Mr. Johnson's take on the Alma Mater

Excuse me for being sentimental, but with one semester of my undergraduate experience left, I am beginning to think about life outside the confines of Columbia. I’ve recently been grappling with the topic of what it means to be a Columbia alumnus. As an avid sports fan my thoughts have naturally shifted to Columbia athletics and the role of alumni support. I wonder, what sort of alumnus will I be?

How often do you see dedicated Columbia alumni at sporting events? Probably once in a (light) blue moon. When I do see Columbia alumni come out to support the Lions, they’re typically parents of current students or the event is Homecoming. It’s been tough for Columbia athletics to get student attendance, so I can only imagine that alumni interest is difficult to rouse.

When I was younger I always envisioned being proud of my Alma Mater and attending college sporting events with my children and grandchildren. Perhaps this perception of alumni athletic fervor is rooted in my Midwestern upbringing. Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, I come from a land where sports allegiances run deep. Whenever college basketball season rolled around I loyally cheered for Bob Huggins and the Cincinnati Bearcats. When I was in elementary school I had a teacher named Dan. Dan used set up a television to during March Madness and all arts and crafts, marbles, reading and whatever other activities I partook in at that time would immediately stop as my classmates and I gathered around the television to watch the NCAA Tournament with our teacher. If that’s not an indoctrination into the world of collegiate athletics then I don’t know what is.

Along with Cincinnati basketball, I developed deep college sports alliances long before I stepped foot on this campus. With that being said, why should I even follow Columbia athletics after I graduate? The simple answer is, “Because that’s your Alma Mater!” I suppose I understand the basic logic in that response. I’m one of the biggest advocates of sports loyalty, regardless of a team’s record. In the three major sports I support the Cincinnati Bengals, Cincinnati Reds, and the New York Knickerbockers. It’s not like any of those three teams are a model franchise. So I guess I should continue to support Columbia athletics after I graduate, but really it’s not that simple. I’m not going to look back on my time here and remember the great victories. My time as a Columbia fan has been full of L’s. An integral part of the alumni experience is nostalgia. Who wants to be nostalgic for a bunch of losses?

In terms of sports and school spirit, Columbia occupies a unique space. As an Ivy League institution, sports are not, and never have been, the most important thing on campus. The people strolling through College Walk are proud of their school, but probably because of our academic reputation or the advantages that their Columbia education provides them. Unlike a Florida or a Texas we’re not filled with pride because were headed to a Bowl Championship Series game. Also, this is not a state school. Many of the kids who joined me in rooting for the University of Cincinnati as children ended up attending that institution as young adults. It’s much easier to have school pride if you’ve been linked to your school your entire life. A lot of kids who go to schools with successful athletic programs grew up rooting for those schools and may have even picked their college based on their athletic allegiance.

I’m probably not going to be a super active sports alum, but that’s not to say I won’t be a supportive alum. It just means that the core of my alumni pride is not going to lie with athletics. Instead of reminiscing about touchdowns and three-pointers, I’ll probably look back at late night JJ’s, sitting for hours in John Jay Dining Hall as a freshman and chilling on Low Steps on warm days. At the end of the day Columbia is my college, so no matter what, it will always hold a place in my heart. Although my relationship with our athletic programs has been one of tough love, it is still one of love nonetheless. When I go online I’ll probably always check the Cincinnati scores first, but you can believe I’ll be checking the Columbia scores second.

Jelani Johnson is a Columbia College senior majoring in history.
sports@columbiaspectator.com