This Could Be Our Year!

Korrin B.

October 17, 2010 - 8:00 PM

I love the West Coast. I love its laid back nature, its beautiful scenery, and its general sense of soul. I believe the West Coast could quite possibly be the best region on earth. I mean, it has been said that when the Buddha died, his head was pointing north and his face was turned to the west. Northwest. Pacific Northwest? Anyway, despite this truth, the West Coast has also been plagued with what is called "East Coast Bias" since what seems like the dawn of time.

What is East Coast Bias? East Coast Bias is what happens when the rest of the country decides to forget about us over here in Pacific Standard Time. We get treated as the underdog. We are seen as a joke. Though East Coast Bias can manifest itself in various ways, one very prominent example of its presence is in the world of sports.

Being in the South this past summer, I found myself having to stick up for the PAC-10 quite a bit, as fans of the SEC ruthlessly declared their supreme dominance in all things. We were deemed to be good, but by that they meant USC was good. Oregon, who? It wore on me as an open-minded Pacific Northwesterner who just wants to love everyone, feel acknowledged, and come together in peace. How could this East Coast Bias not see the beauty we add to the world of sports? Our soul? Our care?

College sports aside, this bias happens in the professional realm of sports as well. Teams like the Yankees and the Braves dominate year after year, stealing shine from anything else that also glitters. No one starts the season thinking, wow, those San Francisco Giants sure will do it again this year!

This year is presenting itself as the perfect year to establish ourselves, to prove that we too can compete, to silence the haters of the beautiful thing we have going on out here in the West!

After this weekend, the Oregon Ducks have moved into the number one ranked spot in the nation! The San Francisco Giants are the NL West Division Champions and moving on! I hope this year the West Coast can keep this momentum going and sweep the world of sports. We deserve to be heard! It is time to end this East Coast Bias!

Go Ducks! Go Giants! Go West Coast!