In September, Mizzou fans took out an ad in the Athens (GA) Banner-Herald thanking Georgia’s supporters for their exemplary behavior during the Tigers-Bulldogs game.
On Thursday, a group of Florida fans also took out an ad in an Athens-area paper, the student-run Red & Black. It was not nearly as nice as the Mizzou fans’ ad.
At the top of the ad runs “Why our Gators will bury the Dawgs little bone … again!!” That’s followed by stats outlining Georgia’s historical inability to beat Florida and recent inability to beat Top 10 teams, shots at the Bulldogs’ surprisingly porous defense and predicted postgame quotes from coach Mark Richt on why his team lost.
Did the student paper betray its own school?
Red & Black ran a poll on its website asking users if the Gators fans should have been allowed to take out the ad. The results, as of 1 PM ET on Friday, are surprising: 57% replied “No – it’s just wrong,” while 22% each responded “Yes – money is money” and “Oh, who cares.”
We’re with the second choice. Speaking from experience, getting advertising for an independent student newspaper is not easy.
