DeLaSalle Shame

[eno]

Wasn't there a similar expression of poor sportsmanship by Catholic Central alumni this past football season when they were upset by a Detroit team? You would think a Catholic school would have a higher moral code than these expressions.

[ResurgetCineribus]

As a De La Salle graduate I'm not surprised by this and think it is definitely poor spirited and is a sad byproduct of the school's culture. It's really more of a public versus private school chant than it is racist. Still terrible in any regard...

[rjk]

"We've got futures. We've got futures."Later they chanted: "Flip our burgers. And you are stupid."

Call them elitists, but I don't get the racism angle.
Is it inconceivable that those chants could be made at a game against a team from Hazel Park or Hamtramck? Just because King is a overwelmingly black school a charge of racism is tossed around?

Years ago I read about the chants that Northwesten college used when they were getting blown out in Big Ten games. Things such as 'You'll being working for us some day' and other similiar chants.

[iheartthed]

"We've got futures. We've got futures."Later they chanted: "Flip our burgers. And you are stupid."

Call them elitists, but I don't get the racism angle.
Is it inconceivable that those chants could be made at a game against a team from Hazel Park or Hamtramck? Just because King is a overwelmingly black school a charge of racism is tossed around?

Years ago I read about the chants that Northwesten college used when they were getting blown out in Big Ten games. Things such as 'You'll being working for us some day' and other similiar chants.

The difference is that Northwestern is generally renowned for its top rated academics and high achieving alumni when compared to most other Big 10 schools. Is DeLaSalle known for producing above average graduates? King HS is...

If DLS doesn't have the reputation of being an elite institution then on what basis would the students start making elitist chants? It being a predominantly white and suburban high school playing a predominantly black inner city high school, it's not hard to infer what basis the elitism was built on...

[IrishSpartan]

I've heard it is still good, but yes, De La Salle was considered was one of the very best Catholic schools when it was in Detroit. It was one of the schools U of M actually gave bonus G.P.A. points for attending.

The difference is that Northwestern is generally renowned for its top rated academics and high achieving alumni when compared to most other Big 10 schools. Is DeLaSalle known for producing above average graduates? King HS is...

If DLS doesn't have the reputation of being an elite institution then on what basis would the students start making elitist chants? It being a predominantly white and suburban high school playing a predominantly black inner city high school, it's not hard to infer what basis the elitism was built on...

[poobert]

Wow, disgusting!

I like sports but they seem to bring out the worst in spectators rather than the best, more often than not...

There is a little irony here, too. Okay, DLS is a good private school but it isn't the Grosse Pointe Academy or Roeper School. It's a junky old working class Catholic school in a junky old working class suburb, to be frank. I think their air of superiority is a bit misplaced.

[p69rrh51]

Wow, disgusting!

I like sports but they seem to bring out the worst in spectators rather than the best, more often than not...

There is a little irony here, too. Okay, DLS is a good private school but it isn't the Grosse Pointe Academy or Roeper School. It's a junky old working class Catholic school in a junky old working class suburb, to be frank. I think their air of superiority is a bit misplaced.

Actually DLS is a parochial school not a private school and yes its pretty much what you described. GP academy is a grade school not a high school. University Liggett School is the only private high school in GP.

[IrishSpartan]

Really ? Last I checked tuition is well over $7k per year. I didn't know that's considered realistically affordable for the "working class" even with tuition assistance.

Now, when DLS was still in Detroit on Conner across the street from the airport their was truth in that statement. The school was made up of mostly working class Catholic kids from the east side of Detroit. However, those were the days when tuition was much less expensive even when you account for inflation since the Christian Brothers made up the majority of faculty. However, DLS left Detroit 30 years ago.

For many years now, many of the fathers that send their sons there are professionals or work in well paying white collar occupations. It's not like the 1960's anymore, where a line worker at Dodge Main living at 6 Mile & Van Dyke sends his son there.

Wow, disgusting!

I like sports but they seem to bring out the worst in spectators rather than the best, more often than not...

There is a little irony here, too. Okay, DLS is a good private school but it isn't the Grosse Pointe Academy or Roeper School. It's a junky old working class Catholic school in a junky old working class suburb, to be frank. I think their air of superiority is a bit misplaced.

[rjk]

Really ? Last I checked tuition is well over $7k per year.

Most Catholic HS are now in the $8-9k range.
With inflation added in the HS I went to in the 80's is now more than twice as much to attend. That's why so many Catholic schools have been closing. Even many the ones that are still open are nowhere close to the enrollment they had decades ago.

