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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 3, 1998)
Professional wrestling has popular culture in a stranglehold RYAN HUNTER is a sophomore news-editorial major and a Daily - Nebraskan columnist. There is a sensation running roughshod around the globe. Many find themselves glued to their televi sions eagerly anticipating the latest developments on the establishment of a new world order. The earth-shattering phenome non of which I speak carries with it more excitement, energy and angst than you can shake a stick at, minus the political mumbo jumbo of Oralgate and the redundant news anchor rhetoric of Hurricane Bonnie. Better yet, it is cheap, tacky and tasteless entertainment, all for die special introductory price of cable. It is professional wrestling. Professional wrestling and its chief organizations, the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling, are once again hip to mainstream America. Hordes of adoring fans flock to their nearest civic center to witness a type of marvel that only wrestling can produce. After nearly a decade of being dragged through the mud behind a tricycle, professional wrestling is past the steroid debacle of the late 80s and early 90s. In the past year the “sport” has, as the kids say, been off the hook, holding prime time television slots on Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Saturday nights on TNT, TBS and USA Even MTV is cashing in on the resurgence of wrestling with “Celebrity Death Match,” which pits the likes of Marilyn Manson with Garth Brooks. Wrestling Fever Catch it It would appear that nearly everyone has. Stars such as Dennis Rodman, " Kevin Greene, Karl Malone and even Jay Leno have put aside their day jobs for a chance to enter the squared circle. Like it or not, wrestling is where it’s at. For the thousands of foreign stu dents at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, I’m not talking about the actual sport of wrestling, which requires strength, agility, endurance and a head on your shoulders. No, much like NASCAR, profes sional wrestling is, as George Carlin suggests, an “event” rather than a sport. All you need in professional wrestling is large pectoral muscles, a gruff, intimidating voice and the ability to make skin-tight spandex look damn mean. These make for a tough combination, but if you fit the bill you’ll fit right in with the likes of “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, “Big Sexy” Kevin Nash and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in the soap-opera world of professional wrestling. Playing out the same tired sce narios of good vs. evil, pro wrestling belongs on daytime tele vision alongside “Days of Our Lives” and “All My Children.” When you get right down jto it, this form of wrestling is strictly a male formatted soap opera. Daytime soaps are full of sickening romance, ridiculously loving rela tionships and an occasional strug gle to maintain these relationships. Wrestling, on the other han4 is a fistful of, well, fists and enough comical violence to make the Looney Tunes jealous. The only drama involved is who will get beat down with a steel chair next and why. If you lay down a plot in which one man must use his overwhelming physical force to subdue his oppo nent, you’ve got a male audience. Football follows this theme and I’m pretty sure it’s succeeding in Nebraska. I live with two raging wrestling addicts. They know all the perform ers, all their moves and, worst of all, all the terminology. They both flu ently speak the language of pro wrestling, taught weekly by com mentator/professor Tony Schiavone, and, if need be, could write a 30 page dissertation on the differences between the “jackknife” and the “poweibomb.” Also, they have the precise knowledge to present in-depth rea soning to how and why Goldberg would beat Stone Cold in a steel cage match. Both watch wrestling like it’s their job, quickly flipping channels back and forth between “Monday Night Raw” and “Monday Nitro” all while guarding the remote with a ^ fully loaded 12-gauge. Living in this atmosphere, I couldn’t help but fall into the numer ous trappings of wrestling. I found myself aimlessly sitting in front of the television watching the same old crap that consumed me as a fifth grader. To my surprise, my pre Cambrian-aged hero Hulk Hogan is still around, although lately he’s been slammed more often than the greek system. Gone are the days of the fanatical 10-year-old “Hulkamaniacs” and my all-time favorite, Jimmy “Super Fly” Snuka. Today’s wrestlers must have a racier edge to reach an older demo graphic. Stone Cold, wrestling’s most marketable performer, tells all critics to “go to hell,” gives his boss the ol’ number one and kicks back a few cold ones while on the clock. He’s loved by those affected by male pat tern baldness and acne alike, bridg ing the generation gap. Young dr bid, comball violence is loved by all. With professional wrestling, all relentless, ultra-sensitive political correctness is out the window. In your living room is a delightful treat of farcical immorality. You don’t have to think or even be coherent. become transfixed by an endless l assortment of comical fictional char acters. Anyone that allows themselves to accept the world of professional wrestling as reality is either one of my roommates or honestly believes O.J. didn’t do it. Professional wrestling is strictly a form of entertainment, and what kind of entertainment is certainly debatable. It is exciting and captivat ing at best and humorously entertain nine and panders to ^e lowe^^^^l mon denominate! of human inteljjt|3 gence, but aren’t these the same > ; f virtues that made Rush Limbaugh so popular? I’ll pass on culture and sophisti cation at the Lied Center and stick with a six-pack of Old Mud and Monday Nitro. Don’t do me any favors Student athletes must he dedicated to sport as well as academics LESLEY OWUSU is a