Local Intramural Team Takes Aim at Touchdowns and Justice

Many are familiar with the death of Harambe, but these OBU athletes are making their statement in an atypical way. The Cincinnati Zookeepers are one of many intramural teams that dot the practice fields on Bison Hill, but are the only ones taking on the May 2016 controversy. For those unfamiliar with the event, Harambe was a 17-year-old western lowland gorilla. He was shot by a zookeeper after grabbing a 3-year-old boy who had fallen in the gorilla enclosure. And there has been considerable backlash after the story went viral.

Nick Dingus, a junior media arts major, is the captain of the team. Nick spoke on the importance of the issue.

“It’s really important that we pay tribute to national heroes. He may not have actually done anything for our country, but he’s just brought so many people joy over the years before his tragic death.” There are others on the team who take a more direct approach to the team’s goals.

Jake Vanderslice is a junior marketing management major, the quarterback and a co-captain of the Cincinnati Zookeepers.

“We created the football team to solve the death of Harambe. All proceeds go to technologies to bring him back. Thus far, we only have two wins on the season, so as you can guess our funds are limited.” The Zookeepers may have limited funds, but they are still reaching a crowd during the football intramural season in the fall of 2016. However, they did acknowledge that some of their audience could take the team’s statement the wrong way.

Dingus and Vanderslice both responded to any criticism that they were insensitive.

“People are too serious; they get offended too easily. I would tell them that they need to get a sense of humor. It seems like everyone in this country is soft now” Dingus said.

“If Colin Kaepernick can sit down during the national anthem, then why can’t I make a mockery of the game of football even more?” Vanderslice asked. Football may be sticking around, but the potency of the Harambe story may not be.

“The meme is dead” Vanderslice said. “It has been dead for quite some time.” To clarify for those who need it, a meme is a humorous image, video or piece of text that is copied often with slight variations and spread rapidly by Internet users.

“It’s not really funny anymore. Really, the Cincinnati Zookeepers were the last breath of life for the Harambe meme. And then after that it stopped being funny. Basically I had the last laugh. That’s the big takeaway from this. I made the last joke and anyone who uses it anymore is a bigot.” However, despite being potentially the last humorous incarnation of the event, the Cincinnati Zookeepers are making a broader statement.

“I think there is no such thing as an ineffective platform. You should be able to subtly, or unsubtly, express yourself everywhere” Dingus said.

With their goal in mind, the duo reflected on what Harambe would say to them looking down from gorilla heaven.

“I think he’d tell us to stay the course and invest in more players in the offseason” Vanderslice said.

“I don’t think he would say anything because gorillas don’t talk” Dingus said. “But I think he would give me a nice chest thump and give me a hug.” The Cincinnati Zookeepers have one game left in the regular season and hope Harambe’s sentiments will propel them farther.