After reading the article about it and a list of its contents, something I thought was noteworthy about the time capsule: it didn't include anything referencing or related to the 1970 plane crash.
This is noteworthy to me because I've noticed, being a Marshall fan since about 1999, that as the years have gone on, the plane crash has become a bigger and bigger part of the football program's tradition. I have a hard time convincing younger people of this, but in the late 90's and early 2000's, I heard very little about the plane crash, outside of walking past the fountain ceremony between classes, and wondering what was going on.
It's undeniable that the movie played a role in changing that, but now even the film is reaching its 10th anniversary. It seems that the further we get from the tragedy, and the fewer people are left who remember the plane crash, or were directly affected by it, people who weren't alive at the time are more apt (or more free) to treat the tragedy as a feature of their modern football fandom.
I find this interesting, because to me the time capsule reveals more than just the items themselves, its a snapshot of the state of mind of the Marshall community in 1991. In 1991, the big story was Marshall finally getting a state-of-the-art, on-campus stadium - something I think a lot of modern day fans take for granted. There was a lot of promise, good things were ahead - Marshall was leaving the ashes and stepping out into the glory.
I just think it is worthwhile to consider that perspective, coming from almost the exact midpoint between present day and the plane crash, and keep it in mind when considering future tributes.
This is noteworthy to me because I've noticed, being a Marshall fan since about 1999, that as the years have gone on, the plane crash has become a bigger and bigger part of the football program's tradition. I have a hard time convincing younger people of this, but in the late 90's and early 2000's, I heard very little about the plane crash, outside of walking past the fountain ceremony between classes, and wondering what was going on.
It's undeniable that the movie played a role in changing that, but now even the film is reaching its 10th anniversary. It seems that the further we get from the tragedy, and the fewer people are left who remember the plane crash, or were directly affected by it, people who weren't alive at the time are more apt (or more free) to treat the tragedy as a feature of their modern football fandom.
I find this interesting, because to me the time capsule reveals more than just the items themselves, its a snapshot of the state of mind of the Marshall community in 1991. In 1991, the big story was Marshall finally getting a state-of-the-art, on-campus stadium - something I think a lot of modern day fans take for granted. There was a lot of promise, good things were ahead - Marshall was leaving the ashes and stepping out into the glory.
I just think it is worthwhile to consider that perspective, coming from almost the exact midpoint between present day and the plane crash, and keep it in mind when considering future tributes.
