Apparently, this is a trend at West Virginia University? What genius college student sat up one morning and thought it was a totally original idea to put the word “fudgein” in between “West” and “Virginia”? It’s not. But regardless of who thought it up, now Athletic Director Oliver Luck is asking people to stop wearing them.
Luck wrote an open letter to the Mountaineer fans that approached the sensitive subject in the nicest way possible:
I would like to ask you to help me convince people who are wearing these t-shirts to reconsider their choice of attire. I recognize that the First Amendment protects free speech, and as a lawyer, I am more than familiar with the decision of the United States Supreme Court in the landmark 1971 case, Cohen vs. California, which is the law of the land regarding public institutions (like WVU) and protected speech. But as my dad used to tell me, ‘just because it is legal does not mean it is right.’ And I certainly believe that people wearing these offending t-shirts at Mountaineer games, or anywhere else, for that matter, are damaging the reputation of our state and its flagship institution of higher learning.
I would like to request that if you see someone wearing one of these t-shirts that you politely ask him or her to change or to cover it up. Even wearing it inside-out would be an improvement. As you know, we have a big home football game against LSU coming up next Saturday and we would like to present a more favorable image to the millions of football fans from around the country who will be watching the game. Be polite, be courteous, be friendly-but do speak up.
Wow, he sure is a friendly and courteous guy. A little quick to drop the “I’m a lawyer” line though, right? But this is definitely the best route of action. If you ask nicely, people will probably comply. If you straight up ban something, there’s only gonna be a bigger backlash.
Luck’s request comes right on the heels of Morgantown’s decision to make the time-honored tradition of couch-burning a felony. That’s right, West Virginia burns couches to celebrate stuff. Secret’s out. And while I’m sure more couches will be burned now than ever before, the “West Fuckin Virginia” shirt should slowly fade out of memory. But I’m sure some other really intelligent WVU student will think of a new inappropriate phrase to put on a shirt. Maybe “I <3 West Virginia,” it’s not like anyone’s thought of that one before.
[via Deadspin]
