THROWBACK: My Freshman Year Letter to BU President Brown

Hi!

I don't even remember if I sent this letter, but I'm pretty sure I did. I still agree with everything I said. It sucks I went four years without a football team to cheer for. Maybe this will find him in my post-grad years, but I'm not sure President Brown would care either way.

Whatever, enjoy!

Dear President Brown,

My name is Patrick Burke and I am a current student in the College of General Studies ’17. I live in Rich Hall and am currently enjoying my freshman year at Boston University. There really is nothing better than being so close to everything that goes on in the city. I have a lot of family here and they mean a lot to me, so it makes me happy to know that they are only a green line ride away. There is no denying that BU is one of the best schools in the nation, but it lacks in one specific area: there is no football team.

I write to you as a student who comes from a football background. I will admit that I am biased in the sense that I believe football is one of the greatest sports that our youth can play. Growing up playing the game, I experienced first hand how football can positively change your life. 

Where I went to high school was very diverse and full of opportunity, but it was also full of a lot of negative distractions. Football brought my friends and I a healthy opportunity to escape the crime and troubles that surrounded us every day. It is true that Brockton, Massachusetts was once home to famous Boxing World Champions Rocky Marciano and Marvelous Marvin Hagler, but it has one of the most storied high school football programs in the nation, producing first round NFL Draft picks and College Football Hall of Famers. To be blatantly honest with you, without football, I know for a fact that many of my friends would not have graduated high school and made it out of their situation. 

Not only did the game impact me in that respect, but it taught me one of the most important things I have ever learned: life is not always about you. It is about the person next to you and how you can help them to succeed, because if we all band together with that mindset there is nothing that we cannot do. People tend to learn this when there is a man on the other side of the line trying to smash your teeth in. The game taught me to have the back of others. It taught me how to be responsible. It helped me to grow as a man.

This is why I was so disappointed when I learned that Boston University no longer had a football team. I understand that budget cuts can be tough but when a full time, no financial aid student (like myself) is paying over $65,000 a year to attend school, I have to question if we, as a university, cannot find money to fund a football team. This only comes to me as a surprise when I look outside of my window and see that we fund, for example, lacrosse and field hockey teams. Football is one of the most popular sports in the nation and would make the university a lot more money than it is making from the sports that I just mentioned.

I also understand that putting together a football team would be a daunting task. Between finding 105 guys to play and a number of coaches to lead them, you may think this would be impossible. In building our football team back up, we would have to wait many years to be competitive again, but it would happen. 

For example, take a look at schools like UCONN and UMASS Amherst, who recently joined Division 1 football. They were, and still are, struggling mightily against tougher opponents like Notre Dame and Michigan. But they continue on, keep fighting, recruiting and spending money to make their programs better. You can bet that within 10 years, those programs will no longer be the joke of the NCAA. 

Granted, we would have to sit through many years of poor teams that would be pretty tough to watch. But this is not a short term investment. It is a long term investment that would make both the students and alumni very happy. It seems as though every student that I have talked to would be ecstatic if our beloved university thought about bringing back our football team. It would give students something to do on Saturday afternoons and would pull in a lot of money from tickets. 

Most importantly, if we were to bring back a football team, it would inspire the inner city youth. Northeastern no longer has a football team, so we are the closest school around to neighborhoods like Roxbury and Mattapan that would have a team. I can tell you from experience, going to a Patriots game inspired me to play quarterback. Many of my friends had the same experience when they saw their first Brockton High game as little kids. Football is something that can make a lasting impact on one’s life and teach life lessons that aren’t always easy to learn. 

Obviously, Boston College has a team. This is something I hear about every Saturday in the fall, thanks to my cousin who attends the school. The rivalry between our school and theirs would be amplified if we brought another sport into the mix. Wouldn’t it be great to beat up on BC in something other than hockey?

My main point here is this, I believe that if Boston University were to think about bringing the football team back, many would be happy. Football brought so much joy to my life and the lives of others. It is something that teaches you life lessons that you will take with you forever. Saturday afternoons would be infinitely times better if we were to bring it back.

All I am asking is for you to bring it back into conversation. Thank you for your time. I hope to hear from you soon.

Best,

Patrick Burke