Sports

How hardcore is YOUR student section?

David Klinger, Staff Writer
April 27, 2014

We live in a new age.

No longer is attending a sporting event about sticking with the norm. The stale oo’s and ah’s of centuries past have been swiftly booted out the door, replaced instead by fat heads and vuvuzelas sailing upon a screaming sea of neon. Instead of merely observing, the modern fan shows up to a game to scream and heckle at the opponent – or, in the above case, to reenact Moses parting the Red Sea.

Today’s fans often push civil boundaries to their limits to gain any sort of competitive advantage for their favorite team. Uncivil, however, isn’t the correct way to describe their antics – they’re weird, exhilarating, confusing, hysterical, random, and enjoyable at the same time. But even such wild entertainment can grow dull with overuse. Simultaneously jumping and screaming simply doesn’t cut it anymore. You have to part the Red Sea – or something along those lines – to be regarded as both a successful and entertaining student section.

Thus, an arms race for creativity in student sections nationwide has ensued that’s almost become more popular than the games themselves. Although it’s questionable as to whether the students actually want to distract the opponent or simply get on SportsCenter, there’s no doubt that their acts have been both hilarious and entertaining. First, let’s visit a college basketball arena that’s widely regarded as having one of the best atmospheres and student sections in the country: the Comcast Center at The University of Maryland.

Last year, the Maryland student section put on a flash mob during halftime in their game against Duke. Now, a flash mob typically consists of a large group of people, but this section was able to bring together nearly one-tenth of their student population. One-tenth doesn’t sound so large to you? There’s 40,000 students enrolled at Maryland. Take a look:

To add to the fun, they beat Duke and rushed the court. But does Iowa State’s collective flop beat Maryland’s flash mob?

A few weeks ago, the Iowa State Cyclones hosted Oklahoma State in a primetime matchup of two teams expected to battle for the conference championship. Although the game turned out to be phenomenal, one of the most popular stories of the evening arose when Iowa State’s entire student section fell backwards when Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart was announced into the starting lineup. The antic was a mockery of Smart’s tendency to “flop,” or unnecessarily fall over in an attempt to draw fouls from officials. It’s quite easy to draw the connection after watching the video:

Did I mention they hoisted up an enormous flop counter throughout the game? Although much less complicated than that of Maryland’s, Iowa State’s shenanigans were off the charts in terms of creativity. The reward for weeks of practice was certainly worthwhile, as Cyclone Alley’s flop was paraded from one television network to the next while crowding social media feeds for weeks.

Although the above videos are breathtaking, I don’t think the Freddie Fanatics, or any high school student section for that matter, will be able to round up over 4,000 people anytime soon. What else could high schools do to throw off the opponent?

Well, there’s “4:09: Get Crazy,” for starters, in which the section bursts into utter chaos when the game clock strikes 4:09. A variation is “4:09: Freeze,” in which students suddenly become silent and motionless for one minute upon reaching 4:09. There’s always Toilet-Papering, an antic in which fans shower the court with toilet paper once the first basket of the season is achieved. I know, it sounds odd, but achieving indescribable weirdness is the primary goal of student sections. Besides, the brief barrage of toilet paper rolls is actually quite the sight to see.

Whether or not your school partakes in such antics, it’s always important to keep the cheers creative. Although entertaining to watch, it’s not as rewarding to copy another school’s chants. The night before you face your arch-rival, sit down with a pen and paper and prepare to bring the roof down. Will your student section be the next to start nationwide trends? Taking into account the flash mob, collective flop, and numerous other acts of havoc, I leave you with one last question: