Commentary by Justin Delaney, Staff Writer
Each February, one of the year’s most anticipated events, the Super Bowl, brings together friends and family for a night of footballand fun. Unfortunately, the result of the game can often lead to anger, destruction, and physical harm.
Such was the case at Merrimack College following this past Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. As the majority of the campus mourned the Patriots’ loss, some students took their frustrations out on each other.
According to the incident report from the college’s Police Services, there were two reported fights and one complaint of loud noise on Super Bowl Sunday. Moreover, one of the fights resulted in significant harm to one student who did not, however, require serious medical treatment.
These recorded fights are testimony to the type of behavior a college cannot stand for, no matter the situation or event that day.
It is not uncommon for sports games of this magnitude to bring out strong emotions from fans of both sides. However, it is important for those involved to remember that there are heavy consequences for engaging in destructive and potentially harmful activities.
The fights at Merrimack after the Super Bowl are a perfect example of poor ways to handle this type of situation. Reckless conduct, while it may take your mind off the game’s outcome temporarily, will not ultimately change the result of the game in the long run and will have consequences, which remain forever and must be dealt with for the foreseeable future.
In order to avoid future issues, such as these recent fights, it is important to consider healthy ways of dealing with frustration and anger. Many people take out their emotions in ways such as exercise or, in situations that we can control, thinking of solutions to the problem causing the aggravation.
No matter the situation, though, the most important thing is to remain in control of our emotions, no matter how intense, and to think about potential consequences before acting out of frustration.
