Since the beginning of this year, I’ve watched certain UF fans express more negativity toward UF athletes and coaches than I ever thought possible.
By the time we’re done with our 5 a.m. practices, classes, afternoon lifts, evening practices and studying, we rarely have the time or the energy to keep our eyes open long enough to read letters to the editor like Alexander Soucek’s on Wednesday. However, after having recently just torn my ACL, I seem to have just enough extra time to finally stand up for my fellow athletes and say comments like Soucek’s are getting old.
How many fair-weather fans have ever run sprints for an hour straight, puked from exhaustion and then been expected to not only get through a three-hour practice but to improve? We have. How many of you have ever been sacked by a 300-pound linebacker, gotten back up for the next play and still had the poise to complete a beautiful pass? John Brantley has. How many of you have ever put up seven points and gotten nine rebounds in 15 minutes playing against the best college prospects? Patric Young has.
Now, if any of you answered “yes” to these questions, which I doubt happened because the number of Division-1 athletes at this school is proportionately low, ask yourself this: Do you think you could still find the will to do it after reading what some of your supposed fans write about you in the Alligator?
We somehow manage to drown out the uninformed and hurtful opinions and give our best effort during and after competition.
Lately a majority of fans make it pretty hard to do so, but we’re still hanging on. And yes, you might argue we signed up for public scrutiny when we decided to play college sports. And you’re right, we did.
But I could just as easily argue you chose to be a Florida Gator, and in doing so you accepted the responsibility of supporting your fellow students through good and bad.
Do us a favor and back off. If you have something unconstructive and negative to say, go for it in private.
Soucek, next time you witness one of us put on a less-than-desirable or uninspired performance, it might just be our way of saying we are unsatisfied with you as a fan and your inability to inspire us to play well.
So, to Soucek and any other Florida fan, I think it’s about time you take one giant step out of your flip-flops and try and take a walk in our cleats.
