Did you see that the Penn State men’s basketball team defeated #4 Maryland at home the other night? It was a great win for the program, especially after a horrible loss against Ohio State a few days before (rough schedule, playing two top teams in a row). The Nittany Lions are now ranked 26th and look good enough to be a tournament team this year (hopefully they play up to their ability and make it).
The disappointing thing was that the Bryce Jordan Center was not sold out for the game. Imagine the number four team in the nation coming to Beaver Stadium and it not selling out. I get that Penn State fans have been disappointed by the men’s basketball team over the years, but this is a different team. And they deserve a chance to succeed (or let everyone down).
This is something that has bothered me for a few years now (and honestly, I am just as guilty). I remember listening to Steve Jones talk about this on his show. He was talking about how Penn State football fans travel as well as any school, hence why bowl games love them, but that he is always disappointed to see how poor fans travel for other sports.
I think he was talking about how he was always impressed to see a bunch of Nebraska fans show up for women’s volleyball games at Penn State. And yet, despite being a national contender just about every year, there would be few fans at away games for Penn State.
I am not going to say that fans need to head out to every sporting event. However, Penn State fans need to show support. Use social media to post about different sports, share stories about the less popular sports (great job fencing team!).
We need to be a better fan base. Every sport deserves our love, attention, and support. Because…
WE ARE!!!
