As the Men's and Women's Basketball season kicks off within the next week it is becoming more and more apparent that AU sports fans' support has been suffering.
At the preseason games thus far, for both teams, the turnout has been terrible. In fact it has been so bad that the Men's Intramural Football championship two weeks ago, which saw the Sharks defeat Alpha Sigma Phi, drew more spectators.
Yes, that's correct: an intramural football championship drew more fans than the Men's and Women's Basketball teams for a game. It shouldn't matter that it was a pre-season game; that's a terrible excuse for not showing up. Fan support begins with the dedicated fans that always show up.
Screaming Eagles President Stephen Tucker has done a great job just to get the program off the ground again, yet people's support has been average at best. Go out and join the Screaming Eagles, even if you are only going to show up to a few games; the more blue shirts the players see in the stands the better supported they will feel.
This is pretty disappointing to say the least. The student athletes that play sports year round at AU give their all in every practice, weight session and game that they engage in. The least that could be asked of students is some decent fan support.
I find it very disturbing that it takes the team getting to the Patriot League final to get a turnout for the Men's Basketball team, as has been the case the last two years. How about some support for the team before they play on ESPN in front of a national TV audience?
Yeah, I understand people want to get on TV, but it's possible that without the fan support the team may not get back to the finals this year.
So next time you think about going to a game to support a team, go - don't think about it, just go. Support your team and cheer it to victory - all teams, not just the sports that you like.
If you have never been to a Swimming and Diving meet, then go. See what the sport is all about. In this day and age, where funding for sports is being cut all the time, the least the fans could do is support our teams, especially seeing as the sports are free to all AU students with a valid ID.
The Men's Basketball team has a legitimate shot of winning the Patriot League this year, as does the Women's team, so go out there and root for the Eagles. Although you may think you are only one fan, if you grab a few friends and head out to Bender to catch the events, the athletes will thank you and so will the team's records.
Did you know that the Men's Basketball team only lost one of 12 home games last year? Yes, that's correct, yet I'm sure most people didn't know that because they didn't go. I don't blame you, I just plead with you, change things now and get out there and show your school spirit.
