CSNbbs

Everyone knows by now Radio Legend Don Imus, one of the few media members carried locally who could be called "Cutting Edge," will be off the air for two weeks for calling the Rutgers women's basketball team "Nappy Headed Ho's."

By the way, no word yet from Bristol Broadcasting if they will continue to carry the Imus show- seeing as how they falsely alleged I was "rude" to people I had never even met or known existed.

Regardless, I started to think about fan behavior towards opponents.

Specifically, if you recall the student section chanting at a College of Charleston player "Dreadlock Mullet" throughout the game in 2003.

Now, what is the difference between what the ETSU fans were chanting towards an African-American player and what Imus said about the Rutgers' team?

Absolutely nothing.

And let us also not forget we are considering bringing back a marching band, the same entity that for years made me swore I would never follow ETSU after they did a "Klan Impersonation" during the closing minutes of the Bucs' 1986 football win against Davidson- ending ETSU's winless streak that had dated back to 1984.

So- let me get this straight.

Student section making comments that will get Black Leaders to call for a media legend with a long history of charity towards all people humiliated and punished- THAT'S OKAY!

But when some students took signs to a basketball game critical of the athletic administration for dropping football? THAT ISN'T OKAY!

Oh, and a marching band known for holding up crosses and putting their hoods over their heads? THAT'S AN ENTITY WE NEED TO BRING BACK!

But a cheerleader who works at Hooters? WE NEED TO GET RID OF HER- AND WHILE WE ARE AT IT WE WILL REMIND ANYONE WHO WANTS TO KNOW THAT SHE WASN'T REALLY A GOOD STUDENT ANYWAY AND ISN'T IN SCHOOL ANYMORE . . .

For as welcome as you made her, is it any wonder?

The thing with holding up crosses and putting hoods on their heads I do not remember. Is there any photographic eveidence of this? I attended most games from the 70's onward but cannot remember that game.

Here's the story.

It's 1986. I had just moved to Johnson City, was excited to be at a place that had a Division I football team, even if it was Division I-AA.

So I went and ETSU routed Davidson- I think the final was 41-16 or something.

It was the game where the winless streak ended.

I was sitting on the West Side and the band was to my left.

With an ETSU victory in hand, the band "leader" put a hood over his head and started holding up a cross and started waving it in the direction of Davidson.

The other band members followed suit.

The woman beside me nudged me (she knew I had just moved from Pennsylvania) and said "How do you like our Hillbilly Humor?"

Let me just say I didn't. For the first time in my life I left a game early and because of this I didn't go back for eight years.

This was quite a "WELCOME TO JOHNSON CITY!" message imposed on me at a young age.

But when you look at some of the problems of ETSU, some of it I think is that you can do something like this or have the Buc Wild section chant comments similar to what Don Imus said that got him in such hot water and it isn't even given a second thought.

And that's a leading reason why the Country Club Sports run ETSU Athletics and not the more diverse ones that people actually watch.

That would really have embarassed me as an ETSU graduate. If I had seen such a thing I think I would have had to leave the place as that is just beneath acceptable behavior.