Does UCSB cross a line?
Posted on August 25, 2010 9:16 am
So above is an online ad from #6-ranked UCSB for their men’s soccer team. What they’re referencing is the fact that the Gauchos are playing a preseason game against the Mexican U-20 team.
I’m curious what you think of the ad. Funny? Offensive?
I think it’s fairly dumb.
It’s moronic. Why use something that’s not funny and very easily blown up? If it was amusing it could stick but it isn’t, I’d be surprised if something bad didn’t happen off this.
You guys have obviously never been to a game at Harder. The GauchoLocos throw tortillas all the time. Rarely do they even get on the field more than a few feet. Its not that big of a deal. To this day going to UCSB games is still the best time I have had a at soccer game period. WE are loud we sing and cheer for 90 minutes. Its better atmosphere than most MLS games. And we average the same amount of people as Dallas. its pretty much the best place to play soccer in college in terms of fan support and lifestyle. Those guys are rock stars in IV. So I think you are just over reacting.
It’s only a big deal if someone makes it one. So, you just know that someone is preparing to make it a big deal right now.
Personally, I didn’t get it until Black Tide explained it, and, now that he has, it makes sense.
Also, I’ve never had an advertisement tell me to “Be the problem”. It sounds like a blank check for mayhem.
Wait… you throw tortillas? How, like frisbees?
Exactly. The Pasadena Doo-Dah Parade, a ramshackle comedic parody of a rather more famous New Year’s Day event, is routinely marred by jackoff spectators flinging tortillas at the marchers/performers. Since the tortillas are hard and stale, they look as if they hurt when they hit.
Now, based on my dim recollections of UCSB’s stadium, the players are a lot further removed from tortilla missiles than people in the middle of Colorado Boulevard are from the sidewalk, so maybe this is a lot more harmless.
Of course, a while back I went to a school that routinely threw oranges at the opposing team’s marching band during football games, so I’m only in a position to make factual judgments on douchebaggery as opposed to value judgments.
Texas Tech also fling tortillas during their football games, I believe.
I find the practice of wasting food for some sophomoric amusement to be the real insult.
Unless the tortillas are gathered at the end of the game and provided to various and sundry homeless shelters. Or to mildy hungry 19 anos de edad Mexican soccer players after playing officially unofficial matches.
Then it’s great.
Kooky.
yeah. Black tide is also the name of the UCSB frisbee team. WE are a rawty bunch of fans. And I almost feel bad for opposing teams that have to play us. Unless it is Cal Poly…or UCLA… Speaking of which we went to a game at UCLA and they had to ask the 50 people there to not be so loud or we would have to leave. UCLA had about 500 people there.
Just to furth make the point we average just under 5000 fans per game for home games. And we had a playoff game that had just under 12000 a in 06 the year I graduated.
At UCSB, the tradition started at basketball games, where the tactic is much more effective.
But it is bad copy writing. “Flying Tortillas” would have least at made you further question the meaning of the ad instead of the conclusion to which you jumped.
This has nothing to do with Mexican people. UCSB for more then 17 years, has had a tradition of throwing Tortillas on the field at athletic games specifically in the Thunderdome at basketball games. And it got carried on to other sports.
The fans have gotten in trouble for it for a long time and i think they banned them at times. But it’s college so nobody listens. but i went there. and UCSB ain’t Arizona. They don’t have something against mexicans and they have a long history of including being very active with Cesar Chavez and movement for rights of farm workers. Not to mention, the mexican under 20 team is only one of a few teams mentioned in the ad like UCLA and Duke. Regardless when it comes to universities that i’d consider progressive on issues of concern to Latinos i’d put UCSB way up there. So i don’t think this is offensive, a reference to the heritage of the under 20 players, and i think any offense would be the product of a missunderstanding about a tradition.
http://www.dailynexus.com/2008-09-30…gaucho-soccer/
http://presidiosports.com/2009/10/to…os-heated-win/
http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2…ive-tradition/
found a clip of it too. in a game against indiana. you can see they are already on the field before the goal.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN9Hyql1QPA"]YouTube- MSOC: Barrera Scores vs. Indiana[/ame]
i find it offensive that somebody actually could see how this could be offensive
Try a bit of research, Stoller. Throwing tortillas has been a gauchos tradition for decades. Has nothing to do with New Mexico.
UCSB has a better soccer culture than many MLS teams.
At least is not like the Spanish “tradition” of throwing bananas at black players.
“…aaaaaaaaaaaaaand heeeeeeeeeeere come the tortillas.”
“Hall of Famer Whitey Ford now on the pitch pleading with the crowd for… for some kind of sanity.”
“Uh-oh, and a barrage of tortillas now knocking Whitey unconscious.”
“Wow. This is… this is a black day for college soccer.”
