Written by Emma Grosskopf
Basketball season would be nothing without a crowd, and most of the crowd in Cregger is made up of procrastinating students who should be studying for finals or preparing presentations for INQ classes that make us want to rip out our hair. While cheering on our basketball teams is an admiral pastime when you should be doing other work, there are a couple dos and don’ts associated with hollering until you’re hoarse at an RC basketball game.
DO: Get familiar with the opposing team
There are programs provided at nearly every basketball game, so pick one up and use it to call out opposing players by name. This makes your friendly jab seem a little more personal.
DON’T: Insult a player’s family
Go ahead, insult a player’s game, their hairline or even their uniform, but making comments about a player’s family is always unnecessary.
DO: Check the ref’s eyesight before the game
The best way to do this is by performing an eye exam before the game begins, but if that isn’t possible, simply shouting “ARE YOU BLIND?” at the referees usually gets the job done.
DON’T: Use hateful, sexually explicit or racist speech.
This one explains itself. Don’t direct comments at a player’s gender or race, and don’t harass our opponents sexually. Just be a decent human being. Seriously, telling someone they have bad hair goes a long way.
DO: Be creative with your props
Whether you have a creative sign, noisemakers, or Blaha’s rubber chicken, props are a great way to encourage our teams to perform their best.
DON’T: Cheer when a player gets injured
This goes along with being a decent human being. If you cheer when a player, any player, gets injured, you need to be ejected immediately.
DO: Sit in the student section!
The student section has a goal to unify the student presence at games and show school spirit. Sit courtside and cheer for our Maroons, chirp the opponents, and have a good time. The louder, the better.
