The student section can impact a game when it is packed. Photo by Jada Gangazha.
SAMUEL DEMIS | STAFF REPORTER | sademis@butler.edu
On Saturday, Feb. 21, the men’s basketball team faced off against the Xavier Musketeers once again. The house was packed — the student section filled to the brim with fans cheering the team toward a well-earned victory.
By contrast, on Sunday, Feb. 15, the student section was nearly a ghost town. A few dedicated fans took their positions behind the hoops, but the abundant amount of vacant seats led to random children being allowed into the Dawg Pound to pick up the slack.
The Butler community is left to wonder — does the men’s basketball team just have too many fair-weather fans?
Mallory O’Brien, a sophomore marketing major and Dawg Pound member, believes Sunday’s attendance was an unusual exception.
“There’s a little bit more [members this year] with the bigger freshman class, but at the same time, we are getting around the same amount of students [attending games],” O’Brien said. “It was also a Sunday [night], and everybody probably procrastinated on their homework.”
In any case, the lack of attendance in the student section was somewhat disappointing. While the final score ended up contributing to a six-game skid, the team saw noticeable improvements in offense. By the next game, they were able to turn around their losing streak and earn head coach Thad Matta his 500th win.
“I think there is a lot of negative talk about the team, and there are only a few students who go to the games to see that they are still improving,” O’Brien said. “I think a lot of students base it on one game [when] they decide whether or not to go.”
A loss is extremely disappointing — there is no doubt about that. It is often difficult to be supportive of any team after a losing streak. However, nobody knows going in whether they will show up to see a loss.
The beauty of sports is that upsets and miracles happen all the time. A team down 20 points in the first half could have a legendary comeback at any moment, creating memories to last a lifetime. Even for those who are not fans of basketball, there are plenty of reasons to show up for an evening game, whether that means spending time with friends or just eating a soft pretzel.
Giana LaPorte, a member of the Dawg Pound media team, sees value in showing up even when she does not feel particularly inspired to.
“I remember [attending] a home game against DePaul,” LaPorte said. “All my friends were going, but I was not totally on board. I remember ending up going … and I still have Snapchat videos of our reactions throughout the game.”
There is also value in being present to engage directly with the game as it is happening. While it might be funny to joke about the outcome on Yik Yak or laugh about the other team on Barstool, being able to react in the moment is uniquely thrilling. Maybe that cheer was the reason Finley Bizjack made that three-pointer, or that scream was why the other team missed their free throw.
Kinley Shoemaker, a junior strategic communication major and in-game host for Hinkle Fieldhouse, believes there is a link between fan engagement and team performance.
“The vibe in Hinkle is just different when we have people engaged and involved,” Shoemaker said. “The student sections were packed to the brim … It was incredible, and we won. Sunday there was low attendance, and … it can be difficult to tell a crowd to get pumped and not receive anything in return.”
There will always be value in showing up to pack the student section, even during a losing streak on a Sunday night with an 8 a.m. class the next morning. The outcome of the game does not matter when there are memories being made every second — although victories are strongly preferred.
