By Stephen Cooney
Last season there wasn’t a gimmick in the entire marketing universe that could have filled the Lions’ Den. Free t-shirts wouldn’t work, free hats, foam fingers and everything else imaginable didn’t have a shot. It seemed as though creating scholarships for student section fans was going to be the only way to get anyone to the game and at the end of the season, I am not even sure if that would have been a sure thing.
After a bleak showing for free t-shirt day two days before the holiday break began, it seemed as if the Lions’ Den was headed in that same direction. Free t-shirts were offered to the first thousand fans and at the close of the game there were more leftovers than at Thanksgiving dinner.
Apparently, we can chalk all that up to pre-break traveling and blatant class cutting because last night against Fordham, the student section was as crowded as I have ever seen it. From courtside the seats were filled and the ones that weren’t couldn’t be seen through the standing fans. This probably brought a smile to Coach Pecora’s face since he has been rightfully begging for student support.
Maybe the student section doesn’t always make the brightest comments and maybe some students don’t know all that much about sports, but it is starting to feel like these games are becoming student events. There is an atmosphere in the gym that is far better than the empty library feel of last season and it is a positive to see students gaining interest in the teams.
Yes, the teams record helps and the fact that they are playing more exciting games and look to have the potential to control the CAA, but the fact that students are interested and having a good time is just as important.
You do not need to know sports to go and be a fan. There is no reason that everyone in the section has to understand all the rules and the life story of every player but if students feel that they can just have a good time they, will continue to fill the student section.
After that, maybe they can learn about the players and even understand the game a little more. Hell, maybe some of them will even start to read the Chronicle.