Jor-dan Jeff-er-son … Max-i-mus … are the chants so different? Well, besides the fact Maximus, from the movie “Gladiator,” had just killed the corrupt murderous emperor, I would say there’s not much difference. Yes, killing is certainly not the same as throwing a touchdown pass or scrambling to acquire a needed first down, but, with more examination, their cheers are not so different.              If you watched the Florida-Kentucky game, or any sports show since, you’ve seen the hit on Tim Tebow. I watched that game, and my initial reaction to the hit was a cheer of jubilation that Florida’s offensive line had let the defensive end through to put a tremendous lick on the ever-so-popular Mr. Tebow.  As soon as he was on the ground and unresponsive, I thought, “Maybe he’s hurt and won’t be able to play the Tigers in two weeks.”Now, outside of the moment, this seems like a very inhumane hope; but I know that I am among a very large number of Tiger fans who thought it. I examined my reaction and I think it is a reflection of some twisted societal values.              Sports fans, myself included, have come to expect so much out of the athletes who compete and entertain us weekly. They go into their respective battle grounds, and they fight for a win. When they fail, we chastise them and express our dislike by booing and jeering.We are emotionally attached to the performance of our favorite athletes. Their success is cause for disproportionate celebration, such as riots, but their failure can depress large demographics. The source of these emotions is the performances, not the players themselves. Fans have this attachment to the performance but a detachment from the humanity of the players. As upset as every Tiger fan was last year when Jarret Lee threw a pick-six, I can nearly guarantee that he did not want to give the other team such leverage. Regardless of what he thought or wanted to do, fans hated him so much that when he got hit, people hoped Jordan Jefferson would come in to save the day. This disregard for human well-being is frightening. This is where the parallelism of ancient Rome comes into play.              Roman gladiators were criminals, slaves and prisoners of war. They were thrown into the Coliseum and forced to fight for their lives. When they succeeded, they were heroes and widely acclaimed. They were cheered on for killing the men who opposed them on the battlefield, who were in the same predicament. They had to kill or be killed. The onlookers would cheer and hope their favorite fighter would kill his opponent and continue fighting. The level of detachment from humanity here is much more severe than our distaste for the failures of our beloved teams, but there are some major similarities.Why are these men who throw around an inflated piece of leather able to affect our lives? I wish I could answer this question, and I think it deserves thought. Is it an internal wish for ourselves to be on the field with them? Or is it merely pride in our team? Pride is an easy explanation as to why we enjoy their success, but I don’t think it’s the explanation of the deeper issue of apathy towards the well being of others.So next time you watch the Tigers, think about Jordan Jefferson and Brandon LaFell as humans before you express how terrible their performance might be.  Matt Lousteau is a 20-year-old mechanical engineering junior from LaPlace. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_mlousteau.–Contact Matt Lousteau at [email protected]