While most people celebrate memories and victories with photographs and trophies, three varsity football players chose an alternative souvenir: tattoos. Thomas Balestracci '07, Josh Blazek '08 and Zak DeOssie '07, all of whom played in the epic 2005 game against Columbia that clinched the Ivy League Championship for Brown, wanted a unique way to express what the season meant for them.
Last summer, the three athletes traveled together to Portsmouth, N.H., to get inked. Instead of getting popular motifs like snakes, mandalas or motorcycles, the three chose tattoos that reflect, in some form, the University.
"I haven't met anyone else with a college-related tattoo," said Blazek, who has a Brown "B" with ivy going through the letter's holes tattooed behind his right shoulder. "It's very rare, but I think school means a lot to people who come to Brown."
In fact, 12 members of the football team were planning on getting Brown-themed tattoos at the end of the season, according to Blazek. But only three of the teammates went through with the plan.
Balestracci chose a tattoo of the Brown crest, and he added the Brown motto "in deo speramus" along the bottom. Because his father and uncle both graduated from Brown, Balestracci felt that simply going to the school was not enough. He wanted something that would make him stand out. "My brother goes to Harvard and has a Harvard tattoo," he said. "I wanted to be the first one to get a Brown tattoo."
"I wanted to get something that I wouldn't regret when I turn 40,"
Balestracci said. "Having graduated from Brown, I realize that it was the best four years of my life. The tattoo just brings back great memories."
Blazek said he always knew he wanted to get a tattoo but never had a good enough reason. Like Balestracci, he didn't want to regret the design he chose. "People get tattoos for stupid reasons, but this is a reminder of the good things I've done," he said.
"A lot of people think it's kind of silly, but honestly this tattoo represents the two great achievements in my life: Getting into Brown and winning the (Ivy League) football title. It's a great way to commemorate that for myself, and when I tell people my reasons, they think it's cool," Blazek said. "I think people are really surprised when they see us with tattoos like this. They're surprised that we love Brown so much that we get a tattoo."
Of all the encouragement Blazek and Balestracci received, their parents were actually the ones who gave them the most support for getting a college tattoo. "My parents loved it," said Blazek, whose mother has a tattoo. He said his father was hesitant at first, but later changed his mind when Blazek explained his personal motivation for getting the tattoo. Ultimately, his dad was supportive, and his parents even paid for the tattoo.
Balestracci said his parents didn't want him to get a tattoo at first, but they changed their minds once they saw the design. "Being a Brown grad himself, my dad loved it," he said. "I wasn't sure what to expect from them but they never gave me trouble about it."
Betsy Smith, a psychotherapist at the University's Psychological Services, said getting a tattoo can be an expression of one's individuality, passion or whim. She also said people's impressions of tattoos have changed remarkably in the last 20 years. "It's no longer one group of people who have tattoos anymore. All kinds of people from different socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds are interested in tattoos," she said. But, Smith warned, "where (on the body) one decides to wear a tattoo should be kept in mind in terms of anticipating work environments," she said.
Smith stressed that it's important to balance the impulse to express oneself in the moment while knowing that some feelings may not last as long as the tattoo does. "At least, the intensity of those feelings may not remain," she said.
Balestracci and Blazek, however, said they don't think they will regret getting the tattoo. "I feel like I would've regretted it by now if I were to regret it," Blazek said. "For me personally it felt like the right thing to do."
Blazek said he's run into people who think the tattoo is a ploy to show off his Ivy League education. "They don't understand that it actually means a lot to me personally," he said. "I don't see myself changing my views 10 years down the line because it reminds me of the people I spent my college life with and the experience I had."
"I love my tattoo. If anything else, it's also always a great conversation piece," he added.
