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!
