There are 350 schools that have basketball programs in Division I of the NCAA, and hundreds more in Divisions II and III. For the last five years, students at Georgetown have had the privilege of watching a team that has consistently been in the National top-25. Yes, the last few seasons have ended in heartbreak and there are currently no undergraduates left on campus who witnessed Georgetown’s Final Four run, but the team has always been an elite competitor.
But few Georgetown fans have shown that they deserve this privilege. On the Hilltop, we have a skewed idea of what it means to be a fan. Yes, Georgetown has it’s die-hard fans—Hoya Blue boasts quite a few, to say the least. But as a community, we have failed to support the team.
Last year, on Feb. 3, the Hoyas lost to the University of South Florida in the Verizon Center. The loss was embarrassing, but the student turnout was even worse—the student section was half full. The reason? Our opponent. A game against USF doesn’t have the same allure of a game against Duke or Syracuse; few students found the midweek match against a lowly foe attractive enough to make the trip to the Verizon Center.
Good fans should never go to a game for the opponent, but unfortunately, that is what a lot of students did last season. Too many fair-weather Hoya fans think of themselves as the die-hards. It’s easy to make the trek downtown to see Duke and Villanova, even during the biggest snowstorm to hit D.C. in 100 years. But mustering the energy to support the Hoyas when they face less exciting opponents is what matters more. True fans cheer on their team no matter who the opponent is.
There’s no need to show up four hours early for every game and make a mad dash for the front row, just get there in time to see the opening tip-off. Giving up your Spring Break in Cancun to spend it freezing in New York for the Big East Tournament isn’t necessary either. But if you’re in Georgetown and don’t have an exam or paper the next day, you should always consider showing up—no matter who the visiting team is.
Although this season starts on Friday, the Hoyas do not take on their first ranked opponent in the Verizon Center until Jan. 12, when they play Pittsburgh. Yes, it’s not ideal to wait that long to see a ranked opponent to come into the Verizon Center, but there will be a ranked team playing in D.C. this coming Monday—the Hoyas. That should be a good enough reason to make the trip downtown on Nov. 15 and every other time there is a home game scheduled.
As the team showed last year, home court advantage doesn’t mean much when the arena is half empty. But when the student section is full, the Hoyas can beat anyone—a fact that anyone who saw the Hoyas beat ultimate national champion Duke can attest to.
Thousands of college students around the country would kill to have a consistently top-ranked basketball program. Sure, we’re not Kentucky or Kansas, where our whole lives revolve around college basketball, but we need to take advantage of one of the many privileges Georgetown offers. Just as the basketball team would like to forget how last season ended and start fresh, you have chance to make a new start and give our school a better name.
this should be sent in a mass email to every student at this university.