HUMOR DISCLAIMER: This article is intended as satire and uses the tools of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule in the context of contemporary politics, current trends, recent school events, and other topical issues.

by Nick Stonesifer ’20

This year’s football season has been one for the ages. School spirit has been at an all time high, and students from all grades have come together to ask one question: did 2KFORBES film it? 

Sherwood football games have always been an event you want to clear your calendar for, a time when all of the students can go crazy and support their team. Students are decked out in school colors and decide to be at the whim of five or six guys who decide that it’s not cool to stand in the bleachers. At football games students are truly at a place where students can come together. 

That was until this year. With the recent rise of sports edits, Sherwood sports have taken a nosedive into mania. Sports moguls like 2KFORBES and Collette Edits have taken control of the minds of Sherwood’s fanbase, and football games have evolved into a means of clout acquisition. 

Students have gone mad trying to chase the fame that comes with being in these videos. They have become feral, rushing to the games three hours early to make sure they will be caught on camera, deciding it’s a smart idea to crowdsurf on an incline, and let off smoke bombs in the faces of other innocent clout chasers. The bleachers have become a warzone with all of the students pitted against one another. But the real power struggle actually happens to be in the front of the bleachers. Those who have become hooked on this chase for Instagram fame stand up front, and live in a vicious cycle of trying to one up each other to earn a two second clip on an edit that will be forgotten in just under a week. But hey, Roll Wood!

To add insult to injury, this pursuit has shortened our attention spans. Students have stopped watching the games, and have turned to finding whoever has the camera. Eyes have become fixed on phones viewing the edits from last week, scouting out the perfect place to stand to be front and center in future edits. 

So maybe it’s time we looked introspectively at ourselves. Think about how we have changed our behavior at football games, about how we treat others around us. Since when did the stormin’ warriors act like animals? It’s high time that we return to the ways of old or maybe not…  I heard 2KFORBES is coming to the game this Friday.