Changing Hawaii
CONFESSION: In the late 1970s, when I attended the University of Hawaii, I wasn't exactly a big sports fanatic. Like most of the self-acknowledged nerds matriculating at Manoa, I was more into reading and writing than rooting for the Rainbows. UH teams
cheer up the stateOf course, those of us going to school knew exactly which students were the athletes -- the ones with the muscular bodies and faces made famous by TV interviews. They also had a proud and almost swaggering walk, as they traipsed between classes or to and from the Campus Center.
Yet, for most of the UH population, jocks were not idolized. They were merely tolerated. Who had time to gawk at such games and their respective gladiators, with studying and cramming on the brain?
Only after graduation, career and family life was there enough time and money to actually attend UH sporting events and afford the tickets.
And, boy, it didn't get any better than this past weekend for your true-blue, or rather true-green, Let's-Go-Bows sports nut:
On Sunday, it was like the entire state was basking in the proverbial winner's circle. For a moment, the realization that "some people" might lose their jobs after Oct. 30 was overshadowed by the aura of achievement, however temporary.On Saturday, the UH football team finally won its first road game since 1995, and its first Western Athletic Conference road victory since 1992, with a 20-0 shutout of Southern Methodist at the Cotton Bowl. This means a team that was 0-12 last year is now 3-1. Coach June Jones for governor!
Thus is the beauty of a UH sporting event. Fans come from all parts of the island. Various ages, ethnicities, income levels and professions converge in a common locale for one thing: to cheer on the Rainbows!
Success (or failure) is determined in a matter of hours. It doesn't take years or decades to accomplish, like turning around an economy or even cloning mice.
The outcome is immediate. It's real. And, darn, if it isn't especially yummy when the business climate tastes like a rancid bitter melon.
THERE may be those who say, gee, why can't we get as excited about UH academics as we do over the winning ways of the football team? The fact is BOTH are important.
Don't tell me Notre Dame or Nebraska are famous universities because of their scholarly accolades. It's mostly because of their athletic programs and their reputations for cultivating champs.
Hey, whatever it takes to put the smile back on Hawaii's face. Whatever it takes to get us out of this debilitating doom-and-gloom mode.
It's ironic that only now do I have a true appreciation for the jocks taking classes at my alma mater. Only at the turn of the millennium do I realize they deserve more than being "tolerated."
They are playing on the court or field to finance their way through school. They perform for all to see and criticize, which takes guts. And when they triumph, they can bring joy to an entire state.
They should go ahead and swagger.
Diane Yukihiro Chang's column runs Monday and Friday.
She can be reached by phone at 525-8607, via e-mail at
dchang@starbulletin.com, or by fax at 523-7863.