| Description: | The Electronic Betrayal of Tulane |
| Text of article: | The electronic 'betrayal' of Tulane
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Who was the home team Saturday night?
Astounded Tulane fans were betrayed not once, but twice, in that season-ending tribulation. "Benedict" Ellender created the first and major betrayal. The second was somewhat less historic, but no less salient in my eyes. Somebody in the Superdome betrayed them. LSU's several scoring plays were heralded and cheered by the Dome's viewing screens and super-scoreboard with huge flashing lights that repeated "Touchdown Tigers!"
Dome personnel seemed strangely apprehensive to support the hometown Greenies. In fact, only twice did the scoreboard or screens ever make a favorable home team remark.
Granted, Tulane didn't offer much to cheer about, but I've never seen the scoreboard abandon our hapless Saints. (Imagine the words "Touchdown Atlanta!" in bold, eight-foot flashing lights.)
Though it is the Louisiana Superdome, it remains Tulane's home field. The taxes of many Tulane alumni have helped build the LSU sports palaces, but it would be just short of blasphemous to suggest that the Tiger Stadium scoreboard gleefully flash "Touchdown Greenies!"
It is true that the teams are intrastate rivals, and perhaps it is also true that many who attended the game Saturday rooted for the Tigers. But neither of these factors can justify the use of the Dome's elaborate audio-visual equipment in applauding a visiting team's score. And LSU was the visitor.
The excessive use of exclamation points made it clear that these statements were not made merely to "inform" the fans of the LSU touchdowns. In all other games I have attended in the Dome, the scoreboard and screens supported only the rent-paying team.
Anyone who has visited the Astrodome can appreciate the spirit-generating potential of a well-operated scoreboard and can recognize the extra advantage home teams enjoy there.
Clearly, Saturday night's unfairness cannot be viewed as the deciding factor in Tulane's loss. But it certainly ranks high among disloyalties to the Super-dome's tenants.
Ed Michael Reggie |
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