By Gavin Lapaille
Student spirit has been an issue at the University of Louisville for as long as I can remember.
For whatever reason, students here don’t seem to be as passionate as they could be about their teams. People in the stands seem less interested in the game and more interested in things that have nothing to do with the game.
The lack of spirit can be attributed to a variety of causes. The location of the student section sucks. Our football team hasn’t met expectations. We’re too much of a commuter school. There’s no organization.
This season, we are blessed with what looks to be one of the best men’s basketball teams in the country. I look at the roster and shake my head, simply because it is loaded from top to bottom. A run at a National Championship is a definite possibility.
So this would lead me to believe students would come out in bunches to support this squad. To get a glimpse of a great team that plays under a great coach in a great arena.
At the first exhibition game against Georgetown College, the student section was filled with empty seats, rows and rows of them to be honest. It seems every student just failed to show up to support the Cards.
I understand, it was Georgetown College, not Georgetown University, and it was an exhibition game that didn’t count in the team’s record, not a game against a tough Big East opponent. I also understand what the end of the semester means for a student, where tests and projects begin piling up one after the another.
It’s still sad to see. Students beg so much for more privileges and better seats, but when they fail to show up for games, they lose many of their bargaining rights.
The ‘Nest’ has and will attempt to organize students. I expect to see more theme games and better involvement with the students in the future. Although the “Nest’ hasn’t taken off quite yet, the idea is there, the motivation is there, and that’s a start.
There’s not much anyone can do when students don’t show for the games, and that is completely on the students who bought season tickets last spring.
I hear students complain all the time about older citizens somehow finding their way into the student section. All I can say is at least those people show up. They realize how hard it is to get a ticket to a U of L basketball game, and they take advantage of the opportunity to see one of the best teams in the country.
When I was younger, I got so excited every time I found a way to get a ticket to a men’s basketball game. Even in the down years, it was special for me to get to go to one, because I knew how hard it was to get your feet in the door.
The typical U of L student doesn’t understand that. They get cheap tickets for every game and don’t think about the thousands who would die to go to just a single game in the year. This should be a consideration for us all.
Until students begin to appreciate going to games, student spirit at this school will never get any better. The ‘Nest’, L-Raisers or any other initiative is simply going to fail, because students won’t do their part.
So to students who want a better environment at sporting events, the first step is to show up, and cheer loudly. After that, the rest will take care of itself.
