Staff Editorial
Basketball returned to St. Bonaventure last week and brought with it students’ favorite weekend activity – screaming at officials, opposing players and fans and whoever dares wrong the sacred Bonnies.
Not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with this – it seems like most fans are just showing passion and having fun. But there’s a thin line between a fun crowd and an embarrassing one. Following a few rules will help the Wolfpack remain the former.
Know the situation: Not every fan has to be a cross between James Naismith and Red Auerbach, but you don’t have to yell about every call either. There hasn’t been a time in the past four years (at least) where the crowd has agreed with a call an official has made against the Bonnies, no matter how obvious. Obviously the crowd will side with the Bonnies on close calls, but yelling “bull****”on every foul is a bad look.
Bring back the costumes: From the hot dog to the referee to the Mexican wrestlers and the friar, St. Bonaventure’s crowd has consistently featured a colorful cast of characters. This is what’s great about college basketball – it’s not just about the players or the game. The entire community can get involved. The freshmen and sophomores don’t have to copy previous fans’ costume ideas – they should forge their own identities.
We have a women’s team too: And it’s pretty damn good. Jim Crowley’s squad has qualified for a postseason tournament five times in the past six seasons and will likely add to that this season.
He’s won Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year three times and ESPN National Coach of the Year in 2012. Last year, Katie Healy, Nyla Reuter and Hannah Little earned all-conference honors. This year’s team has NCAA Tournament potential. Don’t miss out.
Avoid slurs: No one’s asking the fans to be Boy Scouts. Fan obscenities are just as much a part of college basketball as low scores, cheerleaders and March Madness. They’re harmless, and coming from college students, they’re expected.
Discriminatory slurs are neither.
There’s no excuse for using them under any circumstances. They do not represent passion, rather ignorance.
UMass will travel to the Reilly Center Feb. 7. This is shaping up to be one of the bigger home games of the season, with UMass having qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season after being upset by the Bonnies in the Reilly Center.
In the offseason, Derrick Gordon, a junior guard, earned national attention when he came out as gay. He became the first openly gay man to play Division I basketball. He’s one of the few openly gay nationally-prominent athletes in North America.
There haven’t been any known instances of fans using gay slurs against Gordon so far this year. It would be embarrassing and incredibly disappointing if St. Bonaventure was the first place it happened.
Cheer for the Bonnies. Cheer against UMass. Scream passionately. Just don’t be a bigot.
This editorial represents the opinion of The Bona Venture staff.
