Written by Brandon Higgins
If you’re like me, you can readily pop off sports analogies pertaining to everyday life;
it’s kind of how life and the sports world mesh together. If a student enters a final exam with an A and fails the final to lower his grade to a B you might say he fumbled at the goal line. Or, if you know exactly what you want at a restaurant until you change your mind when the waitress tells you the specials, you read the coverage and audibled at the line of scrimmage.
I work in the admissions office at Harding, so I was recently getting some stuff together for Spring Sing weekend when it dawned on me: Spring Sing is almost exactly like the sports world. The characters are the same, the storylines are the same; it’s really uncanny if you think about it. Here is a list of how Spring Sing translates to the sports world.
1. Dynasties: The recent accomplishments of the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team have helped an old dynasty resurface. Recently, the UConn women broke the record for consecutive college basketball wins set by John Wooden’s UCLA men’s teams in the early-to-mid ’70s. Those UCLA teams dominated parts of two decades, winning 88 consecutive games in the midst of compiling seven consecutive NCAA titles.
I never thought I’d say this, but UCLA and Ju Go Ju/Ko Jo Kai have a lot in common. The Cutie
Pie/Ladybug connection dominated the early 2000s in Spring Sing just like UCLA slaughtered teams in its time. UCLA was able to get superstars like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton, while JGJ/KJK recruited all the best cheerleaders and dance squad members from the southeastern part of the United States to fuel their championship fire. The rafters of the Benson Auditorium are riddled with the retired costumes of all the girls who were named Spring Sing National Directors of the Year. That takes dedication, as well as the propensity to take Spring Sing way too seriously.
And here is a shout-out to the 2009 TNT and Zeta Rho squad that ended their streak of consecutive titles with a record-setting performance, which just goes to show that if you flirt with each other enough during practice for four months, you’ll eventually win Spring Sing.
2. The lingering athlete: We all know when an athlete sticks around too long. They still have respect, but you’re left wondering why in the world they are still out there
trying to play. Shaquille O’Neal is aprimeexample. Thebigguyneeds to give it up, and so do certain Spring Sing Hall of Famers who have been in ensemble for the last decade. You know the type; they were superstars in their prime, but now you see them on the court or on the stage and think, “What is there left to prove?” Sometimes you just have to know when to let the young stars shine and after more than a decade in the limelight, it’s time to hang up the colored Keds.
3.The underdog: March Madness
always thrives with underdog stories likeButler, VirginiaCommonwealth and George Mason, but one of the top underdog stories of all time is the 1985 Villanova Wildcats. The Wildcats entered the NCAA basketball tournament as an 8-seed and trudged their way to a national title, surprising the nation.
I’m looking at you, Pi Theta Phi, Iota Chi, Gamma Sigs, Delta Nu and friends. In an upset story for the ages, their 2010 performance shocked the world as they defeated Spring Sing’s most storied programs to hoist whatever trophy it is that they hoist to the tune of “United We Stand.” Sure beats cutting down the nets.
The comparisons are endless. You have the four-year starters like Tyler Hansbrough compared to four-time hostesses like Jillian Shackleford. You have legacy families like Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning compared to Spring Sing siblings like Travis and Victoria Wisely, all of whom had siblings who settled for endeavors outside the family business.
Hop on board, sports fans. Spring Sing is here, and it’s just as thrilling and drama-filled as our beloved sports.
But not really.
BRANDON HIGGINS is a guest contributor for the Bison. He may be contacted atbhiggins@harding.edu
