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The Silence is Deafening
By Bob W.
Well the Terps get their first win in 5 games and yet I still feel the need to write an editorial. I am highly disappointed in our fan base. As I look at the box score the only number that jumps out at me is 7,407. I can not BELIEVE that we had only 7,407 fans at a Maryland Basketball game! Was there a snow storm outside? Was there a jumper on the Woodrow Wilson? Nope, just plain apathy. Before, I get too far in my argument I must admit that I was not at last nights game either. Though that may take away some of my creditability for this argument, in my defense I wasn’t there for most of the “Marquee Games” either. I did manage to make the trip to Blacksburg mostly because I worried that Va. Tech was my best chance to catch live Maryland Basketball. I don’t live on campus, in College Park, or in Prince George’s County. Whether it is because of the recent success of the team, the exclusiveness of the Comcast Center, or that status that comes with owning Maryland Basketball tickets, I have lived the last 6 years as an alum under the impression that most of my Maryland watching was going to be from my couch. It wasn’t until Brian mentioned something last night did I even consider the possibility of going to Wednesday’s game. With that being said, what is our student’s excuse? We are not in the NCAA’s, I am disappointed too, but how could you not show up and support this team playing in your own back yard? They are underachievers? They have let us down? Well what exactly do they owe us to begin with? We have been extremely lucky these past years. If you ever go to a Virginia Tech Basketball game you will notice they have banners in the rafters from the seasons they made it to the NCAA’s. INTO THE NCAA’S!! Not Sweet 16’s or Final Fours. This is not a knock on Virginia Tech whose fans were as passionate about Hokie B-ball as Maryland’s fans are, but an example of how we are truly blessed. We have been able to take for granted just about every season since 1993-94 that there was always the tournament at the end of the year, Duke can’t say that, UNC can’t say that, and neither can UConn. Sure we had a couple close calls but in the end we always knew we had a shot at the National Championship, however long that shot may be. Thank goodness these kids weren’t here for the post Len Bias era. Now there is a generation of fans who have something to grip about. Making the tournament is tough enough but to be banned from it before the season even begins and then to take the lumps that they took really makes you appreciate how far we have come. In closing, a couple of weeks ago I saw a show on MTV called “Sweet Sixteen” which basically is about these rich kids and their 16th birthday parties that their parents plan for them. In this one particular episode, this chick is grounded and sneaks out of the house and gets caught, and as a punishment does not get a new SUV for her birthday. Her parents take her to dinner and inform her of their decision at which point the girl starts crying hysterically and making a scene. In the end they cave and buy her the car. I just thought it was funny that when I saw “spoiled”, “whiny”, and “rich”, I thought about Maryland basketball and our current fan base. I don’t know when our next NIT game is going to be, but I will do my best to be there. You can meet me at Marathon for a pre game meal. We will need all our energy because we will have a lot of students to carry on our backs that day. |