I assume you’re aware the Terrapin men’s basketball team is in grave danger of missing the NCAA Tournament. I’m also assuming this is probably an upsetting thought for you, since you care about our basketball team.
Then again, judging by how empty the student section was Feb. 23, perhaps you don’t care as much as everyone — from coach Gary Williams to ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt to yours truly — thought you did.
I was one of the 12 people on the wall Feb. 23 when we clowned Florida State in our best performance of the season. To the other 11: Thank you for upholding our reputation as a student body that supports our sports teams. But to the vast majority of students who weren’t even in Comcast Center: Shame on you.
Since the game, Van Pelt — an alumnus and SportsCenter anchor who hosts his own show on ESPN Radio — has ripped the student body he used to be part of on Twitter and local radio station ESPN 980, and his comments received play in The Washington Post. My favorite dig? From his Twitter: “If the only game [Maryland students] can be bothered to attend is the Duke game then as Terp students are so fond of saying – Hey….YOU suck.”
Ouch.
With that said, I get it. We have lives. Moreover, we have tests to study for and papers to write. I get that. We’re one of the top public schools in the country. Trust me, I know.
But those are hollow excuses.
Unless that test is tomorrow or that paper is due tomorrow, are you skipping the Duke game for it? Don’t lie — you’re not. And here’s the point: You shouldn’t be skipping Florida State either, particularly when the team’s season is on the line.
Van Pelt backs me up. The following is from his three-minute tirade against us — and again, he used to be one of us — on ESPN 980 last week.
“I know what happened: They started letting in a lot more smart people that are really driven about their futures, and you guys had to study last night, and good for you. We had class back when I went to school, too. And we went to games. Because part of a college experience is a well-rounded experience, and going to athletic games is a big part of that.”
The atmosphere that we created for the Duke game last month was one of the best in college basketball this season. It reaffirmed the widely held belief that we’re one of the best student bodies in the country.
Feb. 23 took a sledgehammer to that belief.
True fans support their team, win or lose, and they show up for games even if they have tests and papers looming, especially when the team needs them. The team needed us Feb. 23 against Florida State. We weren’t there. They won anyway — but that doesn’t mean they don’t need us.
They’ll need us more than ever on Saturday.
“We need a full house against Virginia,” Williams said after the Florida State win.
Williams is not quitting. He never does. He never has in his life. And he doesn’t want you to quit on him and his team, like you did Feb. 23.
Williams and Van Pelt know we’re true fans, even if we don’t always act like it. So it’s time to start acting like it.
Stop reading this and go claim and print your Virginia ticket. Then make sure you fill up the wall Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
Trust me, you won’t have a test or a paper due the next day.
Andy Gripshover is a senior history major. He can be reached at apgripsh at umd dot edu.
