On October 27, 2004, a curse was broken: “The Curse of the Bambino.” The Boston Red Sox had failed to win a World Series since 1918. When the Red Sox reversed this curse by winning the 2004 World Series, another began a mere nine years later.
To many, this was seen as the curse of excessive celebration which took a victory too far and executed destructive behavior. In the world of sports, victory celebrations have become increasingly dangerous on college campuses as the years go on.
On October 30, 2013, the Boston Red Sox won their third World Series title in ten years, further proving that they had broken Bambino’s Curse. On that night, however, students at Keene State College rioted on campus in response to the Boston team’s success.
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According to Karina Barriga Albring in an article in The Equinox from November 7, 2013, a female student was struck by a rock and injured, a car was flipped and there was excessive yelling and broken glass.
Even though these events took place six months ago, the memories of this night still remain with some KSC students, like KSC senior Tyler Tambascio.
“There were people knocking over trash barrels, ripping sign poles out of the ground, climbing on buildings and cars, and there were cops everywhere,” Tambascio said.
Similarly, on April 7, 2014, students at the University of Connecticut rioted after their men’s basketball team won the NCAA National Championship title.
According to an article by Zach Cox from the New England Sports Network, cars were flipped, property was damaged and fireworks were lit off.
“There were parties happening after we [the men’s basketball team] got into the Final Four and I guess there was a riot after that part. On Monday night when we got into the championship, every student was in Gampel [Pavillion] and we were able to watch the game. It was packed, and after that everyone rushed into the middle of campus and it was basically a riot again. But then the next night after the championship game it was complete chaos on campus,” Kara Patterson, a UConn sophomore, said.
However, despite the damage being done, Patterson said there was not a point where she felt unsafe.
“People just wanted to watch the game and go crazy; there were times when people were definitely a little bit nervous. But after the game, once you found a place to be, no one would bother you if you didn’t really want to be in the center of it all,” Patterson said.
Further, Patterson said the university tried to keep the students in one area, in an attempt to ensure safety to all students.
“There was a DJ in the center of campus, so right when you exited the stadium, the DJ was right there. Everyone was in that one spot, around the DJ and the Union. They definitely tried to keep students on-campus rather than off-campus,” Patterson stated.
Similarly, KSC students said they were also contained on campus.
“They kind of trapped us. They lured us to the student center because they had ice-cream,” KSC junior Lindsey Day said.
“There were cop roadblocks, they blocked off the end of Appian Way; when I tried to walk home the archway was blockaded with five different cop cars and people. It was crazy, as soon as the cops saw us get bored in one area you could see the cops just speed out and block a different area. They were trapping us on campus. This made it safer, it was definitely a good idea.” Day said.
While these two campuses had serious damage after the victories, the students who witnessed and participated in the events said that the intent was not destruction, but simple celebration.
“It was kind of cool because even though we’re not close to Boston this is still Red Sox Nation. It was a fun time, I don’t regret it, I’m glad I was a part of it,” Day said.
Just as the KSC students expressed they were proud of the Red Sox, the self-described Huskies are proud of their accomplishments.
“I think that it was really just pride in the team and school. When everyone was in Gampel and we were down by one, you could feel everyone’s spirit kind of go down. But then when the team picked it back up everyone was honestly just so excited. We’re just so proud of our school and everyone on the court,” Patterson said.
After more than 30 arrests and a series of negative publicity, the Huskies are trying to rebuild their reputation and keep the focus on the two national championship basketball teams.
“It was really good seeing everyone come back yesterday; we all got to listen to Shabazz [Napier] and Kevin Ollie speak. Then when the women’s team came home, there were speeches in the middle of campus so it was good to have that too,” Patterson said.
“Our students know how to be responsible, but it only takes one person for something to go wrong. I hope our pride in our teams will help us put our campus and our image back together. That’s where Undergraduate Student Government can help in keeping our positive image strong in the upcoming months,” UConn Student Body President Edward Courchaine said. Courchaine added that he spoke as a UConn student, not as a representative of the university or the Undergraduate Student Government.
Diana Pimer can be contacted at dpimer@keene-equinox.com