CORNELL UPSETS THE STEREOTYPE

I apologize in advance to my main man Alex of Harvard for all the hype over Cornell but I’m an opportunist when I blog so here we go…

Cornell University is in an echelon of schools that most high school students assume they don’t belong. I never even considered Ivy League back in 1993 but now I wish I had. As the Big Red Bears prepare to attempt one an upset of the Kentucky, they’ve already disposed of a fallacy that afflicts so many young men and women – that you can’t be smart and athletic.

How dumb is that adage anyway? I suppose you can’t be rich and generous or famous and gregarious. I’ve tried to figure out why we humans love polarizing things and saying you can’t be this if you’re that. It’s the same with God too. I used to play basketball with some guys who thought the walls of the church would cave in if they ever showed up. In other words, you can’t be a sinner and go to the place where sinners are supposed to be helped. It’s all fallacious but I digress. Back to Cornell.

The sharp shooting men of Cornell bring attention to the many scholar athletes who currently compete at Universities throughout the world. They’re all different colors and come from various ethnic backgrounds and the kid on the corner near graffiti riddled storefronts and urine splashed alleys needs to know this. He/she needs to be updated on the reality that we humans are miraculously gifted. There is no such thing as a singular escape from poverty and violence. There are multiple routes and thank God there are. If a person depended solely on athleticism as THE WAY OUT, Vegas odds says the winning hand is with the casino. Education, resolve, mentoring, resourcefulness, coachability, etc… are why Cornell is such a good team. What they lack in outright speed and agility they make up for with the aforementioned attributes. Perhaps if the NCAA tournament increases its field to 96 teams like it’s planning, more “Cornells” will make being smart cool for athletes. But even if that never happens, the jig is up; young athletes don’t have to feign stupidity anymore to appear more devoted to sports. If you can write one ticket with your brawn, why not write another with your brain.