sophomore broadcasting major and a Daily Nebraskan columnist, A friend asked me tiie other day why it is that you never see student athletes on campus. Is it because they do not attend class or simply because they intentionally seclude themselves from the rest of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln? 1 stressed that there are hundreds of student athletes all across the campus. You can only, identify them as such if you know them. If you don’t, you simply won’t know. Are student athletes supposed to wear name badges or something? : I’m sure many of you Husker fans could spot a football player on campus from a mile away. If you read the Daily Nebraskan regularly, you will soon discover which stu dents are athletes and which are not. It’is really not a big deal. I think most student athletes just want to be treated equally and with respect. I am a student athlete, to enlight en you. it simply is a uue. it means, basically, that 1 participate in a spe cific sport, track; and at the same time I am a student who is studying toward gaining that degree. That’s the reason most of us come to col lege, remember? So my friend and I were talking and she insisted that student athletes are different. She argued with me that student athletes isolate them selves from non-athletes and that the Athletic Department indirectly helps student athletes separate themselves from “regular” students by providing the Hewit Center, which is dedicated to student athletes. My first thoughts on this topic are that every individual is unique and different. People can choose to go wherever they please. All students should feel free to choose any peer group they want So, what is the big problem about student athletes having their own separate institution? The fact that there is a separate building makes it seem like student athletes are isolat ed from the rest of the campus; that is'not true. I’m sure there is a logical reason for the separate building. There are plenty of different groups on campus. You have the Honors Program, which is like a whole separate institution. Think of student athletes being like just anoth er group of people, like sororities and fraternities. On my first impression of the iaciuues tor student atmetes, i thought, Wow\ The Hewit Center was quite amazing. I felt like I was in a — totally different place. Everything you need as an ath-' lete is under one roof. You have the best food, the best academic and training facilities and a superb sup port staff of tutors and mentors. I think the Athletic Department really looks after their student athletes. But you have to remember athletes haven’t always had these privileges. When I reflected back on what I saw, student athletes need all the help they can get if they are to be success ful. Being a student athlete can be very demanding with many responsi bilities. I’m not saying this because I am an athlete, but because it is the reality. Student athletes are not pam pered like many people think. They work just as hard as other students, if not harder, as they need to maintain high grades to be eligible to partici pate in their sport It only makes sense that there should be a center for athletes to help them achieve their potential both academically and athletically. The reason there is a training table for athletes is that athletes shouldn’t just eat healthy and quality foods, but they really need to follow a good diet so they are strong and fit for their sport. Being in a center with other peo ple who are similar to you can only maxe a person ieei more comion able. I know that when I interact with other student athletes, there are many benefits. Most athletes are very alike. Student athletes generally have the desire and hunger to be success ful both academically and athletical ly. They have many things in com mon, nave similar schedules and can relate to one another. This doesn’t mean that athletes shouldn’t socialize with non-ath letes. J.’m sure there are times when athletes need a break from being around athletes all day. I have a lot of friends who are not athletes and we get along great. I also have good friends who are athletes. But I do not isolate myself from non-athletes. I interact with all peo ple of different colors and different backgrounds. I think it is wonderful to communicate with people from all walks of life. One can leam so much about a person. Some people may think that stu dent athletes think that they are bet ter than other common students, and at times it appears that student ath letes look down on others who are not athletes. This is not true! I can’t speak for other student athletes, but I’m sure many athletes treat others fairly and with equal respect. I clas sify everybody as equals. We are all numan ai me ena oi me aay. Just because you can dunk a ball, sprint on the track or play football doesn’t mean you are any better than those fellow students who are not so skillful. It simply means you are blessed and talented with a skill. Student athletes are all across the campus, although you may not know it. They may be hanging out in the Nebraska Union, studying in the library, in your classes or just chill ing on campus somewhere. So, I just want to set the record straight about some of the miscon ceptions about student athletes. Student athletes do not hide them selves at the Hewit Center. They sim ply use the center for their own needs. Student athletes basically eat and study and receive good advice from the Athletic Department. ' Student athletes are dedicated to excellence, a goal that we should all have. ^ Student athletes in my opinion are among the most hard-working students one can meet Not only do they have to give lOOpercent to their studies, but they also have to work equally hard in their sport to achieve their potential. Student athletes should be credit ed for their efforts. They represent our school and I think that we should be very proud of them for alPthey do. Letls go Big Red!