 A throwback to high school? The athlete table in Corcoran Commons revives the tradition of the exclusive cafeteria.
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If you've been in Corcoran Commons, you've seen "The Table." Its appearance is much like any other table situated throughout the Commons, but the occupants of this specific table makes it unique. It is difficult not to notice them - usually seated in droves, they aren't exactly hard to miss. Sometimes, though not always, the table is graced by the likes of star quarterback and Heisman hopeful Matt Ryan or the other well-known faces of BC athletics, joining together like any other Boston College student to eat and unwind. Prominently located underneath the clock in Corcoran Commons, they sit at the exact same table each day, largely out of habit.
The "athletes' table," as it has come to be known, is the table around which the athletes from various BC athletic teams congregate to share a meal with one another when they are not participating in a rigorous training or practice regimen, attending 15 credits' worth of classes, or displaying amazing feats of athleticism on their respective venues.
Due to experience, it's not surprising or unusual that the BC athletes tend to stay within their respective teams; the same thing can be said of any other school group or organization. In similarity, the athlete table can be compared to high school where there may have been an unspoken, designated table for each of the different social groups. Michael Malec, professor in the sociology department and a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Board, said the athletic segregation could have adverse effects on the athletes' lives. "Part of my reaction is that this is a perfectly natural thing, but the other part of my reaction is that students, even athletes, should be aware of their patterns of association and extend themselves beyond their boundaries," said Malec, who teaches a course at BC called Sports in American Society. "People tend to associate more or less with people like themselves, and the athletes' time is so regimented that they have the same windows of leisure together," he said
Students at BC, especially those who frequent Corcoran Commons, are aware of the athletes' habits and feel unconcerned with the phenomenon. "I don't really mind it that it's there or that only athletes sit there," said Kevin O'Neill, LSOE '09. However, students admitted to the somewhat intimidating nature of the athletes' presence or the notion of approaching them. Caitlin Glynn, A&S '09, said, "They're all probably just coming off practice so it's natural for them all to sit at the same table. It would be awkward to go up to a group of athletes you don't know, but I don't think it's any more intimidating than going up to any other group of people you don't know."
2008 Woodie Awards
