Sportsphobia at Oberlin: Myth or Reality?
BY MIKE MUSKA

Oberlin has always been proud of its willingness to accept diversity — that there is truly no Oberlin stereotype. Only the closeted Republicans will admit they supported Bush in November, and we all care to do what is right. But recently my confidence in Oberlin has been shaken, and I have questioned for the first time whether I really want to return next year. 
I am most familiar with phobias through homophobia, something I have paid a great attention to in the latter stages of my life. Most definitions stress that a phobia comes from a fear and in some cases an ignorance of the circumstance or group where the phobia is being addressed. In recent months, my faith in Oberlin has been tested by a kind of sportsphobia that has been latent over time, but for some reason has reared its head more recently.
When I accepted this job almost three years ago, I thought I had a pretty good sense of the Oberlin culture. In fact, as some of you might remember, the fact that I was gay caused quite a stir upon my arrival. There were coaches in my department who worried my presence might hurt the recruiting of male athletes, some alumni wrote the President to express their opposition to my hiring and the infamous homophobe Fred Phelps threatened to visit campus and make the student population and me repent for our sins in allowing me to join the community here.
What I believed was important here was to work hard, build bridges across campus from Philips and become involved in just about every aspect of campus life. I’ve traveled for Admissions and sung the praises of Oberlin everywhere I go. I worked closely with the student leadership in establishing an anti-sweatshop policy and our department was the first in the country to react to Nike’s refusal to work with the Worker’s Rights Consortium, of which Oberlin was one of the first members. I’m chairing the Student Life Committee and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Concerns Committee this semester and have always listened to what students have had to say. My involvement in the movement to create Comparative American Studies has been solely out of a concern to respond to student desire for a Gay or Queer Studies emphasis.
I believe Philips Gymnasium has become a more welcoming place for all students. In the interview process, I stated that I hoped my presence at Oberlin as athletic director might encourage more students to make use of the gym, to care more about issues of wellness and physical self improvement. We’ve added courses in yoga, self defense for women, personal wellness and more courses that address real issues. I have a proposal in to teach a course in Homophobia in Sport next year. And yes, finally, the climbing wall will be built this summer not hidden in a squash court in the back of Philips, but right in the main lobby as a message we care about more than varsity sports.
My confidence in Oberlin, however, has taken a serious hit in recent weeks. I could refer to an article in the Grape about club hockey last week where two writers who did not know the facts told the story of a student who left Oberlin because we were becoming too serious about his sport. I, unfortunately, have to reveal the truth of three student-athletes, including the one referenced in the article, who left after Fall term because other students had written comments on their doors that “we don’t want you here” and “football is for losers.” These three students have discussed this with both College Dean Clayton Koppes and myself. Had someone written something similar on the door of a gay student or a student of color, the entire campus would be outraged. I’ve heard the story of students who have gotten up and walked away from an athlete in Stevenson simply because he sat down when there was no other place to sit.
One gay student I know rationalized sportsphobia last week in that a number of students here felt inferior in high school to the “in” crowd of the preppy jock types, and since the preppy jock type was in the minority here, this was their chance for revenge. Interesting theory. He also suggested that there was a stereotyping of jocks as big and dumb and not qualified to be here.
So let’s address the phobia part — the fear and ignorance about this group. There was an aside in the Grape article that implied scholarships were given to athletes here.
Myth #1 – NCAA Division III rules preclude any aid being given on the basis of athletic ability, and if you don’t believe me, march into Director of Financial Aid Brian Lindeman’s office and learn how tough he is on that issue. 
Myth #2 — The dumb jock theory at Oberlin. Take a few minutes this spring and attend Honors Day, when the academic awards for the College are given out. I’ve attended the past two years, and have proudly watched how many of our athletes have earned distinction in their academic disciplines. Note last year that an Oberlin student-athlete was the national winner of the Arthur Ashe Award as the outstanding Student-Athlete of Color in the country, and is now enrolled in Harvard Medical School. 
Myth #3 — That our athletes are only involved in their sports on campus. Saw one in Equus last week, two in Don Giovanni last spring, one sang the national anthem the other night, watched two junior recitals and two senior recitals in the Conservatory last spring. I could keep going.

Many people on campus fail to realize the recruiting pressures that both our coaches and prospective student-athletes experience. Though often told by coaches and athletes at other schools that Oberlin is that “weird place, with all those artsy students in black and all those gay students” they make the conscious decision to join this community. They walk in with their eyes open. Do you realize that I have called other schools we compete against because some of the catcalls our athletes receive deride them as those “faggots from Oberlin?” I hope you’ll think about that before writing on another athlete’s door. 
Don’t get me wrong, we’re not perfect over here, and we can sometimes be our own worst enemy. I continue to press people to join committees, get involved in other activities and work hard to create a positive image. I will admit to a concern about Zechiel Hall, and have quietly supported the plan for it to go co-ed and to have our athletes integrated throughout the dorms on campus. But if the experiences I’ve learned of from the three athletes this fall are indicative of how athletes will be treated outside of Zechiel, I might have to revisit my feelings about this. 

Just as I ask for your tolerance, I will not, however, tolerate any form of behavior by the student-athletes in that dorm that is demeaning to any other student on this campus. Last fall our football coach stepped right in when a new student-athlete made a comment that might be interpreted as homophobic, and the student involved learned an important lesson about being a part of the Oberlin community. 
A recent book that has received much attention, The Game of Life talks about the realities of college athletics, with an emphasis on how many of the same issues in Division I are starting to exist in the Ivy League and Division III institutions. Oberlin is one of the institutions referenced in the book. What you witness are schools such as Williams and Denison where as many as 40% of the entering class are recruited student-athletes. On a campus where about 12% participate in varsity sports and about 15% are admitted each year, we are a far cry from what is happening in our cohort institutions and create little chance of altering an Oberlin culture I very much care about and love. At a panel I participated in this fall in Washington D.C, the Associate Director of Admission at Stanford admitted that their athletes averaged over 200 points below the class SAT average. This is not happening and will not happen at Oberlin. 
I’ve told our coaches I care about our students having positive competitive experiences at a school that is very special and unique. The success of our programs will not be measured in championships won or win-loss records, but rather in an ability to be a part of what Oberlin is all about, one of the finest liberal arts institutions in the country, proud of its rich tradition of diversity and caring about our fellow being. 
When I speak around the country about supporting gay students and particularly gay student-athletes, I stress our responsibility to not stereotype and to create safe space for all students. It is the responsibility of all educational institutions to do this. A community such as Oberlin’s is only as strong as its weakest link. I ask each of you to consider what influences whatever negative attitudes you may have about athletics, and realize that these activities may be just as important to our student-athletes as any interests you care about. I hope you will all take in one athletic event this spring, and witness the commitment and enthusiasm displayed simply for the joy of doing something they love. It there something threatening in that?

I have been asked by Clayton Koppes and Dean of Students Peter Goldsmith that the Student Life Committee discuss this issue in the months ahead. I look forward to our dialogue and sincerely hope that we can have a frank and honest discussion to create a climate where all students at Oberlin, including our student-athletes, feel welcome and protected in our community. We can agree to disagree about many things here. To stereotype or be intolerant of any group on this campus has never been the Oberlin way.