I was very disappointed after our recent home loss against LSU, not because of the outcome, but because of the actions of many of the fans inside the Hump. We had fought back from a 16-point deficit to cut the lead to five. Then LSU hit two quick shots, and the fans started filing out of the coliseum. There was about a minute and a half left, and we were down by nine.
This would have been a miraculous comeback, but I would like to remind our fair-weather fans about the UNLV game last week. Down by ten with 22 seconds left, UNLV went on a run to push the game into overtime, eventually going on to win. We were down by nine with a minute and a half left, ample time for a comeback.
What is the point of leaving with a minute left? How much time are you really going to save? Our team is busting their tails to try to win, and our fans are leaving. What message does this send to our team as they are looking to the crowd for support? I witnessed a player on the court in the final minute trying to pump up the crowd, but there was no crowd to pump up.
We owe our support to the team, which credits the fans on a consistent basis after home wins for pumping up the team when the game is close. At the Vanderbilt game on Saturday, we were up by 15, when Vandy went on a 16-1 run to tie the game. At this point in the game, the crowd stood up, and cheered for the team. We went on an 8-0 run, and finished the game with a victory. The fans didn’t support the team Wednesday.
The only time the fans got loud was when Winsome Frazier entered the game, and when Winsome scored. There was absolutely no fan support throughout the rest of the game. I even heard some fans booing our own players, in support of another player to enter the game. I don’t care how bad the player is struggling, you never boo your own team. These fans are doing no good, and obviously don’t care as much about the team as the team cares about the fans. I, for one, support every player on the team, no matter how bad the player is struggling.
Are our fans so fair-weather that they forget what many of these players did last year, leading MSU to a 25-2 regular season record, a No. 4 national ranking, and our first outright SEC Championship in 41 years? Yes. Most of the fans I observed leaving were season ticket holders. Even though our games are sellouts, not all of our season ticket holders attend the games.
There was such a fuss about season tickets, but I can’t recall a time when the student section was packed. The student section may have been filled for the Florida game, but only because it was on ESPN2. Even if you don’t have a ticket, you can come in at tipoff, because there are plenty seats left in the student section. If you aren’t going to support your team the whole 40 minutes, sit at home, because the majority of our games are on local TV.
Ryan Sparks is a junior electrical engineering major.