never happen. The feelings of hope and excitement for the softball season are no more. The only question I have now is why?
Why can’t students who want to play softball — no matter what the condition — play? Why do the makers of the intramural sports at Northeastern feel that they can take away a national pastime?
As I write this commentary, I can not help but wonder what is this world coming to? What is happening to America?
The basis that America was founded upon was equality for everyone. Everyone includes Northeastern’s students and basically telling scores of students that they can not have fun playing softball this spring is going against the basis that America was founded upon. Softball is a part of America’s national pastime. Taking away softball at Northeastern is only the beginning. Where will the limiting of people’s basic freedom’s end? If something as simple and historical as softball can be pushed aside simply because the “conditions” are not right to play, what else can be pushed aside next?
— Michael Naughton is a freshman journalism major.
