W. Va. Gov. Seeks Apology From U. of Va.

AP via Lycos.com ^ | 12/30/2002a

[GeneD]

Gov. Bob Wise on Monday demanded an apology from the University of Virginia because a pep band lampooned his state's rural image during the halftime show of a college football bowl game.

Saturday's Continental Tire Bowl pitted the University of Virginia against West Virginia University. At halftime, Virginia's student-run pep band staged a parody of The Bachelor," with a male Virginia student choosing between two female contestants.

The contestant said to be from West Virginia wore blue overalls and pigtails, had a talent for square dancing and declared a dream to move to Beverly Hills, Calif. -- a reference to "The Beverly Hillbillies."

"This type of performance merely perpetuates the unfounded stereotypes that we in West Virginia are fighting so hard to overcome," Wise said in a letter to University of Virginia President John T. Casteen.

University officials said Casteen would issue a statement Tuesday. Adam Lorentson, the band's director, did not return telephone messages Monday evening.

Leonard Sandridge, the university's executive vice president and chief operating officer, called the performance "inappropriate" and said it offended fans of both teams.

Sandridge declined to say what, if any, sanctions would be imposed on the pep band. In previous years, officials have barred the band from marching at halftime of home games.

Ken Haines, the bowl game's executive director, said the pep band is not welcome at future Tire Bowls.

He said he approved a five-paragraph script band officials presented before the game, but "their performance was more embellished. The execution by the pep band was not in the same tone that we were led to believe."

Virginia won Saturday's game, 48-22.

The pep band poked fun at West Virginia at halftime of the last Virginia-West Virginia football game, in 1985. That performance, a parody of "Family Feud," included derogatory references to indoor plumbing and birth control.

[federalisthokie]

Typical HOO behavior. UVA has no class, there fans have no class, and pep band has no class. They are a wannabe Ivy league school, and the worst DIV 1 football team in the state.
GO HOKIES

[Ben Bolt]

Televised sports :

A cash cow for schools . The consumer wins also though . They get to spectate at life with the added bonus of living another persons dream .

Tragically hip I guess .

[Hacksaw]

You miss the point. If you were playing a historically black college and you marched in eating corn cobs and chicken, you would have been drummed out of the country.
Yes. I can take a joke - but it should apply to all. White people are the only ones left to be made fun on. That is what I hate about political correctness.

[TN4Liberty]

Well said.

[eddie willers]

White people are the only ones left to be made fun on.

So you want to take away that last little crumb?
God knows we need more laughter...not less.

[Lawdoc]

Go William & Mary - Where T.J. went to get educated!

[WVNan]

I say let the world stereotype West Virginians and our whole state. It keeps the liberals out. I pray every day that WV never gets "discovered" and ruined. I love every "backward" hillbilly in the state. I love every crooked mountain road. I love the wild rivers and the billions of trees. I love the low cost of living. I love the fact that I have neighbors who are willing to do anything I ask of them and want nothing in return. I love the fact that we have "community" instead of urban sprawl. I could go on all night, but you get the picture. Lord protect us from "progress".

[Redmen4ever]

My post (the top ten apologies) was supposed to be a joke. But, for a minute, I'll get serious. When the day finally arrives when pep bands can poke good-natured humor at an historically black college, and all that happens is some people laugh, some others get embarrassed, and only a few get in a huff (and then get over it when their friends look at them funny for taking it seriously), THAT's the signal we'll have gotten over the legacy of racism. In the meantime, we shouldn't create new categories of Political Correctness. IMHO, the movie "Undercover Brother" was the most effective advance in race relations this past year. I also like Ben Wallace of the Detroit Pistons and his white young male fans, wearing the "puff fro." One last thing, being a Big East fan, I was pulling for West Virgina. How could they remain competitive against Miami and lose to Virginia? Go figure!

[TonyInOhio]

I say let the world stereotype West Virginians and our whole state. It keeps the liberals out. I pray every day that WV never gets "discovered" and ruined

Amen, brother. We love our neighbors (well, maybe not Michigan so much).

GO BUCKS!

Tony

[wardaddy]

Yep.

[WVNan]

Yeah, we're kinda fond of our Ohio brethren too. My hubby and son are BIG OS fans. Actually my hubby was born and raised in Ohio. I'm a native of Tenn. and Ala., but I do love WV with a passion.

[LilithUnfair]

I love many of the things you do about WV, but it's the liberals IN the state that are the problem. Until they either 1) change their voting habits, 2) move away or 3) die, the state will never make the progress it could.

I am still confused at the ousting of Wise from Congress, Capito ( a moderate GOPer is in), Underwood (R) is out as gov and Wise is in? Oh, and they voted for a GOP president for the first time since 84. I suspect Byrd will somehow still be casting his socialist votes from the grave.

I have hope still that the state will progress. More young people will continue to leave the state, more businesses will continue to fail until real change and progress is made. Of course, there will always be some ignorant ass that will find some reason to make fun of the state. Like posting stupid remarks on FR.

[Slings and Arrows]

Superb swimming skills?

FReegards,
Slings and Arrows

[ArcLight]

They need to apologize for playing in the Tire Bowl!

Seriously, though, the band was behaving quite badly. The whole thing was in deeply poor taste and should not have been done.

Gotta admit, though...it sounds hilarious!

[Nuke'm Glowing]

What about:

We're sorry, but in this bowl game it was illegal for him to marry his younger sister.

[Nuke'm Glowing]

I hope you have a large OSU flag which duplicates well for a crying towel. Because about 9:30 p.m. Friday night, you'll need it.

34-0 and well on our way to 35.

GO CANES

[Kevin Curry]

The W Va. crybaby governor needs to grow up. Grow a thick skin. Take it in good humor. Poke the same humor at Virginia.

We are indundated with professional snivelling-lipped boobs.

[WVNan]

WV votes local interests because it has a small population. A large segment of the population is tied to the mining industry and thus to the unions. If you studied the state's history you would see why they cling so hard to the unions. The poor people of the state have the same mind-set that the blacks have. They "believe" that the democrats "care" about them. They became welfare dependent and that's the sadest insult of all, because they were once so independently proud and self-reliant. They vote for Byrd because he brings home the bacon. Wise positioned himself as a "good ole downhome boy" and won over the elder statesman. Capito won because her district includes Mason Co., the largest Republican population in WV. Personally I think Byrd is the biggest embarrassment the state has. I write nasty letters to him all the time LOL. I think he knows me now. I keep telling him to retire and stop making a fool of himself.

[driftless]

My advice to the WV gub is to get over it. We Wisconsinites are depicted by Illinois residents, mostly rubes themselves, as being simple cow-loving cheesehead-wearing hayseeds who constantly eat brats and drink beer while watching the Packers. That is a false and scurrilous statement. We don't always watch the Packers.

[MadelineZapeezda]

Yes, making fun of white rural people is still politically correct.

BINGO!