Editorial: Less popular sports merit support from Bruins

As the year closes, students are preparing for finals, looking
for summer employment and finishing up involvement in
extracurricular activities.

And with minimal fanfare, some are participating in championship
athletic competition.

A women’s golf championship probably doesn’t draw
even the amount of attention paid to a hoops match-up against the
EA Sports All-Stars. Gymnastics won a national title in April, but
local television was more interested in spring football
practice.

Trevor Ariza leaving for the NBA is big time. Postseason
competition in tennis, softball, volleyball, baseball and track and
field is not.

One has to wonder why the Bruin nation focuses on football and
basketball more than its Olympic sports. Do fans just want to feel
bad about themselves?

After all, while the football and basketball programs have been
in states of decline the last few years, the small sports have
carried the flag of athletic excellence.

Many of the small sports’ athletes are among the best in
the world at their sport. Even if they don’t tomahawk jam or
strike Heisman poses after touchdowns, they deserve recognition
from their peers.