In April, Angel Cabrera lost to Adam Scott in playoff holes to win the 2013 Masters golf tournament and as per tradition, Scott was awarded the coveted Green Jacket.
For those who don’t follow golf, it’s an ugly green blazer. This blazer is one of the most prestigious and ugly pieces of clothing in professional sports and yet, many do not understand why it’s so significant.
I, along with many other Carleton intramural warriors, can understand what that’s like: the want—the need—to win a cheap piece of clothing that probably cost the school a whopping $3 to buy.
Every semester, Carleton Athletics awards shirts to intramural league champions.
You may wonder why this is such a big deal on campus, why anyone would pay extra money and take time out of their studies and work to win a horrible shirt.
I’ll tell you why: like earning your degree, it’s the journey to the t-shirt that matters.
Yes, comparing Carleton’s intramurals with one of PGA’s major golf tournaments is like comparing old apples to gold bars from Fort Knox, but hear me out.
I was chatting with another hockey player about how amazing it would be to win this legendary “Carleton Intramurals Champions” shirt.
I couldn’t figure out if he was joking or not, but he was going on about how that shirt meant more to him than grades, co-curricular record, or a master’s degree. It was a pretty intense obsession.
Back in January, Cam Garbutt wrote a piece for the Charlatan about how awesome it was to be playing intramural hockey, about how fun it was to dress in a full business suit to the championship game, like they do in the NHL.
I whole-heartedly agree.
Regardless of winning or losing it’s the game that brings a community together.
Whether it be shaking hands with the person you were just trash talking with for 40 minutes in intramural hockey, or the thumbs up sportsmanship shown between Cabrera and Scott in that final playoff hole, those are the things that you remember, and those are the things makes playing your heart out fun, and brings students together.
So, no, Cam, I don’t think you were taking it too seriously when your team showed up in formal business attire.
I put off schoolwork during daylight hours so I could train harder than I used to at the gym for it, and slept less as I was catching up on the same schoolwork at night.
In the end, though, it was well worth it. I got my first grey Carleton Intramurals Champions shirt in my first playoff series.
No matter how cheap or ugly, prestigious or tacky a championship keepsake can be, it wouldn’t matter because it’s the journey to get there that counts.
This year, I invite everyone to register for whatever sport they’re interested in, and earn your own Green Jacket.
— Abraham Lau,
third-year psychology and law
