Having read the article by Olivia Sanchez about the outrageous behavior of emcee Goutham Sundaram at the recent Wally Awards, I felt compelled to respond. As the parent of a UP women's tennis player who graduated from UP in 2016 and as a consultant in the area of sport psychology, I found the account nauseating and infuriating.
I'm sickened that Mr. Sundaram would have so little regard for women, such poor judgment about a multitude of actions and opinions, and seemingly an utter lack of moral compass. My daughter thrived in the UP athletic environment for her four years there, as many other athletes have done. What Mr. Sundaram attempted to represent was a stance that was twisted and perverse.
As someone who has spent more than 30 years working alongside college and professional athletes, I am quite convinced that the culture of the "locker room" does not and has never existed as a repository or hiding place for repulsive and morally reprehensible ideology.
I applaud Ms. Sanchez' courage and oddly feel inclined to apologize to her for what she had to suffer, despite the fact that this was another man's bizarre actions. I'd like to assure her that she is not a "crazy lady" and that this has nothing to do with "taking a joke."
This has to do with not allowing someone to violate her space, and she chose to be strong enough to take care of herself. I trust that Coach Gross will take appropriate action in regards to his player and that the University administration will react to condemn this egregious behavior in the strongest ways legally possible.
Jeff Troesch can be reached at jefftroesch@gmail.com.