What I find offensive is that I was staying at the same hotel as the team this week and they ate all of the breakfast on Tuesday morning at the Homewood Suites in Oxnard. I was reduced to about two ounces of Raisin Bran and a glass of apple juice (they drank all of the orange juice
). If UCSB wasn’t my alma mater I would have complained to the authorities.
“But it’s college so nobody listens. but i went there. and UCSB ain’t Arizona.”
For the record, not all of us in Arizona hate Mexicans. In fact, many of us are ashamed and disgusted by the actions or elected leaders have taken in the past few months.
In regards to the tortillas, on the surface it is plausible for someone to smell racism when considering the poster alone. But in the context of UCSB’s tradition of throwing tortillas on the field, it is clear this is in no way targeted at the Mexican national team.
Everything I read about UCSB makes me wish I went there for college.
Except for that whole Eric Frimpong thing.
Honestly, I have no idea what this is a reference to. But ok…
understood and true. Sadly, such situations tend to tar the whole state. Especially considering the state’s history with things like the objection to an MLK holiday.
yep. and there was that highschool game where fans threw green cards at a team with mexican players.
I can honestly say. I wish you did too. Argueably the one of the best decisions i ever made in my life. Great place to live, beautiful girls, free beer, massive burritos, top not education and a great place to mature. With all those distractions you gotta mature to survive and not fail out. many do in their first year. If i had to go again i’d go right back 100% sure.
as for the Frimpong thing well that’s a sad situation whatever the truth actually is.
With UCSB hosting the College Cup, does this mean we get the tortillas regardless of whether the Gauchos are still playing or not?
Good question. I have a feeling you’ll get some tortillas during the nationally televised finale. Hosting the Cup is huge point of pride for not only UCSB, but for Santa Barbara as a whole. I expect the locals to ‘bring it’ no matter who plays. If the Gauchos make the final four…it might rival Halloween in Isla Vista.
I don’t think it crosses any lines. The fact that this ad exists and it stirs up interest in college soccer is a good thing. If this were a dangerous bonfire in College Station, Texas for an American forrtball game or mad nerd fans in Durham, North Carolina for a basketball game, nobody would be saying a thing.
Lodi – I had close friends affected by that bonfire incident. Perhaps the ad doesn’t cross the line, but you just did. But what the hell, you’re a soccer fan so anything that rips on American football or it’s fans is fair game. And we wonder why casual fans can’t stand soccer fans. Good grief.
With all due respect, sprovi, what did he write that “crossed the line”? He simply speculated that people don’t criticize the tradition of bonfires in College Station. His speculation might be correct or incorrect, but how is it offensive, exactly?
Seems like everyone nowadays has this hair-trigger sensitivity about the words uttered by other people. Always ready to pounce, always ready to declare stuff over “the line.” Good grief, can’t we just stop worrying about “the line” already?
I assume it’s http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco_Demolition_Night
Rither that or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Cent_Beer_Night
Stan, I think it was directly inspired by this:
http://www.snpp.com/episodes/4F08.html
(Search in page for “Whitey Ford”)
Well, I’m an alum of the archrival school in whose honor the bonfire was built ever year, and I’m offended. I don’t really give two rips about some Cannabis Cultivation Science students at Jim Rome’s alma mater want to throw a few tortillas in celebration, but justifying it by bringing up a tradition in which 12 students died and another 27 were injured? C’mon now.
Beyond that, what he wrote…
…was dumb in the extreme. There have been zero bonfires held by the university since the 1999 collapse. Far from “nobody saying anything,” they ended a tradition going back a century.
Well, thank God you’re here to tell people what should offend them.
Now I hope the Gauchos score against Mexico U-20. But the Gauchos should be sensitive and throw Corn Tortillas. Most Mexicans in Mexico eat Corn Tortillas, expat Mexicans, gringos and Tejanos crave the flour ones.
I was about to say if you knew you’re history, then you’d get what my post was about; but then ElJefe stepped in and explained it for you. Thanks, Jeff. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Oh my gosh. What a mounts to a plea to the Federal government to enforce the border does not equate to “hate Mexicans.”
Illegal immigrants get farrrrr better treatment from the authorities in the U.S. than they do in Mex.
GREAT self-explaining typo.
Oh, and whoever posted about the corn tortillas-amen bro! Corn > wheat by a ton.
I am sorry for your friends affected by that bonfire – I meant no ill will. What I was pointing out is that there are some pretty ridiculous rituals associated with college sports fans (fanatics, if you prefer) and this is just one of them. Perhaps the worst practice is that college students think getting drunk and acting crazy (regardless of the school or team ritual) is the thing to do and many negative things happen as a result. In any case, I reiterate that I do NOT think that this ad crosses any line and I think drumming up interest in college soccer is a good for the sport.
Thanks for the clarification, Lodi.
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