Fights Are the 'Culmination of a Turf War'

According to the K.C. Star, the series of brawls Tuesday and Wednesdays were nothing new. The two sides have been fighting for years, but it was never done so publicly until this week:

The latest fights, which broke out Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, were the culmination of a turf war that has been simmering for years, sources close to both programs told The Kansas City Star on Wednesday.

The sources said that football and basketball players have been involved in numerous altercations with each other during the last five years. They just never went public — until now.

"It’s always been a feud between basketball and football players," said a recently graduated former KU football player who asked to remain anonymous. "It’s been an ongoing thing."

A recently departed former KU basketball player had the same experience.

"It’s about who’s more popular on campus with the girls and stuff like that," said the player, who also requested anonymity. "It’s escalated really bad now, but it’s always been there."

See how hard it is out here for a student-athlete? While the normal college student has to worry about frivolous stuff like paying for tuition and studying, the football/basketball players have to protect their rep. Can’t even imagine how difficult that must be.