LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor:

Let me first say this - I am not a diehard football fan. At least I wasn't until I moved to Whitehouse four years ago and I learned quickly that this a football town, one who lives for the "Friday Night Lights." The football team wasn't having their greatest year, but we went to the games, cheered on the team and hoped for the best.

Soon after, some changes were made and amazing things started to happen. The team and coaching staff started to really come together and suddenly, we were winning. Not one or two a season, but most games. Then the next year, they brought us a district championship. Then bidistrict wins, then area…you get the picture. Some called it the "Cinderella Story" for Whitehouse. And each week, as more games were won, the fan base in the stands grew as well. More and more people turned out to see these fine athletes and coaches take WISD into uncharted waters.

This year, the stands have been packed each and every week. Again, my family and I have been at every game. No, we don't have a son on the football team. We have a daughter in the band. But even when halftime is over and the band is through, we stay in the stands and cheer on the team. OUR team. We cheer when they execute a perfect play; we yell encouragement when they fumble the ball or don't complete a pass. That's what fans do. However, I have noticed something taking place in the stadium that I can honestly say I am ashamed of. No, it's not teenagers smoking under the bleachers or fighting. It's the so-called "fans" in the stands. I have witnessed behavior that is quite appalling to me. I like to call it "Fickle Fan Syndrome" (FFS).

It seems we are overrun with cases of FSS. What is Fickle Fan Syndrome, you ask? Well, it usually affects grown men, and it goes something like this: a great play is executed by the Wildcats. The men who are afflicted with FFS will scream and cheer the team on like there is no tomorrow. But suddenly, things change. As one of the players fumbles the ball, or makes a mistake, these men who were just cheering on this great team are suddenly calling the players names and yelling obscenities at the team. Wait a minute - what happened? I thought these were OUR fans in the stands. I have yet to hear these men scream out names at the band when they are out of step, yell at the majorettes for dropping a baton, or curse if the First Ladies make a mistake. Yet, they are ready to pounce on our team at a moment's notice. It seems that FFS is a lot like being bi-polar.

At the game last week in Mesquite, there were men sitting a few rows behind us who had fullblown cases of FFS. They were mouthing when one of our key players made a mistake at the beginning of the game. Calling him '"stupid," yelling at him to stay away from the ball, etc. But later on, when he caught a perfect pass, they were cheering him on like he was the greatest thing since sliced bread. (BTW, I happen to think our team IS the greatest thing since sliced bread….)

People, these are our children out there on that field, so please treat them accordingly. It all comes down to this - you are either a Wildcat Fan or you're not. Being a true Wildcat Fan means cheering on this team - WIN or LOSE. It means standing behind them when they make a mistake, to cheer them on so they don't lose hope. Believe it or not, their success depends a lot on the fans. Without the fans, what fun is it? What's the point? No one wants to go out and play to a silent stadium and to have no one witness their success and failure. Why do you think the football players will wave their arms at the fans, trying to get them pumped up more when the team is behind? THEY NEED THE FANS TO CHEER THEM ON! These are CHILDREN out there. This is NOT the NFL, nor is the Wildcat football team your Fantasy Football League. These boys WILL make mistakes - that's how they learn to become better football players.

Their job is to get out there on that field and give it all they've got for four quarters. It's OUR job to cheer them on and give them something to work for. They aren't out there playing because they have nothing better to do, and they aren't out there busting their butts at practices and two-adays just because they want to. A big part of what they do is for their school, for the team and for YOU - the FANS. So let's start acting like fans. True Wildcat Fans are proud of our team - wins or losses.

So, my challenge to you is simple - if you can't get behind this team all the time, PLEASE STAY HOME. We don't need you in the stands spreading your poison. The last thing we need is this town to have a full blown epidemic of FFS. For those of you who already have FFS, I hope this letter will put you on the road to recovery. Stephanie Smith A proud Wildcat Football Fan

Editor:

I just got home from the Troup Friends of the Library annual luncheon. It was well attended by white women, one Hispanic and child and no black women. That is, except for LuLu, in her jaunty wheelchair - the woman who fills cartons ever y day of the week for Meals on Wheels. She came towards the end, and was given a take-home meal, instead of being specially invited.

This is not as it should be, in Troup, Arp, J'ville or Whitehouse. Blacks should feel welcome to attend all such events.

My daddy had a lot of black friends, because of his work at the cotton gin, the tomato sheds and his feed store. He also gambled with them, drank with them, and hired them. As a child I would often go with him to visit somebody an early Sunday morning.

Thus black people were a part of most of our lives - there was mutual respect (but separate and unequal until 1954.)

The drowning of a black teen in the early ''50s had a great impact on me. The Troup swimming pool was not integrated. This boy drowned in a pond on the Arp highway, a few miles out of town.

It is much different now, but not different enough.

Dila Davis Troup