By J.D. Eddy, Editorial Editor
Those who attended the Northwestern home basketball games Monday night understand the importance of having a student and community presence at sporting events.
I wrote a story about a year ago on how to increase attendance at sporting events, but not what that attendance means to the players, coaches, faculty and the student body itself. Watching the students and other athletic teams come together in a moment of unity throughout the school was a sight to behold.
Watching Coach Franz celebrate with the student section after such a momentous win could easily be my best moment at Northwestern. Malik Parsons, Chance Love and Marquise Milton showed their love to the crowd for bringing that energy for the entire game.
This does not hold true for just one sport. Sure, driving all the way to Wichita, Kansas, to watch a track meet is probably out of the way.
But going to a home game shows support and will give encouragement to the players on the court or field.
Our student section was highly involved in the game Monday night. The home court advantage is a real thing. When the student section is yelling at and talking to the other team, it throws them off their game.
They’ll miss free throws and easy shots and start getting angry, resulting in personal or technical fouls.
This is almost always free points for the home team.
It was for us. It seemed as if, every time Southwestern missed a free throw, Northwestern would go down and dunk it and sink a fast break three-pointer or an easy layup. It was like poetry in motion. Everything was going smoothly.
The crowd and team work together. If the team is upbeat and positive, generally the crowd will be, too. And likewise, if the crowd is upbeat and positive, so is the team. This is what happened during the girls’ game.
Even when they were up by only two points, everyone was excited, constantly having fun during the game. It resulted in our girls basketball team taking over the game, running up a 30-point lead halfway through the fourth quarter.
The men’s game was just as exciting, if not more. We were down by five points with a minute left, sinking shot after shot to take the game into overtime. I was listening to that crowd, hearing how much excitement was in the air as we went into overtime against our rivals.
Northwestern took the lead early. The crowd was roaring, the team was smiling and Southwestern was angry. Students began to chant. “Start the bus” was the main one.
If we’re being honest, it was time for them to go home. It was probably a long ride back to Weatherford after that one. The men won the game by 10.
The first ones on the court to celebrate were the women’s basketball team players. I get it. They started the sweep, and the men finished it.
Then the baseball team joined in, then football, then cheer and finally the remainder of the student body.
It resulted in probably one of the best post-win sports pictures I have ever seen.
I wish the rest of the men’s team celebrated more. But I get why the men didn’t because I’m an athlete, too. You’re tired, and the last thing that you think about is celebrating with anyone but your team. It was a team win after all. I’m not saying they’re bad for it at all. I just wish they would have stayed out there a little bit longer.
More individuals should attend home sporting events, not just students and faculty. Community members who are there make a difference as well. If you feel the same way or feel differently, write a letter to the Northwestern News. The team and I would love to hear your opinions and thoughts on the matter. Ride, Rangers, Ride!