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Political football
Published: 9/18/2006 3:24 PM
Last Modified: 9/18/2006 3:24 PM

Everyone has an opinion on the officiating at the Oklahoma-Oregon game, but should the OU president express his?

University presidents probably have bigger issues to worry about than football refs. The fact that David Boren chose to weigh in on the subject probably will remind some that a former OU president, George Lynn Cross, once said, "We want to build a university of which the football team can be proud."

I don't fault Boren for releasing a statement about the officiating in the OU-Oregon game. If he feels strongly about it, more power to him.

But, my opinion, he trespassed on forbidden turf when he asked that the game be stricken from both schools' records. Football teams have been victimized by bad calls for years and no one has given back a victory yet. Make an exception this time and someone will want to do it next week and the week after that and the week after that. College football should never go there because a contagion will break out.

But Boren is a smart guy and his statement about the game will boost popularity with OU fans. Boren is a former politician. He still knows how to cater to constituents.




Reader Comments 4 Total
Kay (6 years ago)
It seemed to work. I was tuaght if you want a mile ask for ten. As president of anything you have to stand behind your people, OU has the best staff of couches and professors it has had in years, who better than a "polotician". You could learn a thing or two about "catering to constituents" before it's to late.
William Cooper (6 years ago)
I feel that Boren should get involved it is going to take someone with some clout to bring alot of focus on this issue,and not just for OU.This will affect other schools also,for it is not just unfair to the team it is done to but to any team that Oregon finishs ahead of.
As you mentioned above this has not been just an OU issue but has affected many teams over the years.I would think that everyone would be interested in the integrity of the game and keeping it.This one was extremely bad in that the officials had the video that showed them what the the right call was and chose to ignore it to give their team a chance to win.It doesn't get any worse than that.The fact that nothing has been done in the past just makes it easier for something like this to keep happening.Since these wins and losses seem to be set in stone and no real punishment for altering the outcome of a game,it makes it much easier for this to be done.
The integrity of the game is only as good as the officiating .If we loose the integrity of the game we will eventually loose the game. So we can either add another burning log of dishonesty to the fire or make a move to put the fire out.
I want to see the best team win when I watch football, sometimes it is my team and sometimes it not,but that is the way it should be.
Lea (6 years ago)
Those who believe President Boren took a step onto "forbidden turf" need to re-think their position. First and foremost, as President he is the final point of authority and accountability for the University. If leadership does not take a position when the organization he/she is committed to leading no one else will either. I also wish people would stop referring to President Boren as a "politician";statesman would be more appropriate. He left politics years ago, came back to Oklahoma and if anyone doubts what he has done for OU take a stroll across campus, count the number of endowed chairs, go visit the new museums or tour the new Weather facility. As a fan I can grouse until the world looks level but I doubt that will get the attention of the Pac-10. David Boren did and I am glad he called it what it was - an outrageous injustice.
Glenn (6 years ago)
Boren and all the OU fans should grow up. It's a game. If you don't like playing with someone, take your ball and go home. Likewise, if this is such a point of honor, when was the last time that OU apologized for an officiating error that went in their favor?
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Tulsa World sports writer Jimmie Tramel is a former class president at Locust Grove High School. He graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern State University with a journalism degree and, while attending college, was sports editor of the Pryor Daily Times. He joined the Tulsa World on Oct. 17, 1989, the same day an earthquake struck the World Series. He is the OSU basketball beat writer and a columnist and feature writer during football season. In 2007, he wrote a book about Oklahoma State football with former Cowboy coach Pat Jones.

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