Editor,
Never, in our four years of attendance at the University of Wyoming, did we ever think we would be ashamed to wear the colors of brown and gold. After Tuesday's Wyoming-New Mexico men's basketball game, we were extremely sickened, not because of the 91-83 loss, but because of the brawl that occurred in the last 1:10 of
the game.
We used to be very proud of the athletics at our institution. We would boast to our out-of-state friends how great our teams were, and that Wyoming teams have always been very good sportsmen. Two seasons ago, we attended the Wyoming-Ole Miss football game in Mississippi, and we can't express how many times we were stopped by Ole Miss fans and told how impressed they were with our team and our fans. We never knew that starting fights, throwing punches and stomping competitors were ever a part of Wyoming athletics. We are very disappointed.
Because of the actions over the last three games by several of the athletes on the Wyoming men's basketball team, we feel that the image of the University of Wyoming has been damaged severely. During the Colorado State game, athletes from both sides received technical fouls. Of course, it is the border war, but we should be the better school and let the other team show their unsportsmanlike conduct. During the Texas Christian University game, there were several confrontations, but they weren't as major. We are proud that our team wants to play hard and win games, but the actions in those games should have been addressed by Steve McClain and the rest of the Cowboy basketball coaching staff.
Players should be held responsible for their actions. Wyoming athletes should realize that not only are they at the college level and should conduct themselves as such, but they also need to remember that they are role models for the community. They are the most public face of the university, and the actions of a few reckless players can ruin the good reputation of the whole university and the state of Wyoming.
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We, as students of the University of Wyoming, do not want to attend another Cowboy basketball game for fear of another embarrassing event. Perhaps if the athletes involved were to publicly apologize for their actions, the integrity of the university could be restored.
Hopefully, the University of Wyoming will avoid further embarrassment, and recent events will become only a memory. For now, the integrity of the University of Wyoming has taken a hit. Hopefully, we as a student body can rebuild it and make it
stronger.
Justin Tolman,
Clay Scott and Brett Rimsky
University of Wyoming students
