With just about anything in life, there comes a point when you have to draw a line. Perhaps it's capping the amount of beverages you drink so that you won't fight a rival on the floor of a bar. Maybe it's putting an end to a game of baseball when you can no longer see the ball. And you definitely have to set a maximum pot limit in a progressive-pot game of poker with friends.
Sometimes these lines are just overlooked and you are forced to learn from your mistakes. This is one of those times.
Last season-donned in specially-made shirts and toting homemade signs-the Front Row Girls took center stage. They were featured with photos in the local papers, on virtually every broadcast and had a story with Devin Harris in ESPN The Magazine.
A line was never drawn as far as publicity went. They got more than they deserved and they outlasted their 15 minutes of fame. But more importantly, they paved the way for similar stories in the future-and unfortunately it hasn't stopped there.
The Front Row Girls have taken a back seat-and by back seat I mean a mere three or four TV appearances per game-to national anthem singer, band member and Mike Wilkinson fianc??e Alexis Schrubbe.
You aren't alone if you've noticed that Wisconsin basketball games, especially those on ESPN, have become less about a nationally-ranked Badger team and more about the constant love-fest over Wilk and his future wife.
If Wilkinson is at the line shooting free throws, it is no longer about whether or not he is actually making them, but about making sure Schrubbe is turning her back to the court.
Even this publication featured a story about the couple, about how they got together and became engaged.
Brent Musberger and Steve Lavin have even gone so far as to discuss how good-looking the couple's future children will be.
There comes a point where you have to draw a line, and for the second year in a row, the line should have been drawn, and it should've been drawn after the first time the story was told.
Here's the story: Mike Wilkinson plays basketball for the Badgers. Alexis Schrubbe sings the national anthem at games and plays in the band. They are engaged. It's sweet, but let's move on.
Instead fans must suffer through the feel-good story every game, must see her every time Wilkinson's name comes up and must somehow find a way to realize that there is a basketball game going on.
My friend Peter is in the student section. He was Brian Butch's backup in high school. According to present standards, shouldn't he be shown at least once a game?
So here is a list of my challenges. To Schrubbe and Wilkinson, set ESPN straight and tell them that they are there to analyze a basketball game, not your relationship. To ESPN and all other media outlets, do the world a favor and just stop. To myself, dig deep to figure out who is next in line to carry on this disgusting tradition and draw their line before they can even take over.
To everyone: Draw a line-and in the spirit of the Kohl Center floor-draw it crooked.
Eric is a junior planning to major in history. To be his Front Row Girl, contact him at ejschmoldt@wisc.edu.
