By Kiley O’Donnell
Staff Writer
Fan Jam is an annual event that kicks off the upcoming St. Bonaventure University basketball season. It is a fun way for students to get excited for the season and learn more about the teams, including the coaches.
However, when comparing Fan Jam to other schools, the hype can fall a tad short according to some students on campus.
Most Division I basketball programs run an event called “Midnight Madness.” Universities such as Duke, Syracuse, and Kentucky all run this event to kick off their seasons. Most of these rallies have special guests, such as Shaquille O’Neal at Providence College last week according to ESPN.com, contests for students and some even have musical surprises.
The question for students at Bonaventure is: which would you prefer? Fan Jam or Midnight Madness?
Sophomore biology major Jason Tipton sees the significance of Midnight Madness and would like for it to make its way to Bona’s in the future.
“I would definitely prefer having some sort of Midnight Madness rally or scrimmage over Fan Jam,” said Tipton. “A Midnight Madness rally could really energize both the team and the students here at SBU.”
However, he does not think Fan Jam is an ineffective way of getting students energized for the season.
“For what it’s worth, Fan Jam does a fine job bringing excitement to the university community,” said Tipton. “My only real issue is that it seems to take some of the focus away from the actual basketball season with other activities and that it doesn’t really give students a chance to watch the team on the court.”
Maya Booman-Amico, a junior education major, agrees with Tipton in the sense that Midnight Madness would be a better option.
“I would prefer a Midnight Madness because I think it would get the students even more excited about the upcoming season since we could see the players in action,” said Booman-Amico.
Other students do not see the need for a change to Fan Jam. Sarah Costello, a sophomore education major, believes that Fan Jam is original to the school, so there is no need to change it.
“I prefer Fan Jam over Midnight Madness, because Fan Jam is St. Bonaventure’s own version of a Midnight Madness and we have our own twist to it,” said Costello.
Although she believes Fan Jam is effective, she does not believe it is for the right reasons.
“I don’t think that the Fan Jam itself is what gets the campus excited for the season, but rather the concept of the free Wolf Pack t-shirt voucher while attending Fan Jam,” added Costello. All vouchers are free for students.
Junior education major, Scott Gaffey, thinks differently.
“I would much rather prefer Midnight Madness to the Fan Jam we have now. Since Midnight Madness is a national event, more students would get excited and come to it,” said Gaffey. “It’s also ideal because it serves as a tip off to start the season as opposed to doing it after basketball season has already officially started.”
He also believes that Midnight Madness would be more effective at getting students excited about the season.
“Fan Jam does get some students excited but not as hyped as Midnight Madness,” said Gaffey. “It gets fans excited because we can see the new players but we don’t get as much of a preview as if there was a full scale inter-squad scrimmage like most Midnight Madness’ have.”
Paula Scraba, Ph.D., an education professor at St. Bonaventure University and avid supporter of both basketball programs, gave her opinion on the comparison.
“I personally would prefer a Midnight Madness sort of rally because if you’ve been to one before at a large university, it’s the coolest thing,” said Scraba. “It’s exciting, the place is packed, and everyone’s psyched.”
However, she believes Fan Jam incorporates Bonaventure supporters from outside of the school, unlike a typical midnight madness.
“Here at St. Bonaventure, Fan Jam incorporates all of the community and the fans. So it is much more inclusive for the people of the extended Bonaventure community,” Scraba said.
She acknowledged the Franciscan heritage, and we must remember, “it is about school spirit.”
“Whether or not you like sports, this is a tradition, and I feel that everyone should take the initiative to be a part of it,” said Scraba. “Students need to have a better understanding, especially at a Franciscan university, of what school spirit means. It’s about building community, building relationships.”
Fan Jam will be held on Oct. 22 beginning 4 p.m. outside of the Reilly Center.
odonneke16@bonaventure.edu