[IrishSpartan]

Oh, I certainly believe that statement. For the 1965-66 school year the cost for tuition at De La Salle was either $225 or $250. Granted, their has been inflation over the years. However, with inflation that is nowhere near $8-9k.

Actually, I decided to use one of those inflation calculators out of curiousity. I plugged in $250 for 1965 and then picked the year of 2005 to see what that translates to in terms of amount. According to the purchasing power calculator the amount is $1,550.00

The big difference between today and back then is that in those days they had enough Christian Brothers and Nuns to teach. Basically, they were a cheap source of labor. In the 1960's, the Catholic schools were a reason for some Catholics to stay in the city. When the costs starting increasing substanstially they were a reason for some working class Catholics to get out and put their kids in suburban public schools.

Most Catholic HS are now in the $8-9k range.
With inflation added in the HS I went to in the 80's is now more than twice as much to attend. That's why so many Catholic schools have been closing. Even many the ones that are still open are nowhere close to the enrollment they had decades ago.

[rjk]

I looked up the cost of DLS. $8,700 per year. 30% of the students receive financial aid at an average of $3,000 per student.

Catholic Central is $9,800 and Brother Rice is $10,350.

[Bham1982]

Really ? Last I checked tuition is well over $7k per year. I didn't know that's considered realistically affordable for the "working class" even with tuition assistance.

Most Catholic school kids nationally don't pay full tuition. Many pay almost nothing.

The tuition could be 70k per year, doesn't mean the demographics aren't largely working class.

[IrishSpartan]

De La Salle hasn't been a working class school in years, especially since they left Detroit. A large number of the kids are from more affluent areas of Macomb County.

Most Catholic school kids nationally don't pay full tuition. Many pay almost nothing.

The tuition could be 70k per year, doesn't mean the demographics aren't largely working class.

[Bham1982]

De La Salle hasn't been a working class school in years, especially since they left Detroit. A large number of the kids are from more affluent areas of Macomb County.

I'll take your word for it, but I'll admit I'm surprised. Catholic schools were always known for educating working class kids, and Warren nowadays is very, very blue collar.

Maybe they all live in Rochester Hills or in those new subdivisions going up north of Hall Road.

[eastland]

Most Catholic school kids nationally don't pay full tuition. Many pay almost nothing.

Please tell where these schools are!

[MrNittany]

I'm a 1993 DeLaSalle alum --- this is NOT THE FIRST TIME my school has made the front page of the sports section for idiocy.

I can't recall the details, but in either 1991 or 1992 we played Detroit DePorres in the Catholic League Final down at Calihan Hall. DePorres was better, they beat us by a bunch. BUT, during the game, the students [[I was in the student section for this game, but not chanting), started chanting "PROP 48" at DePorres star player. I can't recall said player's name, but [[1) he was black, and [[2) he was going to a high-profile college the next year to play b-ball. Proposition 48 is an NCAA regulation that says an incoming freshman must have a minimum GPA and SAT scores in order to be eligible for athletic competiton his first year.

Classless chant. Even MORE classless, considering the player wasn't even close to being a Proposition 48 case. DLS got trashed by Mick McCabe on the front page of the next day's Free Press Sports section, and deservedly so. I'd look up the details in the old papers at a library, but I'm not in Metro Detroit these days. But this DEFINITELY happened.

Anyway, this 2012 event, frankly, is 0% surprising to me. The chants fit the culture of entitlement and thinly veiled racism that I remember being pervasive among the student body in my days. Bummer from a Catholic school and what should be a leader in our community.

[Bham1982]

Please tell where these schools are!

Pretty much everywhere. Catholic schools were generally established to educate working class Catholic ethnics, often of immigrant stock.

Even today, they largely educate a similar demographic, though many of the schools have shifted to immigrants of Latino descent.

[jackie5275]

Most Catholic school kids nationally don't pay full tuition. Many pay almost nothing.

Please cite your reference for this because I along with all the parents at my child's school would love to know how we can do this too. Or is this just a supposition?

[jolla]

Okay, DLS is a good private school but it isn't the Grosse Pointe Academy or Roeper School. It's a junky old working class Catholic school in a junky old working class suburb, to be frank. I think their air of superiority is a bit misplaced.

Agreed, and not just in this instance.

[Crumbled_pavement]

You would think a Catholic school would have a higher moral code than these expressions.

Why would you think that?

[Stinger4me]

I graduated from DLS in '65. The school back then was different. There weren't more than 8-10 lay teachers in the school, the remainder were the "black robed brothers" and many were older. You could count on a higher form of discipline from the FSC guys. I doubt they would have tolerated this behavior from the student body. Many of today's parents are the yuppies and even though the boys are at DLS they probably put up with more shit from the kids. Just my $.02 worth!