Diamondback Online - The University of Maryland's Independent Daily Student Newspaper

Issue date: 11/13/06 Section: Opinion

Na na na na ... Hey hey hey ... Goodbye ... (YOU SUCK)! Yep, it's that time of year again. Basketball season is well underway, and whether we like it or not, it affects every student.

Besides the parking restrictions, which, as a commuter, are wildly inconvenient, there is an overall attitude shift among the campus population. The knowledge of game statistics is a requirement for joining before-class conversation, and if, God forbid, you didn't go to the game, an awkward silence passes, and the person you have attempted to speak with moves on to talk to a more informed classmate.

I've never been a big fan of basketball. Despite having been a cheerleader in high school and being required to go to every game, I have always favored football as my sport of choice to watch. The funny thing is, though, that many of the people I have spoken to who attend basketball games regularly don't really like the sport that much either.

This has led me to wonder why exactly our school seems to be filled with basketball fanatics. This curiosity (admittedly accompanied by massive amounts of peer pressure) drove me to attend my first ever basketball game a couple of weeks ago. While I realize I didn't get the full feel for the game environment because it was not yet the regular season, I have a much clearer view of the appeal of games.

As I suspected, the fun in games comes not necessarily from an enjoyment of the sport itself, but from the overall environment and energy among the student body. There is a sense of unity in both cheering for our team and against our opponent that has very little to do with basketball itself.

Although I was less than thrilled to be at the game at first, I have to admit I had a little laugh at telling the other team's players how bad they were. Call me crazy, but it felt kind of nice to be united in that round of "SUCKS!" with my fellow attendees. There is something empowering about having enough confidence in your school's team to put the other down ... constantly. I especially enjoyed how, unlike high school, the use of profanity is not grounds for (too much) punishment. I never feel as if I cheer for my team adequately when restricting my language, and here at Maryland, choice words are evidently our specialty.

In addition to putting down, making fun of and otherwise defaming our opponent, I found there was something even more satisfying about cheering for our team. It felt as if every basket made gave me a surge of school pride I never knew I had and compelled me to do things I certainly would not have done for a game involving any other team (like, say, clap).

It was a relief to find many students feel the same way about basketball as I do. Sophomore Laura Johnson has attended every home basketball game since she began at this university and says games are a place to "hang out with friends, have a good time, and show some school spirit." Despite not being "particularly fond of the NBA," she is an avid Maryland basketball fan. Many students share this view, and it seems an affiliation with the team playing makes the game exponentially more interesting.

For those of you who are already into basketball games, none of this information comes as a shock to you, I'm sure. But for all you skeptics who perhaps dislike sports of any kind and could think of a million different things you would like to be doing in lieu of acting like a sports-obsessed idiot (on TV no less), let me be the first to say that I've been there. And while I am not converted to a life of sports mania, I appreciate now some of the reasons students regularly attend games. And if you have not yet, I strongly suggest going to at least one game in your college career and supporting your school without shame - if for no other reason, go to get your money's worth.

Megan Maizel is a sophomore American studies and philosophy major. She can be reached at mmaizel@umd.edu.

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