the games will go on

UVa lacrosse teams to continue season

I'm happy, if selfishly so, to have been wrong yesterday; as it stands now, both the men's and women's lacrosse teams will play in the NCAA tournament.

I do like to consider myself a UVA lacrosse fan, therefore I like watching UVA lacrosse better than not watching UVA lacrosse, but that's not why I think the decision is the right one. Nor do I hold any opinions on whether it's right because it'd honor the memory of the victim, or anything like that. No, here's why I think it's the right call: the article rather vaguely sources the coaches as the decision-makers here, which (to me) implies that the players also had their fair share of input. Allowing the players and coaches to decide - that makes it the right decision, whether or not they had chosen to play on.

You'll recall that it was the Duke president and administration that first suspended, then canceled the season in the wake of that so-called scandal - a hasty overreaction, as we now know. The impetus for the cancellation was a nasty email that came to light, but the whole team had been suspended for two games a week prior. The Duke administration overreacted in order to try and protect the reputation of the school; the UVA admin should be applauded for allowing cooler heads to prevail and placing the decision in the proper hands. I hate that it takes something like this to remind us that, by and large, UVA handles things the Right Way, but they deserve kudos for doing so.

Regular programming will go on around these parts, because I'd like you to keep in mind that despite what Big Media will have you believe in the coming days and weeks, UVA athletics is still about something other than a CSI case. The black background stays, however, until such time as it's appropriate to remove. Rally around your lacrosse teams as they rally around the Love family - they all need your support.