by Skye Jalal
Staff Writer
“Yeofit” is defined on the Oberlin Athletics website as, “A HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROGRAM DESIGNED TO ENERGIZE, EMPOWER, AND ENGAGE THE OBERLIN COMMUNITY.” “Yeo-fits” is a little pun I came up with in my head when thinking this week about how to cover outfits on the Oberlin campus - which got me thinking. What is the intersection between the two? It definitely is a stereotype that Oberlin students don’t care about sports, and there may be an element of truth to this. Athletes here are openly bullied, and when asking friends about the most recent homecoming game, I received only reports of And What?!’s half-time performance and the concession stand nachos. However, us Oberlin students are multi-faceted individuals, right? We can write poetry by day, and tailgate or whatever by night, right? I wanted to explore this further, to possibly prove that maybe our Sambas were made for climbing bleachers too.
Starting with my own difficulty even writing the question, I was immediately disheartened with the cause. Still, I was curious to see if I could uncover some Oberlin sports-fanatics. So in the spirit of the Oberlin Athletics department, here are some yeo-fits (haha!), and Oberlin takes on recent football news.
The Question: “The Chicago Bears recently traded defensive player and much-beloved team member, Robert Quinn away to the Philadelphia Eagles. Matt Eberflus has stated in the past his intentions of getting rid of all tradable players, however some still say this was a poor trade for the Bears since Quinn still has value as an edge rusher. What do you think about this trade, what does it say about Eberflus’s leadership and the future of the Bears defensive line?”
Delaney
Shoes: Steve Madden loafers from Nordstroms, Socks: thrifted, Tights: from middle school, probably also from Nordstroms, Dress: thrifted, Sweaters: both thrifted, one two-ply cashmere from Savers, Jewelry: from a gem store, heirlooms from great-grandmother, Ebay
“Oh God, you know whatever, if it's better for the team. It is sad for the fans but also fuck the bears, I don’t think I like the Bears. You’re a Steelers fan, aren’t you? I’m also a Steelers fan. I don’t think I like the Bears at all. Like not even a little bit. So I really don’t care what they do. So like, you know what? Whatever makes them worse, maybe, is good for me. Yeah, that’s my take. Fuck the Bears.”
Neva
Shoes: Reeboks Jacket: thrifted Sweater: thrifted Pants: Lucy Delilah Blum’s Jewelry: From mom, from sister, grandma’s class ring, from Florida, and purchased a really long time ago at a flea market.
“I don’t know much about it, but I do know that their defensive line is probably not going to be great after htis, since Quinn was such a key player. I just think it sucks anytime someone who’s very highly regarded on a team leaves.”
Clio
Skirt: From a thrift store years ago, Shoes: Doc Martens, Top: Brandy Melville from freshman year of high school, Necklace & Bracelet: Made by a friend from home
“Why are we trading people? Can’t we all just be friends?”
Charlotte
Shoes: from a thrift store in Napa, California, Socks: from an airport in Russia, a gift from a friend, Pants: from a fence post in Brooklyn, Sweatshirt: from sister’s closet, Necklace: from an antique mall, Rings: from all over the place.
“What recent news? Oh, the football news? I don’t know. I think it says a lot about..society, and um and about um power, and about... sports. I don’t know, I just think its really telling.”
Elijah
Shoes: purchased four years ago, online, Pants: Dave’s New York Jacket: Volunteers Shirt: purchased online Pendant: from a little antique shop in the Berkshires, with mom’s old chain Watch: from Dad Ring: matching with mom
“Can you say that again? Can you say it again?”- Well I think that Eberflus, he um, is, you gotta stick with your players. If you get 'em on the team you gotta stick with- you know like Brady and what's his name? They were together for like what 25 years? You gotta stick with your players. Because if he didn’t still have any value, which I argue is a rude statement to say for a person, if he didn’t have any value on the team, then that would make sense, but he still has value. So you gotta stick with your players.”
Ezra
Shoes: Dexter, from parents, Pants: JCPenney, Socks: from suit-store in Chicago, Vest: H&M, Turtleneck: Urban Outfitters, Necklaces: Primark, Earrings: JCPenney Eyeglasses: prescribed by eye doctor
“Well I’m not really a huge fan of football. But I will say that hearing the logical side of it, with like ‘this person still has value and potential’ I think that the trade was probably not the best in terms of moves-wise. I think that if you’re thinking strategy you always want to hold out for the best potential. Because if you think about society and like where the children are, you invest into the children because they have the most potential to grow and take things further than where they are. So in that regard, it wasn’t a great trade.”
Dorothy
Tote: screen-printed art from first grade, Boots & Socks: from Timberland, Sweater: Norwegian Dale sweater, a family heirloom and gift from aunt, Shirt: Grandma’s, used for painting since it has bleach stains, Jewelry: H&M, from Grandma Necklace: from New Orleans Jazz Fest
“I’m gonna tell you something right now Skye. Listen, I respect you and I appreciate you and I always am listening to you, but when you said that whole sentence nothing happened in my brain. Nothing. And you’re probably like ‘Oh, people who thrift don’t watch football,’ but I watch hockey. If you ask me a question about Brad Marchand or something I would have an answer, but I got nothing. I'm sorry.”
In conclusion, perhaps some stereotypes are true. Or perhaps I was asking the wrong questions, maybe Oberlin students really would have more to say about hockey, or more-likely, women’s soccer. But how much does any of that really matter? Do you really need to “watch sports” in order to have something valuable to say about them? I think Clio brought up a really good point, the concept of trading people does seem very de-humanizing and unkind. And Ezra was right, regardless of performance, shouldn’t we be holding out for the player's best potential anyways? The Obies that I interviewed this week showed that sometimes the best opinions can come from people who know absolutely nothing about the topic at hand. Or as a wise woman I know once put it, “I just think its really telling.”
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